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Celular Switch for Pre-Heater

Pilot135pd said:
See? That part about the light flashing is new to me and I've been emailing the darn seller since last week ! Can't wait for the H20 sim to get here now. Thank you !
Click to expand...

I hope it works for you. The h2owireless sim won't work for me on the 5025. Maybe it is just in my area, but it looks like only T-Mobile will work here. I made several attempts with different h2owireless sims and no joy. Tried a friend's T-Mobile sim and it worked fine. As was stated, the flashing light is the first clue. If it doesn't slow to once every two seconds, you aren't connected to the network.

Good luck!
 
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n18pf said:
I hope it works for you. The h2owireless sim won't work for me on the 5025. Maybe it is just in my area, but it looks like only T-Mobile will work here. I made several attempts with different h2owireless sims and no joy. Tried a friend's T-Mobile sim and it worked fine. As was stated, the flashing light is the first clue. If it doesn't slow to once every two seconds, you aren't connected to the network.

Good luck!
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Thanks. T-Mobile has never had a good signal at my airport but I tried and wasted the time and money with the UltraMobile sim. It would have been great with the $3 plan since my controller is to open a gate. I?m really glad H20 sim is working for others because AT&T has the best signal here outside of cities in East Texas after Verizon.
 
US Mobile

When I received my US Mobile sim I installed in my IPhone to check the carrier and signal strength at the hangar. I used one of my old unlocked IPhones from overseas since I did not want to place it in my current I-Phone. Decent signal and the carrier was AT&T.

Originally I tried to get a T-Mobile sim card from T-Mobile but they said the pay as you go sim cards have been discontinued. If you can get a T-Mobile pre-paid sim card seems the best way to go. T-Mobile network has a very strong signal at my hangar but could not get. They will sell you a T-Mobile sim for a minimum of 35 bucks a month. US Mobile with "Monthly Fixed Fee" is around 4 bucks a month.
 
dmattmul said:
When I received my US Mobile sim I installed in my IPhone to check the carrier and signal strength at the hangar. I used one of my old unlocked IPhones from overseas since I did not want to place it in my current I-Phone. Decent signal and the carrier was AT&T.

Originally I tried to get a T-Mobile sim card from T-Mobile but they said the pay as you go sim cards have been discontinued. If you can get a T-Mobile pre-paid sim card seems the best way to go. T-Mobile network has a very strong signal at my hangar but could not get. They will sell you a T-Mobile sim for a minimum of 35 bucks a month. US Mobile with "Monthly Fixed Fee" is around 4 bucks a month.
Click to expand...

T-Mobile owns Ultra Mobile and that's their pre-paid system. You have to tell the T-Mobile person to get you one of their $3 a month Ultra Mobile sim cards https://www.ultramobile.com/paygo/ . It'll cost you about $14 all said and done the first time but then just $3 a month for 30 texts or calls (see the website on the link I included here) but they really try to sell you their monthly plans.
 
Pilot135pd said:
See? That part about the light flashing is new to me and I've been emailing the darn seller since last week ! Can't wait for the H20 sim to get here now. Thank you !
Click to expand...

Carlos, did you ever get your h2owireless sim to work? I couldn't get it to work here, so I'm wondering if it is just me. It works on a friend's T-Mobile sim, so I may just have to pitch my h2owireless sim. Thanks
 
n18pf said:
Carlos, did you ever get your h2owireless sim to work? I couldn't get it to work here, so I'm wondering if it is just me. It works on a friend's T-Mobile sim, so I may just have to pitch my h2owireless sim. Thanks
Click to expand...

STILL haven't been able to get it to work :mad::mad::mad:

I have an H20 sim so it should be getting a very strong signal like it does when I place the sim in a iphone (gets calls and texts perfectly in the iphone) but that light still flashes once per second when I place the sim in the controller and it doesn't accept any commands. I just borrowed an android phone because apparently it's easier to program the box with it and an app that isn't available on IOS. We'll see. Very frustrated with this.
 
