NAVIKS Backup Camera Interface

6666 Views 16 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Avel Du, Mar 25, 2018

dyoung522

Discussion Starter · Jan 5, 2016

While searching for backup cameras, I came across NAVIKS and their camera interface module with dynamic guidelines:

While looking around their site, they also have a module that supports HDMI in for video playback as well, and I believe it includes the backup cam interface too:

Does anyone have any experience with their products?

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i'm not trying to spam, but i have lost $1000 dollars dealing with naviks and their Chinese counterparts, below is my story

“Back in 2015 I was under impression that NavTool was bit expensive for my SLK” I decided to save money this time around.

Do not buy Naviks or similar junk. In 2018 only NavTool interfaces work as described.

Naviks red flag that I have clearly missed is that they have no reviews or only few positive reviews, either they have no customers or they are not real. Even world’s top brand such as Apple have plenty negative reviews. I should have never wasted time with Naviks or China. Buy cheap, buy twice.

Here is my journey, I purchased an interface from eBay straight out of China. Order Arrived almost 4 weeks late with no manuals and no tech support whatsoever. So, I took my best guess to install and it didn’t work. Lost money as eBay refused to help me and seller had refused to accept it. Nextttttttttttttt

Ordered Naviks junk, I was really surprised when I received same exact junk that I had previously received directly from China (when I ordered from eBay, eBay China=Naviks) So anyway, I went ahead and installed the Naviks interface, you guessed it right it didn’t work, but now at least I have the installation manual. Now I can go ahead and install Chinese junk using Naviks manual. That Chinese junk works except image is all pixilated. So, to summarize using Naviks manual I was only able to make Chinese interface work, but quality of the image was super low. I ended up taking it out of the car.

Next, I contacted NavTool because I’m determined to have Waze on my car screen, from NavTool website I learned that its 100% made in the USA and they been in business for a decade now.

Interesting fact About Naviks that I have learned from having a conversation with NavTool. Naviks is made up of NavTool ex-employees who decided that they want to become NavTool competitor, but unlike NavTool who designs and manufactures the product in USA, Naviks guys just bring it form China. Please don’t start telling me how iPhone is made in China, because iPhone isn’t made in China, iPhone is designed in USA, and it’s simply assembled in China out of the best components.

When I couldn’t make Naviks work, I asked a friend of mine who is an engineer to open it up and look inside. He said that Naviks stuff will never work in your car as its made from consumer grade components, and even if it works it will not last more than a couple of month due to stress automotive parts usually get, form vibration to sudden temperature changes.

After lengthy research, I have learned the following facts and purchased NavTool.

What did I learn about NavTool?
1. They are the original video interface company, and been in business since 2002
2. They are 100% made in USA
3. They are 100% automotive grade, confirmed by my friend who is an electrical engineer.
4. Technical support is 7 days a week, and US based.

These are just some facts that made me buy one, and it works in HD quality image mirroring.

I Placed an order on the NavTool website, Received it 2 days later. Installed pretty easy and it works in HD quality image.

P.S. if you do your own research you will not find any company other than NavTool that makes car video interface in USA with HD quality image. Every other brand I checked out were from China and looked china-naviks junk. It’s very sad that quality products are hard to find and market is getting flooded with low quality product and Chinese knockoffs from car electronics to household items.

If you want Naviks, order it directly form China, you will get 0 support same as with naviks , but at-least buying from China you will get it cheaper and working.

All these Chinese products are low quality and dangerous.

p.ss

Typed on smartphone please excuse grammar and typos.

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Rob1769

· #3 · Mar 18, 2018

So all in all not a nice experience !!!!

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LeonardoDaBenz

· #4 · Mar 18, 2018

Just in case some folks don't do their "due diligence", here's some "alternative" facts to consider regarding Navtools:

https://acurazine.com/forums/5g-tlx...cs-navigation-416/alternative-navtool-952172/

and a BBB rating of F

Do your homework folks.

