
Ask HN: Accessing my car’s cameras - matt_the_bass
Hi all
I’m interested in adding a dash cam to my vehicles. Yes I know I can buy a dash cam kit, however I’m wondering if there is a way to use the cameras that are already part of the vehicle and use them with a 3rd party reciting system (or develop my own if I can access the cameras).<p>I haven’t found anything on the web about this type of solution. So I wonder if I just don’t know the correct search terms. I’d be surprised if was the first to try this.<p>Does anyone know where I can find info about accessing vehicle cameras? Is there a standard? Are they already on a bus of some sort?<p>I have a new model VW and a 2010 corolla.<p>Thanks in advance.
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yesenadam
I watched a fascinating talk a couple of years ago by a guy who learnt in
detail how various cars' computer systems work and communicate, (mostly by
studying them directly, and reading the chip info when he found out what they
were), connected to them, and eventually could play racing/driving video games
with his car i.e. with the steering wheel, pedals etc. I can't recall the
name, but I'm sure that would be useful and answer most of your questions.
Maybe someone on here will know the talk I mean. (Can't see it on googling
'hacking cars talk' videos 20mins+ .. but that finds some interesting stuff)

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PaulHoule
I am curious about this too.

One thing I've thought about is being able to turn on the rear view camera on
my 2016 Honda Fit while I am driving forwards.

The data path is there, and you might think it is just a matter of hacking the
software on the infotainment system, but it turns out that the rear camera
only receives power when it is in reverse so you'd need to change the power
connection to a different circuit at the very least.

What I'd really love to do is put on a camera on the driver's side mirror to
match the one on the passenger side mirror.

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davelnewton
Trivial hacking is probably unlikely. Vehicles generally use CAN bus, but
whether or not the camera data is available on the bus... I have my doubts,
but if it's there, that'd be pretty cool. My guess would be there's a
dedicated image channel off the main bus--but that's just a guess. I'd be
interested in knowing if it's on the general network. It _is_ peer-to-peer so
in theory it can be deterministic, so maybe it is.

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blcArmadillo
Yes, it's definitely not running over CAN as CAN doesn't provide enough
bandwidth for cameras. Usually the cameras are connected using LVDS or in
newer cars, ethernet.

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matt_the_bass
Lvds? I assume the camera is some feet from the processor. Can lvds really be
usedthat far?

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davelnewton
I don't know why not; IIRC FireWire was LVDS (4+m), and LVDS doesn't specify
("care about") distance, just loss between driver and receiver. I vaguely
recall lossless transmissions between 10-30m, which is more than enough for a
vehicle.

~~~
matt_the_bass
Thanks for the follow up!

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samstave
I havea suggestion, but because I am building one (although have yet to buy
the equipment:

Ubiquity wifi + LTE + Wifi Cam in the vehicle - with cloud based view -
Basically with this setup, you can make your car cam a part of your home
security setup.

[https://unifi-video.ui.com/g3-flex](https://unifi-video.ui.com/g3-flex)

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runjake
I am currently reverse-engineering my recent-model Honda vehicle's camera
system. It is not fun. It is delicate (in terms of hardware AND software).

tl;dr: Just buy a cheap, high-rated $60-ish dollar dashcam off of Amazon.