Pilot135pd said:
STILL haven't been able to get it to work :mad::mad::mad:

I have an H20 sim so it should be getting a very strong signal like it does when I place the sim in a iphone (gets calls and texts perfectly in the iphone) but that light still flashes once per second when I place the sim in the controller and it doesn't accept any commands. I just borrowed an android phone because apparently it's easier to program the box with it and an app that isn't available on IOS. We'll see. Very frustrated with this.
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Try the free app from switchbox. That's what I used with the H20 sim and it was easy to set up.
 
If you have a good T-mobile signal go for it. It seems H20 and T-Mobile have both worked for others, it might be I have a bad box !
 
The G is what matters

OK, from what I've discovered it's the xG that seems to matter. The cheaper GSM "relays" are 2G and most networks are operating 3G and higher. The Sim can work in your IPhone because the Iphone is 3-4G and then not work in the Chinese gate opener because it's 2G. What confuses all of us is the RTU5024 comes in 2G, 3G and 4G all with the same model number RTU5024.

http://www.waferlife.com/downloads/RTU5024-NEW.pdf

Don't ask me why but if you get the 2G is most likely will not work in less densely populated areas such as rural airports. (Ask me how I know) If you are lucky enough to have a carrier that still supports 2G AND they have cell towers in rural areas the RTU5024 and most other "Cheaper" relays work.

I'm going to get a relay that is suppose to work 2-4G sim cards and then try in different cities I travel over the next month. It's price is ~ 100 bucks and we will see.

The fall back position is to keep my Ipad in the hangar and then use it as a hot spot.
 
dmattmul said:
OK, from what I've discovered it's the xG that seems to matter. The cheaper GSM "relays" are 2G and most networks are operating 3G and higher. The Sim can work in your IPhone because the Iphone is 3-4G and then not work in the Chinese gate opener because it's 2G. What confuses all of us is the RTU5024 comes in 2G, 3G and 4G all with the same model number RTU5024.

http://www.waferlife.com/downloads/RTU5024-NEW.pdf

Don't ask me why but if you get the 2G is most likely will not work in less densely populated areas such as rural airports. (Ask me how I know) If you are lucky enough to have a carrier that still supports 2G AND they have cell towers in rural areas the RTU5024 and most other "Cheaper" relays work.

I'm going to get a relay that is suppose to work 2-4G sim cards and then try in different cities I travel over the next month. It's price is ~ 100 bucks and we will see.

The fall back position is to keep my Ipad in the hangar and then use it as a hot spot.
Click to expand...

Verizon turned off their 2G a while ago and their 3G at the end of 2019 and most carriers have either done it already or are about to. Everybody is moving everything to 4G (LTE ) or 5G. That's why the old thing about AT&T and T-Mobile being GSM and Verizon and Sprint being CDMA is old news now.

AT&T hasn't turned off their 3G because they use it for vending machines, ATMs, and trucking companies but their plan is to have everything moved over by 2022. They won't activate a 3G phone though.

That's why you see that you need a sim card for all companies because they're all operating LTE and are replacing their legacy GSM and CDMA systems, even though everybody keeps calling them "GSM".
 
Relay Unit

King Pigeon S130-150 is the same producer as the RTU 5024 except the S130-150 units are 3G and 4GLite capable which brings the technology 5+ years into the future. I was able to source a S140 unit and it is 3G (I can't tell if it's also 4G Lite but the name plate says it is) for $ 99.99. It has way more capability than needed and the S130 would also be ok if you can find one. Some positives, it has an external antenna and battery back-up for all the programmed capabilities you don't need. (The external antenna I think is good as I can place it pretty high in the T - Hangar) I have 4 SIM cards from the "cheap" off brand network tag a longs. Ultra Mobile, US Mobile and H2O Wireless and one more I can't remember. All 4 were able to talk to there mother ship (Signal light blinks every 2 seconds as opposed to every 0.8 seconds) in my urban home using the S140 as apposed to when I tried the 5024 one connected and another connected sometimes and the other 2 nothing. I need to take the S140 to my hangar and try. I've been out of the country and probably can't get back to the mid-west till early April. I am a snow bird this time of the year. These units are better than the 5024 which is 2G (most models) so might work. I'll update later when probably nobody needs the engine heater.
 
