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Remote heater control "deal"

Greg Arehart

Well Known Member
With the coming on of cooler weather (in Nevada we haven't seen any of the miserability most of you have seen the past few days), it is time again to think about remote-controlled switches for your engine heater or coffee pot. I just saw a pretty good deal on these:

http://www.reiffpreheat.com/GSM-SWITCH.htm

from the Reiff folks. A bit more versatile than the roll your own version I made a few years ago, this one is smart enough to tell you if/when your heater is on. Looks like a reasonable value compared to others I've seen for $300 or more, though it still seems expensive for a small and pretty simple computer board. Downside is that it apparently only runs on GSM network phones (ATT or Tmobile).

Greg
 
Hi Greg,

Do a search on ebay for GSM Relay and you'll find some even less expensive. I bought the 7 relay unit several years ago and it's still working great. A $10 T-moble sim card will get you 3 months. You can't switch a big load with the little relays but you can switch a thermostat or larger relay. I have a forced electric heater I control with relay 1 and an engine pre-heater lamp I switch with relay 2.
 
One would think the cell companies would offer a very cheap service for uses like this that barely use their towers.
 
A slightly OT question - Has anyone successfully run a GSM switch using an AT&T GSM card?

I see lots of T-Mobile references, but nary an AT&T reference. At my home field, AT&T has a lot better signal than T-Mobile.
 
One would think the cell companies would offer a very cheap service for uses like this that barely use their towers.

My service is through Consumer Cellular. They use ATT towers but are much less than half the price of ATT. In the past 10 months that I've used them, I've noticed absolutely no difference in service quality from ATT (which could be good or bad, depending on one's perspective:D). They also offer an additional cell line on any account for $10/month, which is pretty cheap. I'm pretty sure you can turn this service on and off monthly, so I'm thinking of just having the extra line for ~6-7 months that I need it and then canceling it in spring until next winter.

Greg
 
Kyle,

Yes. I've used a prepaid AT&T card in the unit that Reiff sells and it worked just fine. I went back to T-Mobile because the service is better at my airport.
 
I use an ATT card in mine. Works fine but is more expensive than T-Mobile which does not work in my area.
 
Make sure the gsm frequency is compatible for the us. It seems most of the cheap switches only work in other countries. I could not see in the description what freq this uses.
 
Rob,

Welcome to VAF. Let us know if you try one of these, as it looks like it should work. Things getting cheaper all the time - competition is good.

Greg
 
The last hangar that I planned to rent came with Wi-Fi, which would have been a game changer for remote control. Unfortunately I became sick and was unable to move in.

However as Wi-Fi becomes prevalent with landlords, well, wow!
 
Yes - WiFi is the way to go . . . if available

Just this weekend I was looking for a wifi remote control as I do have wifi access at my hangar.

I found a few on-line - they come from China. Anyone have some options/sources for such a device?
 
Wifi

One of the guys in my hanger is using the We Mo by Belkin for a wifi switch with Iphone App. Get them at Home Depot for around $50 online or in the store.

Andy
 
With the coming on of cooler weather (in Nevada we haven't seen any of the miserability most of you have seen the past few days), it is time again to think about remote-controlled switches for your engine heater or coffee pot. I just saw a pretty good deal on these:

http://www.reiffpreheat.com/GSM-SWITCH.htm

from the Reiff folks. A bit more versatile than the roll your own version I made a few years ago, this one is smart enough to tell you if/when your heater is on. Looks like a reasonable value compared to others I've seen for $300 or more, though it still seems expensive for a small and pretty simple computer board. Downside is that it apparently only runs on GSM network phones (ATT or Tmobile).

Greg

The power interruption alert is a nice feature. More than once I've gone out to my cold Wisconsin hangar to find the GSM switch was disconnected because the plug had pulled loose or the breaker tripped.
 
Anyone out there using one of these?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mobile-Phon...05&prg=11353&rk=1&rkt=6&sd=291026907387&rt=nc

Only 43 bucks...may get what ya pay for...then again, it may last a long time.

Looks like it would have the electrical capacity needed.

Rob S.

Rob, I ordered that same exact unit about a week ago. It's coming from Hong Kong so it will take a few weeks to get here. I will report back when I get it. I figured for $43 including shipping it was worth the risk. I actually bought mine through Amazon Prime so that I had Amazon backing me on a return should I need to return it. Either way, we'll see how it works. . . if it works at all. You can tell I have high hopes:rolleyes:
 
Outcome?

Rob, I ordered that same exact unit about a week ago. It's coming from Hong Kong so it will take a few weeks to get here. I will report back when I get it. I figured for $43 including shipping it was worth the risk. I actually bought mine through Amazon Prime so that I had Amazon backing me on a return should I need to return it. Either way, we'll see how it works. . . if it works at all. You can tell I have high hopes:rolleyes:

How did that work out? I'm looking for an alternative to the box that has been advertised on here but I can't get support for.

-Marc
 
It didn't

Well I guess I forgot to give you all a PIREP about this. Well the one I received from China did not work. I'm not sure if it was the cryptic instructions that I had to follow or the fact that they didn't send me an antenna and I had to buy one. Either way, I purchased the T-Mobile card, installed it but never was successful. With that said, there has been at least one person that on this forum that has purchased the same unit and has had success.

I ended up buying a Switchbox from someone here.
 
CL1-GSM switch

I have been using a CL1-GSM switch I bought from eBay. Do a search and you will find several suppliers. Along with a sim card from T-MOBILE, it has been working well.

Just to make sure I didn't overload the internal relay, I wired mine through an external 30 amp relay (Magnacraft 9AS5A52-120 also from eBay). I have less than $50 invested in hardware including an electrical box and outlet, and I use the cheapest plan from T-MOBILE.

I'd love to take credit for this solution, but another pilot on the field researched this and led the way. I just did a "me too" build!
 
Hornet heater

I have been using a hornet heater this winter and it has worked great. I leave it plugged in 24/7. It has an internal thermostat that cycles on and off between 70 and 55 degrees. I recall reading it uses about $10 a month of electricity

http://www.aircraftheaters.com
 
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