Garmin has several Wireless Backup Cameras currently available. You can check out this comparison guide to see what the major differences are between the BC 30, BC 35 and BC 40.
Quick Summary
Unlike the Garmin BC 30 and Garmin BC 35, the Garmin BC 40 doesn’t need to be connected to a power source as you can use AA batteries. The BC 40 also has the higher capture resolution and is tied with the BC 35 with having the widest field of view.
On the other hand, the BC 40 does have the shortest wireless transmission distance out of this group.
In terms of compatibility, the BC 30 supports the most Garmin devices.
All three of these devices offer the same frame rate when it comes to capturing in addition to having identical water resistance ratings.
Overall, we recommend getting the BC 40 out of this group of backup cameras due to the ease of installation, sharper video quality and wide field of view coverage.
BC 30 vs. BC 35 vs. BC 40 Comparison Chart
You can take a look at Seeking Tech’s comparison table for the BC 30, BC 35 and BC 40 below.
| Garmin BC 30 Wireless Backup Camera | Garmin BC 35 Wireless Backup Camera | Garmin BC 40 Wireless Backup Camera | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What’s in the Box | BC 30 wireless backup camera Bracket mount Wireless transmitter and power cable Power cable Hardware Documentation | BC 35 wireless backup camera Bracket mount Wireless transmitter and power cable Power cable Hardware Documentation | BC 40 wireless backup camera Bracket mount or Tube mount with zip ties Documentation |
| Battery Life | N/A | N/A | Around 3 months |
| Camera Resolution with Compatible Garmin Navigator | 240p | 480p | 720p |
| Field of View | Up to 140 degrees | Up to 160 degrees | Up to 160 degrees |
| Frame Rate | Up to 15 fps | Up to 15 fps | Up to 15 fps |
| Wireless Transmission Distance | Up to 45 feet | Up to 45 feet | Up to 26 feet |
| Water Resistance Rating | IPX7 | IPX7 | IPX7 |
| Compatible Garmin Navigators | dēzl 570 dēzl 580 dēzl 770 dēzl OTR500 dēzl OTR700 dēzlCam RV 660 RV 770 RV 780 Drive 50 Drive 51 Drive 52 Drive 60 Drive 61 DriveSmart 50 DriveSmart 51 DriveSmart 55 DriveSmart 60 DriveSmart 61 DriveSmart 65 DriveSmart 70 DriveSmart 66 (needs adapter) DriveSmart 76 (needs adapter) DriveSmart 86 (needs adapter) DriveAssist 50 DriveAssist 51 DriveLuxe 50 DriveLuxe 51 DriveTrack 70 DriveTrack 71 nüvi 55 nüvi 56 nüvi 57 nüvi 58 nüvi 60 nüvi 2407 nüvi 2408 nüvi 2507 nüvi 2508 nüvi 2509 nüvi 2609 nüvi 2709 nüviCam | dēzl 780 dēzl OTR800 dēzl OTR1000 dēzlCam 785 RV 701 RV 785 RV 890 RV 1090 Overlander fleet 770 fleet 780 fleet 790 | DriveSmart 51 DriveSmart 55 DriveSmart 61 DriveSmart 65 DriveSmart 66 DriveSmart 76 DriveSmart 86 DriveAssist 51 DriveLuxe 51 DriveTrack 71 Tread dēzl OTR700 |
| Pricing | Check price on Amazon. | Check price on Amazon. | Check price on Amazon. |
What’s in the Box
The BC 30 and BC 35 comes with more cables than the BC 40. All three products include a mount in addition to some documentation.
You can find a complete breakdown of what’s included inside each new retail box below:
Garmin BC 30:
- BC 30 wireless backup camera
- Bracket mount
- Wireless transmitter and power cable
- Power cable
- Hardware
- Documentation
Garmin BC 35:
- BC 35 wireless backup camera
- Bracket mount
- Wireless transmitter and power cable
- Power cable
- Hardware
- Documentation
Garmin BC 40:
- BC 40 wireless backup camera
- Bracket mount or Tube mount with zip ties
- Documentation
Battery Life
The Garmin BC 40 doesn’t come with a power cable. Instead, you will need 2 AA batteries to power this backup camera. On average, the battery life should be around 3 months.
Camera Resolution with Compatible Garmin Navigator
The BC 40 has the best capture resolution at 720p.
The BC 35 has a resolution of 480p while the BC 30 features the lowest resolution out of this group at 240p.
Field of View
When it comes to the field of view, the BC 30 can cover up to 140 degrees. The coverage is even wider on the BC 35 and BC 40 as you can get up to 160 degrees.
Frame Rate
The frame rate capture is identical for all three Garming backup cameras at a maximum of 15 frames per second.
Wireless Transmission Distance
The BC 30 and BC 35 feature a wireless transmission distance of up to 45 feet, which is more than the 26 feet maximum distance of the BC 40.
Water Resistance Rating
All three of these cameras of a water resistance rating of IPX7. This means that these devices can easily withstand the rain. In fact, they can withstand being underwater at up to 1 meter in depth for a maximum of 30 minutes.
Compatible Garmin Navigators
When it comes to compatibility with Garming Navigators, the BC 30 easily supports the most devices out of this group.
You can find the full list of supported navigation devices below:
Garmin BC 30:
- dēzl 570
- dēzl 580
- dēzl 770
- dēzl OTR500
- dēzl OTR700
- dēzlCam
- RV 660
- RV 770
- RV 780
- Drive 50
- Drive 51
- Drive 52
- Drive 60
- Drive 61
- DriveSmart 50
- DriveSmart 51
- DriveSmart 55
- DriveSmart 60
- DriveSmart 61
- DriveSmart 65
- DriveSmart 70
- DriveSmart 66 (needs adapter)
- DriveSmart 76 (needs adapter)
- DriveSmart 86 (needs adapter)
- DriveAssist 50
- DriveAssist 51
- DriveLuxe 50
- DriveLuxe 51
- DriveTrack 70
- DriveTrack 71
- nüvi 55
- nüvi 56
- nüvi 57
- nüvi 58
- nüvi 60
- nüvi 2407
- nüvi 2408
- nüvi 2507
- nüvi 2508
- nüvi 2509
- nüvi 2609
- nüvi 2709
- nüviCam
Garmin BC 35:
- dēzl 780
- dēzl OTR800
- dēzl OTR1000
- dēzlCam 785
- RV 701
- RV 785
- RV 890
- RV 1090
- Overlander
- fleet 770
- fleet 780
- fleet 790
Garmin BC 40:
- DriveSmart 51
- DriveSmart 55
- DriveSmart 61
- DriveSmart 65
- DriveSmart 66
- DriveSmart 76
- DriveSmart 86
- DriveAssist 51
- DriveLuxe 51
- DriveTrack 71
- Tread
- dēzl OTR700
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