Relay Unit

King Pigeon S130-150 is the same producer as the RTU 5024 except the S130-150 units are 3G and 4GLite capable which brings the technology 5+ years into the future. I was able to source a S140 unit and it is 3G (I can't tell if it's also 4G Lite but the name plate says it is) for $ 99.99. It has way more capability than needed and the S130 would also be ok if you can find one. Some positives, it has an external antenna and battery back-up for all the programmed capabilities you don't need. (The external antenna I think is good as I can place it pretty high in the T - Hangar) I have 4 SIM cards from the "cheap" off brand network tag a longs. Ultra Mobile, US Mobile and H2O Wireless and one more I can't remember. All 4 were able to talk to there mother ship (Signal light blinks every 2 seconds as opposed to every 0.8 seconds) in my urban home using the S140 as apposed to when I tried the 5024 one connected and another connected sometimes and the other 2 nothing. I need to take the S140 to my hangar and try. I've been out of the country and probably can't get back to the mid-west till early April. I am a snow bird this time of the year. These units are better than the 5024 which is 2G (most models) so might work. I'll update later when probably nobody needs the engine heater. You also don't need to program this unit as the manual calls for if you just want to use as a switch for a heater using relay output 1. (Their are 2)
 
dmattmul said:
King Pigeon S130-150 is the same producer as the RTU 5024 except the S130-150 units are 3G and 4GLite capable which brings the technology 5+ years into the future. I was able to source a S140 unit and it is 3G (I can't tell if it's also 4G Lite but the name plate says it is) for $ 99.99. It has way more capability than needed and the S130 would also be ok if you can find one. Some positives, it has an external antenna and battery back-up for all the programmed capabilities you don't need. (The external antenna I think is good as I can place it pretty high in the T - Hangar) I have 4 SIM cards from the "cheap" off brand network tag a longs. Ultra Mobile, US Mobile and H2O Wireless and one more I can't remember. All 4 were able to talk to there mother ship (Signal light blinks every 2 seconds as opposed to every 0.8 seconds) in my urban home using the S140 as apposed to when I tried the 5024 one connected and another connected sometimes and the other 2 nothing. I need to take the S140 to my hangar and try. I've been out of the country and probably can't get back to the mid-west till early April. I am a snow bird this time of the year. These units are better than the 5024 which is 2G (most models) so might work. I'll update later when probably nobody needs the engine heater. You also don't need to program this unit as the manual calls for if you just want to use as a switch for a heater using relay output 1. (Their are 2)
Click to expand...

If it works for you post a link, we?ll use it with a fan during summer :D
 
I have a Switchbox with the T-Mobile Ultra SIM in Reno, NV. For a while my box would take 20min to 2 hours to respond to text messages, so I sent it back to NY and it was replaced. That worked for a few months.

Now when I send a message, the box does the power switch within 5sec to 2 minutes most of the time (80%), but I don't get the reply/confirmation message for 8-24 hours.

I really don't know if it is the box or a problem with T-Mobile. I have an AT&T phone and my wife has a T-Mobile phone. Text messages between our phones are nearly instantaneous. The box is currently in my office where both phones have full signal strength.

Are these boxes just flakey or will I likely have better luck if I switch to AT&T?
 
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I cant speak to the Switch box, but with my T-mobile plan on my system I get a response within 10 seconds.
 
Sim switch Working now

I went back and based on reviews on-line purchased this RTU5024. (Below) You need to be careful as there are several out there with the same model number. It's based on AT&T sim card technology. It does seems to be 3G and 4Glte compatible. The trick is to find a network that works at your hangar. I tried 3 of the off brand sim cards and H2O had the best signal strength. The only way to find this out is to have a phone that is unlocked and you can place the sim card in the phone and check the signal strength. For 40 bucks you can buy a used Iphone 3GS if you don't have an unlocked phone that you can place a full size sim card in. The newest IPhones use a micro sim and slightly older a mini sim and even older a regular sim card. The Sim card you buy normally can be punched out to fit whatever size you need but save the pieces you will need to use a full size sim in the RTU5024. You will need to use a phone with the same cell system as the RTU5024 which is AT&T. Mine works fine now so ready for next winter. (I hope) The Sim switch (RTU5024) needs to be at least 3G and your sim card needs to have a signal at your hangar. That seems to be the trick. If either one is off the system will not work. My cost is $ 3.00 a month and good for 60 text messages a month. You will need a relay as the relay in the sim switch is only good for 3 amps. When you open or close the switch you get a confirmation within 10 secs so you know it works.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GB2L283/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I bought this on Amazon Canada for winter preheat back in 2018.