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b82012

· #5 · Mar 18, 2018

My rear and front camera interface unit is NAVIKS, bought from Amazon and has been operational since install about 1 year ago. No complaints...

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pscheuer

· #6 · Mar 18, 2018

Naviks vs. Navtools vs. OEM parts observations before I buy

Windinmyhair said:
Word for word copy of post yesterday on acurazine.com

Mods?

Does anyone know if theMERCEDES-BENZ SLK-CLASS 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 NAVIGATION VIDEO INTERFACE with BUILT-IN HD SMARTPHONE MIRRORING via HDMI has rear camera dynamic parking guidelines?

Happily, I've been too busy with my HID and other upgrades to start a camera add-on project for my 2015 SLK250, but I share the concerns of all posters trying to find the best solution. My goal is to add front, back and (maybe) side cameras + HDMI for my smartphone + video in motion (because the MB search app. being blocked while driving is really irritating)

I've researched ~5 aftermarket vendors and I'm also trying to reverse engineer the C-class OEM 4-camera module since discovering the 360 degree camera option in the engineering menu. My thoughts so far:

1. the MB OEM 360 camera module uses (you guessed it) the less popular differential input cameras that MB & BMW use; (read "more $s"). The parts seem to be readily available on ebay BUT the wiring and connectors are definitely a complete (and unknown) DIY headache. I doubt that the MB 360 interface wiring hardness was included on my R172 and I have no idea how to buy the harness as a part, so that's a dead-end.

2. Naviks, Nav-TV and eBay seem to have many 2-camera options, but only eBay (from china) seems to offer 4-camera units, all from china (via the UK, Singapore, etc.). all vendors have very, very sparse installation instructions.

3. The Navtool unit NAVMBR4.0-APPLECARPLAY offering seems to offer the most function for the price, since: a)it allows up to 4 cameras b)enables video in motion c)has an HDMI input that will carry audio as well as video.

4. My inquiries on 4-camera expansion (using an add-on video switcher) with NAVIKS were met with quite rude explanations as were my installation questions; a real turn-off when even the sales department doesn't seem to want to help.

5. The statements in this thread about the NAVTOOLS installation experience combined with the additional functions included in the base price seem encouraging, at least enough to prompt a call to ask more questions.

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DColon614

· #7 · Mar 22, 2018

mbpop said:
i'm not trying to spam, but i have lost $1000 dollars dealing with naviks and their Chinese counterparts, below is my story

“Back in 2015 I was under impression that NavTool was bit expensive for my SLK” I decided to save money this time around.

Do not buy Naviks or similar junk. In 2018 only NavTool interfaces work as described.

Naviks red flag that I have clearly missed is that they have no reviews or only few positive reviews, either they have no customers or they are not real. Even world’s top brand such as Apple have plenty negative reviews. I should have never wasted time with Naviks or China. Buy cheap, buy twice.

Here is my journey, I purchased an interface from eBay straight out of China. Order Arrived almost 4 weeks late with no manuals and no tech support whatsoever. So, I took my best guess to install and it didn’t work. Lost money as eBay refused to help me and seller had refused to accept it. Nextttttttttttttt

Ordered Naviks junk, I was really surprised when I received same exact junk that I had previously received directly from China (when I ordered from eBay, eBay China=Naviks) So anyway, I went ahead and installed the Naviks interface, you guessed it right it didn’t work, but now at least I have the installation manual. Now I can go ahead and install Chinese junk using Naviks manual. That Chinese junk works except image is all pixilated. So, to summarize using Naviks manual I was only able to make Chinese interface work, but quality of the image was super low. I ended up taking it out of the car.

Next, I contacted NavTool because I’m determined to have Waze on my car screen, from NavTool website I learned that its 100% made in the USA and they been in business for a decade now.

