We just upgrade our Fifth Wheel for a Class A and we went from a manual type awning to an electric one. Which I am already liking but next to the smell of bacon cooking in the morning and campfires, my next favorite thing is hanging lights on the awning.Being vertically challenged, it was always easy to hang the lights before raising the awning, but that is not possible now. Also, I am seeing a lot of LED rope lights for awnings now.Are there any good solutions for LED lighting that can be left on the roller? Or is it mounted under the awning, what are folks doing now a days?

Occasionally I might hang a rope light from the awning roller tube but most times I don't bother as the awning can't be rolled up with the lights still in place. If I cared enough I'd probably do what most others would do these days by installing a self stick LED light strip to the body of the trailer just under where the awning attaches to the trailer, therefore allowing the awning to be rolled up at any time.I've owned both manual and power awnings and the fact you say you can't reach the power awning roller tube in order to hang lights suggests to me this awning offers little or no tilt ... if so, you'd be better off putting your time & money into modifying the awning so it does tilt, otherwise it will be essentially useless to you. That's why when we bought a trailer a few years ago with a power awning that wouldn't tilt and couldn't be modified so it could tilt I had the dealer replace it with a good ol' Dometic 8500 manual awning that would. Power awning design has improved considerably in the intervening years and we now own another trailer with a power awning that does tilt so rain water can't collect on it and cause it to sag as otherwise would be the case.

This is how I did it. I wanted a clean install that would not require me to have to setup/plugin etc...Link

We always hung lights on our manual awnings, but when we purchased our Outback it came with a power awning. Ours can be tilted down, enough I can reach the roller and still attach lights. But the electric awning is more subject to wind than the manual, so if if gets windy it means taking lights off, then on, then off, then on before retracting the awning. Too much work. So now we just use rope light on the ground. Much simpler. If we need actual light under the awning to read or do something, we flip on the white scare light on that side, do what we need, and then turn it off and enjoy the ambiance of the rope lights. Besides, the rope lights don't kill the mood of a good campfire as the light is low to the ground and not shining from above. Every one does it different, for us, we like just the ambiance. We actually like it dark.

Bought a led strip off E-Bay for around $20.00 and stuck them on bottom of rail that awning hooks into, wired it into porch light. We can use them with the awning in or out and they work great. Been on for over two years with no problems....

Bought a led strip off E-Bay for around $20.00 and stuck them on bottom of rail that awning hooks into, wired it into porch light. We can use them with the awning in or out and they work great. Been on for over two years with no problems.... Same here. Just make sure the lights you get are for outdoors.

Awning Lights - How to? | Good Sam Community

mgirardo
Explorer
Jul 23, 2016
We have two sets of these attached to our 11' electric awning with cheap binder clips from the dollar store. Our awning is pitched. The bottom of the awning is about 7' off the ground. I stand 5'11", so with arms raised, they are easily attached. The binder clips come off easily without doing damage when the awning needs to come in.

-Michael
murphy38
Explorer
Jul 23, 2016
I used a set of LED lights I got online for about $30.00 and mounted them about 2 inches under the awning so they could be seen even if the awning was rolled up.
Hornnumb2
Explorer
Mar 31, 2016
I got the wifi controller from Amazon, I just hated the one with the remote because you had to point the remote right at the eye to get it to work. If you use wifi on your phone alot while camping it might be better to go with the bluetooth controller instead. With the wifi controller you just have your phone connect to it like any other signal.
mpinva
Explorer
Mar 31, 2016
I am looking at adding the multi color strip lights by tapping into the porchlight. I wonder, though where the controller will go. Maybe behind the lens of the porch light?
Kylesmith3021
Explorer
Mar 31, 2016
Would you take off the outdoor light and pigtail off the wires..i have a brand new tt so i dont feel comfortable driling through it
austinjenna
Explorer
Mar 31, 2016
I did the rgb led under the awning, just make sure that you mount them low enough if the awning is rolled up that you can still use them. I also used a wifi controller so you can control them through your smart phone

Nice going..now I need to get me one of these. Where did you get it at?
austinjenna
Explorer
Mar 31, 2016
You could also tap into your outside light
Hornnumb2
Explorer
Mar 29, 2016
You could come through the same hole as your electric awning or drill a hole.
Kylesmith3021
Explorer
Mar 29, 2016
How would you connect it to a 12volt system without drilling holes through your camper
Hornnumb2
Explorer
Mar 29, 2016
I did the rgb led under the awning, just make sure that you mount them low enough if the awning is rolled up that you can still use them. I also used a wifi controller so you can control them through your smart phone.

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