Wireless Mobile Cell Phone PDA GSM Remote Control 3 Socket Power Outlet Smart Switch AC 110-220V
Sold by: Top Solid
CDN$ 99.95

I use it with a SpeakOut sim card purchased from the local 7-Eleven. Costs $10 for the sim and a minimum $25 topup per year. I send a text to turn it on and receive a text back showing it is on within a minute. Incoming texts cost .15 each. It has 3 x 120v outlets but is only good for 10A total. I use it for preheating the plane with a ceramic heater on low heat and a sump heater. I haven't had to top it up prior to the end of the year yet. I have used it with both Android and Apple phones on our Bell and Telus networks. Perfect for 3 winters so far.
 
Best $140 I ever spent

Unit : GSM 4G Auto @ $140 waferstar.com (Shipped direct from China ..Took <10 days for delivery !! Very Surprised at that)

GSM Sim Card: $5/month (Let lapse at any time and reactivate any time)
Speedtalk.com

Unit cell phone programable for engine preheat time 0 - 18 hours (App super simple..so simple to use))

Unit sends txt message when preheat turns on.

Unit sends txt when preheat turns off..

Unit sends txt message when unit looses power (Your preheat tripped a hanger breaker)

Unit sends txt message when power is restored to unit.. (Preheat stays off)

Unit has two programable channels (30A relays !!!)

Antenna remote mounted outside hanger.. (With hanger owners permission )
No signal reception with antenna inside hanger






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I've used Switcheon for the last three years. It's a fantastic device...simple, utterly reliable, fantastic customer service, very flexible and very cost effective. Lifetime warranty. No wifi needed, no internet, no SIM, no cellular account...only a cell connection, and because it uses IoT (therefore low bandwidth), it can be a crappy one-bar connection. It has remote thermocouple monitoring. The device is $250, and the cell connection is $50/year, first year free. It uses a simple and very effective app, which allows flexible programming to allow turning it on/off at specific times. I can't recommend it highly enough.

https://switcheon.com/power-switch/

They have a couple of other very useful and innovative remote devices as well.


..
 
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It’s a good unit for sure. I like the DIY and a few pennies saved. With a prepay sim one can let the sun lapse and just go back on the $3 per mo when needed. I do like the LTE-m for IOT. It is $1 per month to have an iot sim that talks to a managing server somewhere. So the switcheon service works that way with their app talking to their server that talks to your box. It’s a good solution. They buy batches of sims and probably have it down to 20 or 30 cents a month per device.

I wouldn’t mind creating a similar system for fun. I could automate all kinds of things. The cellular modems are the expensive part for a hobby setup. I wish there was a vary cheap little lte-m iot board with an output to drive a relay. All I’ve seen so far are the 50-100 dollar eval boards or an arduino/raspberry pi add on board.

Maybe someone here is a dabbler with a link to the cheap little board.
 
Switcheon

MacCool said:
I've used Switcheon for the last three years. It's a fantastic device...simple, utterly reliable, fantastic customer service, very flexible and very cost effective. Lifetime warranty. No wifi needed, no internet, no SIM, no cellular account...only a cell connection, and because it uses IoT (therefore low bandwidth), it can be a crappy one-bar connection. It has remote thermocouple monitoring. The device is $250, and the cell connection is $50/year, first year free. It uses a simple and very effective app, which allows flexible programming to allow turning it on/off at specific times. I can't recommend it highly enough.

https://switcheon.com/power-switch/

They have a couple of other very useful and innovative remote devices as well.
Click to expand...