Interesting fact About Naviks that I have learned from having a conversation with NavTool. Naviks is made up of NavTool ex-employees who decided that they want to become NavTool competitor, but unlike NavTool who designs and manufactures the product in USA, Naviks guys just bring it form China. Please don’t start telling me how iPhone is made in China, because iPhone isn’t made in China, iPhone is designed in USA, and it’s simply assembled in China out of the best components.

When I couldn’t make Naviks work, I asked a friend of mine who is an engineer to open it up and look inside. He said that Naviks stuff will never work in your car as its made from consumer grade components, and even if it works it will not last more than a couple of month due to stress automotive parts usually get, form vibration to sudden temperature changes.

After lengthy research, I have learned the following facts and purchased NavTool.

What did I learn about NavTool?

1.They are the original video interface company, and been in business since 2002

2.They are 100% made in USA

3.They are 100% automotive grade, confirmed by my friend who is an electrical engineer.

4.Technical support is 7 days a week, and US based.

These are just some facts that made me buy one, and it works in HD quality image mirroring.

I Placed an order on the NavTool website, Received it 2 days later. Installed pretty easy and it works in HD quality image.

P.S. if you do your own research you will not find any company other than NavTool that makes car video interface in USA with HD quality image. Every other brand I checked out were from China and looked china-naviks junk. It’s very sad that quality products are hard to find and market is getting flooded with low quality product and Chinese knockoffs from car electronics to household items.

If you want Naviks, order it directly form China, you will get 0 support same as with naviks , but at-least buying from China you will get it cheaper and working.

All these Chinese products are low quality and dangerous.

p.ss

Typed on smartphone please excuse grammar and typos.

I’m pretty skeptical of pretty much everything that you’re saying because I actually have the Naviks video input interface in my car currently.

Here’s the bad: the install did give me a hard time because apparently the unit cords were wired wrong (the wiring harnesses are made by Naviks in NYC). I mailed the unit (not the cords because I assumed they were ok), back to them and they sent me a replacement unit. When the second unit did the same thing their tech team actually spent all afternoon and evening (on a Sunday), FaceTiming me so they could pin point the problem, that’s when they realized that two wires were wired backwards and needed to be swapped. I was really frustrated because initially they thought the problem was either how I installed it or a problem with my car specifically, but they made sure that they got everything working properly.

Here’s the good:

-They were completely dedicated to resolve the issue even though it was a weekend and after hours.
-They ARE located domestically (if you’re in the USA).
-They DID provide clear simple directions, I actually still have them.
-As far as the unit itself, the quality has been great and the video input IS high definition which is why my AppleTV is connected via HDMI. I’ve also connected a backup cam and front cam.
-The unit has moving grid lines the move with the steering wheel and when you connect the backup cam, the interface actually has a specific power line to connect to so you don’t have to tap into your break lights.
-I’ve had it for about a year now and purchased it off eBay, and took a few days to arrive because they’re shipped directly from them in New York.

Time to address the claims that you made, how did this cost you over $1,000? The unit is $400. Also, they have a 30 day return period, why didn’t you return it???

Also, they may purchase these from China on their own but the products ship directly from NY, so I don’t understand how you received the unit 4 weeks late. You also stated that your ”engineer friend” took the defective unit apart and inspected it, so instead of returning it you intentionally voided your warranty and eliminated any chance of a refund or the ability to get a working replacement???

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mbpop

· #8 · Mar 23, 2018

DColon614 said:
I’m pretty skeptical of pretty much everything that you’re saying because I actually have the Naviks video input interface in my car currently.

Here’s the bad: the install did give me a hard time because apparently the unit cords were wired wrong (the wiring harnesses are made by Naviks in NYC). I mailed the unit (not the cords because I assumed they were ok), back to them and they sent me a replacement unit. When the second unit did the same thing their tech team actually spent all afternoon and evening (on a Sunday), FaceTiming me so they could pin point the problem, that’s when they realized that two wires were wired backwards and needed to be swapped. I was really frustrated because initially they thought the problem was either how I installed it or a problem with my car specifically, but they made sure that they got everything working properly.

