DIY: Installing a 32" TV in the RV Bedroom

Our new Entegra Odyssey 30Z came with a TV up front, but the bedroom had nothing but a blank wall. It was a well-prepared blank wall, though. So this weekend I fixed that.

A black 32-inch Insignia TV on a swing-arm mount, high in the corner of an RV bedroom, angled out from the wall beside a window with a fabric valance and pleated shade.

The finished job. The arm lets the TV angle toward the bed.

The Project
  • Rig: Entegra Odyssey 30Z
  • Room: Bedroom, corner wall
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Mess level: See step 4
Parts & Tools
  • TV: Insignia 32" Class FE Series LED Full HD Smart Fire TV
  • Mount: Mounting Dream UL Listed Lockable RV TV Mount
  • A drill and a 5/32" drill bit
  • A 1/2" socket for the mounting bolts
  • A tape measure
  • A level
  • A pencil
  • The coax and power cables
  • Something to clean up with afterward (trust me)

Step 1: Find the spot

Entegra made this part easy. There’s a sticker on the wall that says Television Bracket Location. That tells you where the backing is behind the wall panel. A coax jack and a power outlet are already installed nearby. The coax jack is wired to the RV’s antenna. The outlet is labeled as inverter powered, so the TV will still work when we’re not plugged in at a campground.

Close view of the RV bedroom wall showing a black coax wall plate and a black power outlet on the left, a red-and-white 'Television Bracket Location' sticker in the middle, and the black swing-arm mount's wall plate bolted below it with cables looped over the arm.

Factory coax and inverter outlet on the left. The bracket-location sticker is in the middle.

Step 2: Mount the wall plate

The mount’s wall plate attaches with four bolts. I measured out the spot with the tape measure and used the level to get the plate straight. Then I marked the holes with a pencil. I drilled them with the 5/32" bit and drove the bolts in with the 1/2" socket. The plate needs to be solid before any weight goes on it. A TV on an arm puts a lot of leverage on those bolts, and an RV wall gets shaken around on every drive.

Portrait close-up of the black wall plate of the swing-arm mount, held by four bolts with washers, with a power cord and coax looped over the arm, a black lock-release strap hanging below the plate, and the back of the TV visible on the right.

Four bolts into the backing. The strap hanging below releases the arm's lock.

Step 3: Hang the TV and run the cables

With the plate on the wall, the TV hooks onto the arm. Then I ran the coax and power from the wall jacks to the back of the TV. The mount came with a hook-and-loop strap that holds the cables to the arm. That keeps them from snagging when the arm swings out.

The arm locks in place, which is what makes this an RV mount. A strap hangs down below the mount. Pull it to release the lock, and then you can swing the TV out or push it back. Without the strap pulled, the arm stays put.

Side view of the TV pulled out from the wall on the double swing arm, showing the TV's rear ports with HDMI and coax, the cables running from the wall jacks, and a hook-and-loop strap around the arm.

Arm extended. The strap keeps the cables tidy.

Portrait side view looking along the wall at the fully extended swing arm holding the TV, with the coax and power cables plugged into the wall jacks above the mount plate.

Another angle on the arm, fully extended.

Step 4: Clean up

Every DIY project has a step nobody puts in the instructions. Here it is.

A corner where an RV wall meets the gray wood-look floor, scattered with small curls and crumbs of tan sawdust from drilling.

Exhibit A. Somebody is going to notice this.

Step 5: Test it

The most important step. I turned it on, and MeTV Toons came in over the RV’s antenna right away. Classic Superman cartoons are the right way to christen a new TV.

The new TV angled out on its arm, showing a classic animated Superman flying over the ocean past a large splash of water, with the MeTV Toons logo in the corner and a yellow Energy Guide sticker still on the screen.

Up, up, and away. Yes, the Energy Guide sticker is still on.

The TV seen straight on, showing a fast-moving cartoon blurred into streaks of white, orange and blue on a green background, with the MeTV Toons logo at the bottom.

My action shot. The cartoon was moving faster than my camera.

Final thoughts

This was an easy project, mostly because Entegra did the hard part. The backing, the coax, and the inverter outlet were already there. All I had to do was pick a TV and a mount. The lockable mount was the important choice. An RV is basically a small earthquake every time it moves. With the arm locked, the TV stays put while we drive. When we want to watch something, one pull on the strap lets it swing out.

Now we can fall asleep to old cartoons. As for the sawdust, I’m still finding it.

rv  entegra  diy