Phone activated functions on an RV???

[rockhillmanor]

omg, Thought I'd seen it all but guess not.

There is another thread where an RV'er is locked out of opening his slides and awning on his RV.

WHY? Because he is using his cell phone to open them and it is malfunctioning. :S

First of all I did not know that there is an app you can buy where you use a cell phone to operate almost all of the functions on an RV.
https://www.asaelectronics.com/downloads/dl/file/id/832/jrvcs105_in-command_owners_manual.pdf

Have we as RVers gotten that lazy that we need to use a cell phone to operate our RV's when our RV 'comes with already installed' buttons/switches to operate everything?

Not to mention the lack of security of using a device like a cell phone having access to all of your RV inside an out.

I certainly would NOT want to own an RV that is hackable, 'phone activated'.

What happens when you don't have good cell phone coverage where you are parked? Do you sit there refusing to go inside the RV and flip the switch to activate your slides?

How many of you would use a phone app to operate your RV?

[drsteve]

free radical wrote:



I use debit card for almost everything,,but to be safe I set up email allert to get notified every time I use it..
Then just log into my acount to see the balance left..simple and easy..

I use a credit card instead. If someone steals your credit card number and makes a bunch of fraudulent charges, your credit card company has a problem. If someone steals your debit card number and drains your bank account, you have a problem.

[free_radical]

CavemanCharlie wrote:

JaxDad wrote:

rockhillmanor wrote:
Not to mention the lack of security of using a device like a cell phone having access to all of your RV inside an out.

I certainly would NOT want to own an RV that is hackable, 'phone activated'.

What happens when you don't have good cell phone coverage where you are parked? Do you sit there refusing to go inside the RV and flip the switch to activate your slides?

How many of you would use a phone app to operate your RV?

So phones are secure enough for online banking but not secure enough to control an RV?

As for coverage, I didn’t read the specifics but I suspect the system uses Bluetooth or WiFi not the cellular network otherwise your RV would need its own SIM card and service plan.

I don't really care about someone who uses their phone to open the slide on their RV. But, I DO NOT use my phone for online banking. That seems crazy to me.

I don't have one of those card that you swipe for everything either. My last girlfriend had one of those. Used it for everything. She never knew how much money she had on it and was always complaining about being broke. Someone stole her number too and then she had a real mess in her hands. You have a right to do whatever you want but, it's not for me.

Fwiw
I use debit card for almost everything,,but to be safe I set up email allert to get notified every time I use it..
Then just log into my acount to see the balance left..simple and easy..

[toedtoes]

Crowe wrote:
would be nice when it gets cold out to heat up the living area in the morning without getting out of bed

See if someone makes a programmable "smart" thermostat for a motorhome or if a home one can be used. Not only can you program it to turn on/off automatically, a "smart" thermostat will actually read the temp in the room and turn on to have the room at the request temp at the requested time. If you set it for 68 degrees at 6 a.m., instead of turning on at that time it will read the temp and turn on early so the room is already 68 at 6:00. No more getting out of bed into a cold room.

Something like this might work.

The other option is to use a portable electric heater with a remote.

[Crowe]

would be nice when it gets cold out to heat up the living area in the morning without getting out of bed

See if someone makes a programmable "smart" thermostat for a motorhome or if a home one can be used. Not only can you program it to turn on/off automatically, a "smart" thermostat will actually read the temp in the room and turn on to have the room at the request temp at the requested time. If you set it for 68 degrees at 6 a.m., instead of turning on at that time it will read the temp and turn on early so the room is already 68 at 6:00. No more getting out of bed into a cold room.

[JAC1982]

We are one step too low to have all the Bluetooth stuff, other than for our radio. But our neighbor has it all in his Fuzion and some of the stuff is pretty nice. I personally would like the ability to turn on/off lights or control the thermostat from my phone... would be nice when it gets cold out to heat up the living area in the morning without getting out of bed.

[01tundra]

I level our TT and check our propane level with my phone via Bluetooth......call it lazy, I call smart.

[drsteve]

afidel wrote:

drsteve wrote:

TurnThePage wrote:
I'm all for new gizmos and automation, but I will surely miss my manual awning when I get around to upgrading the old RV.

X2. I am still trying to figure out why a power awning is seen as a necessity, or even an improvement over the manual kind. The power feature saves probably 90 seconds in setup time, and adds another electromechanical system that can malfunction.

