I don't think there's anything wrong with what you're doing. That said, If you go the cellular route, I would opt for:
- Cellular hotspot
- Create a local wifi network
- Add smart outlets
With smart outlets you have much greater control. You can get pretty geeky, including custom coded control through APIs. Added benefit, you have internet access in your hanger for database updates and VAF access!
I currently use smart outlets for my engine heater and dehydrator.
If you go the cellular switch/relay make sure it's at least 4G...3G networks are slowly being depreciated.
I would love to go this route and also connect a Ring Camera to the MiFi hotspot with a smart outlet to run the Reiff XP Pre-heater.
But as I started to research how to do this, the amount of information became overwhelming. And the prices of various hotspots are so high that a mistake is very expensive. Especially if you decide to go 5G to reduce obsolescence.
I'm not saying this is a bad way to go: I want to do it. But I don't have the time just now to wade through the mountains of information and options and considerations.
My 5G smartphone gets 4 bars in the hangar and I've run my laptop in the hangar off an Xfinity hotspot. So the cellular signal seems good.
Up until this year I ran a Switchbox to text my Reiff XP Pre-heaters on a few hours before I wanted to fly. Then, during a test last Spring - it stopped working. Since then I haven't been able to get it to work at all. It worked fine at home....but not the hangar.
Not in the hangar, not on a 75 foot extension cord outside the hangar, not in another hangar. Sent the unit to Switchbox - worked fine for them.
So I gave up on the Switchbox and ordered a Switcheon. It will be there this week. I'll see if that works better.
But as I say, I'd love to go the MiFi hotspot route because I want to hook up my Ring Camera as well as run the Reiff heater from home. But my questions are legion:
Which hotspot?
Which service? T-Mobile? AT&T? Verizon?
- It seems that different hotspots work well with one plan vendor but not another. So if I pick a hotspot that works with T-mobile and for some reason T-mobile doesn't work well in my exact spot I can't then get a Verizon SIM card. Even in unlocked hotspots.
Which plan?
How to I get the SIM card from the vendor and get it activated?
- I tried that once at a local T-Mobile office by bringing my Switchbox in and installing a SIm card, and they were clueless about SIM cards and anything that wasn't a telephone.
Can I order a hotspot SIM card online and get it activated online?
Will I need a cellular antenna outside? Will it need a signal booster?
..and much more.
Someday I hope to have the time to wade through all the information and make intelligent choices. But for now my stopgap solution is to try a Switcheon.