Installed beat sonic front camera and harness

I read every post in his FRAC Harness thread and did not see anything about a switch for the blanks, just the two round switches that required you to drill into something for the second switch or find a second location, which I dont have available.

We shall see how it goes - all else fails - it'll all go back...

 

Hopefully it goes well. You can get switches for the blanks from other places or just drill the removable blank cover and put it in there.

 

the harness/interface will be delivered today, so we shall see. Already got questions due to the chinese instructions with the camera
that I cant read... lol and according to Beat-Sonic nothing needs grounded cause its all built into their harness.

 

I was wondering this as well. The FRAC harness takes less time to install than it does to remove the radio from the dash. Grab a $12 camera from Amazon and run the wire is simple enough. I didn't have any blanks in my 1794 so I just drilled a couple holes in the plastic above the 12v socket panel for the switches. Think I was done with the install in 45 minutes total and if I hit the camera on something (mounted it below the license plate) it's $12 so I can replace it almost 15 times before I spend $175!

 

The FRAC harness is $188.00 plus shipping, plus the cost of a camera. Did I miss something ????

 

I bought it since it was plug and play and to support a forum member but that's just me.

 

Right I get it, the other unit is plug and play as well. all same connections and is actually priced less than the FRAC harness.
Just a bit confused on the "can replace it almost 15 times before I spend $175!" quote.
And if support for my purchase doesnt pan out I will be sending it back and possibly getting the FRAC harness in its place.

 

That quote was for replacement of the $12 camera.

 

I don’t really know how the competitor’s product holds up, or how difficult it is to install. I imagine it’s similar to the FRAC. But cost-wise, you actually get two functions with the FRAC Harness; Front/Rear Anytime Camera and VIM. The price of their VIM “bypass” harness adds $150. So you have to pay them $325 to equal the functionality of the FRAC Harness.

But if all you want is the camera function you will save $4 going with them (plus shipping).

 

The $188.00 includes shipping to all destinations in the United States.

You have to buy your own camera with the other harness as well. Fortunately you can get a great camera for under $40. My $30 camera has been going strong for over three years now.

 

That’s the camera I used when I first installed my original FRAC Harness. Over three years and still going strong.

 

I looked at yours, the beat-sonic unit and one other, cant remember the name and all three were virtually Identical and priced about the same.
The only reason i chose the beat-sonic unit was the single switch and all I have is one open blank.

Guess prolly should have asked you a bunch of questions regarding my truck but I did not. Please dont take my purchase as a slight to you or your FRAC harness
it was not meant to be that way, just a simple choice on my end. Hopefully it doesnt bite me in the rear.

And BTW - I purchased the camera you used in your original design.

 

I will never hold it against someone for making their own purchasing decisions and I take no offense if they don’t choose my product. I just wanted to clarify the differences so folks can make informed decisions.

Thanks for your post and input though. If someone just wants the camera function, they only need to install one switch. I probably need to make that more clear.

 

Can you please post a couple of pictures of it mounted on the truck?

 

pictures of what the switch or camera ?

 

Well not every trim package has blanks for switches and also the choice of switch in my opinion was a great move to keep the cost down. Anybody can swap the switch when they get the harness to fit your needs. The small size of the switches that come with the FRAC harness is ideal to "hide" up under the AC Control knobs. I have a post I posted up on @TundraTex thread on the install showing what I did. I have both switches installed up under there and they cannot be seen. I also installed 2 other switches (a total of 4 switches down there and cannot really be seen) and have not had any problems since my install a few years ago.

EDIT: I found my post after my initial install and it can be found here in post #34:
https://www.tundras.com/threads/show-us-your-frac-installation.17037/page-2#post-456283

I am adding a pic showing the 4 connectors I added down there. The I added the 4th switch after this pic was taken, it was for my NANNY switch and the same kind of switch as the Bed Light Switch where the red arrow is pointing.

 

Figured I'd post an update for anyone considering the Beat-Sonic for the front camera mod. I've had it for a year now and it's great. The single button design (very professional OEM looking switch) makes for a clean install with no need to cut holes. Also, the switch is lit at night so you don't have to fumble around trying to find it to turn on your front camera. You can adjust how long the front camera stays on for once you hit the switch. I have mine set for thirty seconds (usually doesnt take me longer than that to park) and then it automatically returns to the radio screen.. no need to hit the switch again to return to the radio screen. You can also have the switch programmed so that when you hit it once, the front camera will stay on indefinitely until you hit the switch again to turn it off. Also can have it programmed so that the front camera will automatically turn on when you're driving at slow speeds (not sure if the other FRAC modules can do this).

As for customer service, its top notch. I created an electrical short in my truck and neither my front or rear camera would work. I emailed beat sonic and they replied with a troubleshooting guide within 15 minutes on how to reset the module. Has been working great ever since.