Here’s the good:

-They were completely dedicated to resolve the issue even though it was a weekend and after hours.
-They ARE located domestically (if you’re in the USA).
-They DID provide clear simple directions, I actually still have them.
-As far as the unit itself, the quality has been great and the video input IS high definition which is why my AppleTV is connected via HDMI. I’ve also connected a backup cam and front cam.
-The unit has moving grid lines the move with the steering wheel and when you connect the backup cam, the interface actually has a specific power line to connect to so you don’t have to tap into your break lights.
-I’ve had it for about a year now and purchased it off eBay, and took a few days to arrive because they’re shipped directly from them in New York.

Time to address the claims that you made, how did this cost you over $1,000? The unit is $400. Also, they have a 30 day return period, why didn’t you return it???

Also, they may purchase these from China on their own but the products ship directly from NY, so I don’t understand how you received the unit 4 weeks late. You also stated that your ”engineer friend” took the defective unit apart and inspected it, so instead of returning it you intentionally voided your warranty and eliminated any chance of a refund or the ability to get a working replacement???

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

its costed me 1000 dollars because had to buy twice and i paid $500 not $400

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DColon614

· #9 · Mar 23, 2018

mbpop said:
its costed me 1000 dollars because had to buy twice and i paid $500 not $400

So rather than returning it, you purchased a second one? Interesting.

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mightycpa

· #10 · Mar 23, 2018

When I called they NAVIKS guy in NY, he couldn't answer basic questions, and couldn't explain how it worked beyond telling me there was a PDF that explained everything. He also got fairly angry at my persistent questioning. I took that as a preview of what customer support would be like.

Last, he admitted that the pictures on eBay or his website don't show the product that he's actually selling. So this:

isn't what will arrive at your home. That was the only thing that made sense, because the jacks don't match up to the description. Long story short, you don't know what you're buying until you get it. What kind of serious internet seller does that?

I might be wrong, but there are far too many other ways to throw away a few hundred bucks that will probably be a lot more fun. There are also other ways to get this done.

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DColon614

· #11 · Mar 23, 2018

mightycpa said:
When I called they NAVIKS guy in NY, he couldn't answer basic questions, and couldn't explain how it worked beyond telling me there was a PDF that explained everything. He also got fairly angry at my persistent questioning. I took that as a preview of what customer support would be like.

Last, he admitted that the pictures on eBay or his website don't show the product that he's actually selling. So this:

isn't what will arrive at your home. That was the only thing that made sense, because the jacks don't match up to the description. Long story short, you don't know what you're buying until you get it. What kind of serious internet seller does that?

I might be wrong, but there are far too many other ways to throw away a few hundred bucks that will probably be a lot more fun. There are also other ways to get this done.

The unit in the picture you provided is what the naviks unit looks like, except the naviks unit is black and has the company name engraved in it.

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mightycpa

· #12 · Mar 23, 2018

Really? Because in the picture:

4Y 3R 2W + something, probably a W to go with the red.

and per the description,

1 HDMI video input
1 Composite video input (Ye, R, W)
2 Camera inputs (Ye, Ye)

leaving me with a missing HDMI, one extra yellow and two extra R&W. I specifically asked if the R&W went with the "camera" inputs and he nearly went ballistic, explaining to me that audio has to be fed through the 3.5mm jack.

It was when I pointed out the missing HDMI and asked if it was in the other side of the unit, that he told me that the unit for sale is not what is shown in the picture.

Like I said, I could be wrong. Maybe I spoke to a disgruntled installer, or maybe I somehow got hooked up with the head of the Sales Prevention Department. I don't know.

I only know that I never will see what they do send people.