When the wind and rain pick up and the wind is gusting at 20+mph when the forecast called for 10 it's nice to be able to pull in the awning without having to go out and get soaked. I'm actually thinking about automating mine, have a wind sensor that retracts the awning if the wind is over 12mph.

Yes, it's very convenient. I love hitting the button and watching the awning extend. But I'm waiting for the day I go to pack up and leave the campground, and I hit the button, and it doesn't move. The manual spells out the procedure for dealing with this, and I have familiarized myself with the system and carry the tools to it, but again, why?

[thestoloffs]

drsteve wrote:

TurnThePage wrote:
I'm all for new gizmos and automation, but I will surely miss my manual awning when I get around to upgrading the old RV.

X2. I am still trying to figure out why a power awning is seen as a necessity, or even an improvement over the manual kind. The power feature saves probably 90 seconds in setup time, and adds another electromechanical system that can malfunction.

Some of us have disabilities that prevent us from setting up a manual awning, just as we may have a powered OTA TV antenna & satellite dome rather than a crank-up batwing & a separate manual dome or dish.

[afidel]

drsteve wrote:

TurnThePage wrote:
I'm all for new gizmos and automation, but I will surely miss my manual awning when I get around to upgrading the old RV.

X2. I am still trying to figure out why a power awning is seen as a necessity, or even an improvement over the manual kind. The power feature saves probably 90 seconds in setup time, and adds another electromechanical system that can malfunction.

When the wind and rain pick up and the wind is gusting at 20+mph when the forecast called for 10 it's nice to be able to pull in the awning without having to go out and get soaked. I'm actually thinking about automating mine, have a wind sensor that retracts the awning if the wind is over 12mph.

[Ralph_Cramden]

All that remote app controlled tech is great stuff, until it isn't. I've seen more than a few, as in dozens, at campgrounds the last few years frantically running around and looking for help because the leveling would not work, the slides would not operate, or the lights would not go on or off. The common denominators I've seen have been Lippert components, and the exemplary wiring practices used by the RV manufacturers. The best are the rigs that have no switches for backup. No thanks. It's not so much the technology, or the WiFi/Bluetooth that cause problems, as it is the cheap hardware, shoddy wiring, and buggy software.

I can control my home security system and cameras from anywhere in the world with my phone flawlessly, but invested thousands in good equipment, and not a hundred or two in a cheaply made control panel like the RV manufacturers do along with scotch locks and dry crimps, sometimes even twist n tape, for connections. From my experiences even the stuff marketed by ASA and Patrick to the RV Industry is all low grade stuff too.

If you want to experience the ultimate in frustration in an RV where wireless tech is concerned, try an IRV entertainment system, which is junk to begin with, along with the Bluetooth app available for it. Fun stuff.

It's not just RV's either. My 2013 F150 sync system was ridden with issues, mostly related to bugged software, Ford corrected that for the most part over time, but spent millions upon millions altering / upgrading hardware and code........Dont expect that kind of effort to be made in Elkhart Indiana lol.

[MrWizard]

charlie

i mean a physical remote, might be more reliable, no app to be discontinued

only a remote to loose

i see it now, "my phone battery is dead" and i can't find the buttons to operate the slides and awnings, does anybody know where they are in this RV ?,

[Crowe]

But, I DO NOT use my phone for online banking. That seems crazy to me.

Why? Use your data plan and not Wi-Fi. Much easier to check balances, transfer money, etc., than running back to the unit to use a laptop or having to wait until you get home. It's no more dangerous than using a credit card at a store or online, possibly even less. If the want you they will get you.

[CavemanCharlie]

MrWizard wrote:
An app for remote control, means the RV Mfg, does not have to include a remote, that might wear out or get lost
It could be done that way and possibly more reliably

Ya, but, what happens when you buy the RV used in a few years and find out the app for moving the slide has been discontinued ?

(I'm sure there is a switch on the inside of the RV to do it too though. )

[MrWizard]

An app for remote control, means the RV Mfg, does not have to include a remote, that might wear out or get lost
It could be done that way and possibly more reliably

[Community Alumni]

I would love for my Grand Design Solitude to be able to work the slides using my phone with an app. I travel by myself quite a bit and would love to work the slides from outside my fiver. I've been in some tight spaces where I had to walk in and out at least 4 times before I fully extended one of my slides. If I had an app on my phone, I could have stood outside and watched myself.