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mbpop

· #13 · Mar 24, 2018

mightycpa said:
Really? Because in the picture:

4Y 3R 2W + something, probably a W to go with the red.

and per the description,

1 HDMI video input
1 Composite video input (Ye, R, W)
2 Camera inputs (Ye, Ye)

leaving me with a missing HDMI, one extra yellow and two extra R&W. I specifically asked if the R&W went with the "camera" inputs and he nearly went ballistic, explaining to me that audio has to be fed through the 3.5mm jack.

It was when I pointed out the missing HDMI and asked if it was in the other side of the unit, that he told me that the unit for sale is not what is shown in the picture.

Like I said, I could be wrong. Maybe I spoke to a disgruntled installer, or maybe I somehow got hooked up with the head of the Sales Prevention Department. I don't know.

I only know that I never will see what they do send people.

read this to understand better about naviks junk, naviks in USA $400 no warranty support. , naviks in china $150 no warranty, no support. Do not buy Naviks or similar junk. In 2018 only NavTool interfaces work as described. Naviks red flag that I have clearly missed is that they have no reviews or only few positive reviews, either they have no customers or they are not real. Even world’s top brand such as Apple have plenty negative reviews. I should have never wasted time with Naviks or China. Buy cheap, buy twice. Here is my journey, I purchased an interface from eBay straight out of China. Order Arrived almost 4 weeks late with no manuals and no tech support whatsoever. So, I took my best guess to install and it didn’t work. Lost money as eBay refused to help me and seller had refused to accept it. Nextttttttttttttt Ordered Naviks junk, I was really surprised when I received same exact junk that I had previously received directly from China (when I ordered from eBay, eBay China=Naviks) So anyway, I went ahead and installed the Naviks interface, you guessed it right it didn’t work, but now at least I have the installation manual. Now I can go ahead and install Chinese junk using Naviks manual. That Chinese junk works except image is all pixilated. So, to summarize using Naviks manual I was only able to make Chinese interface work, but quality of the image was super low. I ended up taking it out of the car. Next, I contacted NavTool because I’m determined to have Waze on my car screen, from NavTool website I learned that its 100% made in the USA and they been in business for a decade now. Interesting fact About Naviks that I have learned from having a conversation with NavTool. Naviks is made up of NavTool ex-employees who decided that they want to become NavTool competitor, but unlike NavTool who designs and manufactures the product in USA, Naviks guys just bring it form China. Please don’t start telling me how iPhone is made in China, because iPhone isn’t made in China, iPhone is designed in USA, and it’s simply assembled in China out of the best components. When I couldn’t make Naviks work, I asked a friend of mine who is an engineer to open it up and look inside. He said that Naviks stuff will never work in your car as its made from consumer grade components, and even if it works it will not last more than a couple of month due to stress automotive parts usually get, form vibration to sudden temperature changes. After lengthy research, I have learned the following facts and purchased NavTool. What did I learn about NavTool? 1.They are the original video interface company, and been in business since 2002 2.They are 100% made in USA 3.They are 100% automotive grade, confirmed by my friend who is an electrical engineer. 4.Technical support is 7 days a week, and US based. These are just some facts that made me buy one, and it works in HD quality image mirroring. I Placed an order on the NavTool website, Received it 2 days later. Installed pretty easy and it works in HD quality image. P.S. if you do your own research you will not find any company other than NavTool that makes car video interface in USA with HD quality image. Every other brand I checked out were from China and looked china-naviks junk. It’s very sad that quality products are hard to find and market is getting flooded with low quality product and Chinese knockoffs from car electronics to household items. If you want Naviks, order it directly form China, you will get 0 support same as with naviks , but at-least buying from China you will get it cheaper and working. All these Chinese products are low quality and dangerous. p.ss Typed on smartphone please excuse grammar and typos.

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DColon614

· #14 · Mar 24, 2018

mbpop said:
read this to understand better about naviks junk, naviks in USA $400 no warranty support. , naviks in china $150 no warranty, no support. Do not buy Naviks or similar junk. In 2018 only NavTool interfaces work as described. Naviks red flag that I have clearly missed is that they have no reviews or only few positive reviews, either they have no customers or they are not real. Even world’s top brand such as Apple have plenty negative reviews. I should have never wasted time with Naviks or China. Buy cheap, buy twice. Here is my journey, I purchased an interface from eBay straight out of China. Order Arrived almost 4 weeks late with no manuals and no tech support whatsoever. So, I took my best guess to install and it didn’t work. Lost money as eBay refused to help me and seller had refused to accept it. Nextttttttttttttt Ordered Naviks junk, I was really surprised when I received same exact junk that I had previously received directly from China (when I ordered from eBay, eBay China=Naviks) So anyway, I went ahead and installed the Naviks interface, you guessed it right it didn’t work, but now at least I have the installation manual. Now I can go ahead and install Chinese junk using Naviks manual. That Chinese junk works except image is all pixilated. So, to summarize using Naviks manual I was only able to make Chinese interface work, but quality of the image was super low. I ended up taking it out of the car. Next, I contacted NavTool because I’m determined to have Waze on my car screen, from NavTool website I learned that its 100% made in the USA and they been in business for a decade now. Interesting fact About Naviks that I have learned from having a conversation with NavTool. Naviks is made up of NavTool ex-employees who decided that they want to become NavTool competitor, but unlike NavTool who designs and manufactures the product in USA, Naviks guys just bring it form China. Please don’t start telling me how iPhone is made in China, because iPhone isn’t made in China, iPhone is designed in USA, and it’s simply assembled in China out of the best components. When I couldn’t make Naviks work, I asked a friend of mine who is an engineer to open it up and look inside. He said that Naviks stuff will never work in your car as its made from consumer grade components, and even if it works it will not last more than a couple of month due to stress automotive parts usually get, form vibration to sudden temperature changes. After lengthy research, I have learned the following facts and purchased NavTool. What did I learn about NavTool? 1.They are the original video interface company, and been in business since 2002 2.They are 100% made in USA 3.They are 100% automotive grade, confirmed by my friend who is an electrical engineer. 4.Technical support is 7 days a week, and US based. These are just some facts that made me buy one, and it works in HD quality image mirroring. I Placed an order on the NavTool website, Received it 2 days later. Installed pretty easy and it works in HD quality image. P.S. if you do your own research you will not find any company other than NavTool that makes car video interface in USA with HD quality image. Every other brand I checked out were from China and looked china-naviks junk. It’s very sad that quality products are hard to find and market is getting flooded with low quality product and Chinese knockoffs from car electronics to household items. If you want Naviks, order it directly form China, you will get 0 support same as with naviks , but at-least buying from China you will get it cheaper and working. All these Chinese products are low quality and dangerous. p.ss Typed on smartphone please excuse grammar and typos.

Soooooo you just reiterated your original comment and didn’t respond to any of my questions? Sounds like spam to me.

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mbpop

· #15 · Mar 25, 2018

DColon614 said:
The unit in the picture you provided is what the naviks unit looks like, except the naviks unit is black and has the company name engraved in it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

my unit arrived nothing like the pictures, no connector on the units and instead of metal case it was wrapped in clear heat shrink , something directly out of china. when i finally gave up and ordered NavTool Interface that interface looked like real deal made in USA as NavTool states on their site

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DColon614

· #16 · Mar 25, 2018

mbpop said:
my unit arrived nothing like the pictures, no connector on the units and instead of metal case it was wrapped in clear heat shrink , something directly out of china. when i finally gave up and ordered NavTool Interface that interface looked like real deal made in USA as NavTool states on their site

It really sounds like you work for NavTool

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Avel Du

· #17 · Mar 25, 2018

mbpop said:
my unit arrived nothing like the pictures, no connector on the units and instead of metal case it was wrapped in clear heat shrink , something directly out of china. when i finally gave up and ordered NavTool Interface that interface looked like real deal made in USA as NavTool states on their site

Please respond to the Private Message that I have sent you.

Thanks,

Myk (Moderator)

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