Will that run the Antisplat oil sump heater?
Love to see how.
 
wirejock said:
Will that run the Antisplat oil sump heater?
Love to see how.
Click to expand...

Sure...just plug it in. My unit is mounted on the hangar wall next to an outlet. The switch is plugged into the outlet, and my Reiff heater is plugged into the switch. For reference, my Reiff preheater draws 600 watts/5 amps. The AntiSplat heater draws 250 watts/2.1 amps.

The Switcheon comes in three versions...a two, four, or six output switch. I need only the two-output version...use one to remotely switch my 600 watt Reiff, and the other one switches my 700 watt/6.5 amp Hornet 45 cockpit heater. The Switcheon runs them both just fine. The Switcheon output is limited to 15 amps, which I discovered when I unwisely plugged in my electric snowblower into my 3-year old unit. That overload did blow the Switcheon. I contacted them, confessed my stupidity, and they said no problem...they fix them for free.


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Switcheon

I have the 2 circuit Switcheon. One runs my smart battery charger thru a pigtail quick disconnect accessible thru the oil access door. One runs my engine pre-heater. Works flawlessly for a year now using my Verizon cell phone. I live 1.2 hour drive from the airport & my RV6 is ready to fly when I arrive.
 
Tracer 10 said:
Works flawlessly for a year now using my Verizon cell phone.
Click to expand...

For clarification, I would note that the Switcheon is completely unrelated to the cell phone you use or the carrier that your cell phone plan is with. It uses its own cell connection .... LTE-M and NB-IoT bands deployed as part of 5G rollouts. The app is available for both iOS and android.
 
wirejock said:
Will that run the Antisplat oil sump heater?
Love to see how.
Click to expand...

I use it to turn on my Antisplat oil heater, battery charger, and second 4" box heater that goes into the plenum. It works great. I dont get cell service at the hangar so this really saved the day.

My only suggestion is to get two of the 2 plug units if you have 2 circuits in your hangar. That way you can get more wattage in the two 15 amp units than in one. The 4 plug unit I got is still 15 amps.
 
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Bought this unit for $117 on amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JZ4FLVC/ref=redir_mobile_desktop?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&ref_=ya_aw_od_pi

Bought the $3/mo 100txt/mo sim from UltraMobile

The GSM unit is cool. I bought two 14Ga extension cords from HF, and cut it strategically to have a 6' cord from the box to the plug to power the unit, taking the black wire to a wire nut and the white to the relay 1 common. Used the other end and an end from the other cord for outlet power from the two relays. Then jumped from the relay 1 common to the relay 2 common to the unit power. No dongle required. Used the other end and an end from the other cord for outlet power from the two relays. At the wire nut joined all the blacks and made a pigtail to the other unit power connection. Then I wire-nutted the three grounds together so the ground from the wall is passed through to the two outlets from the unit.

The SMS commands are in the manual, and it takes quite a few to configure the unit. It came with a USB programmer cable to use a PC program for programming but I just did it with SMS. Now it only will respond to SMS from two phone numbers. I also put the SIM into an old iPhone and setup so that all calls are forwarded away so it can't be called. SMS is the only way to reach it for me. Moving the SIM between the phone and the device was no problem neither one cared much.

I found that calling it to switch relays was a little awkward and didn't work as expected. SMS worked great in all respects.

I anticipate annual cost at about $15 because it will only be needed about 5 mo a year. And it is wired the way I like.
 
It's interesting how many of the amazon links are broken in this thread. I've recently bought the 4G version of the RTU5024. I'm having an issue getting it to connect to the SpeedTalkMobile account I purchased. I know the SIM card is working - I can plug it into an unlocked cell phone I own and that works fine. When I power up the RTU5024, the red light blinks a few times and the goes solid red. The manuals I've found don't explain what a solid red light indicates.

I just tried Bard and ChatGPT - other than the basics, "reset, power cycle, maybe you don't have cell coverage where you are using the device", I got nothing actionable. I've reset the thing several times. To me it looks as simple as the RTU5024 isn't able to connect to the mobile network. I cracked open the RTU5024 and google the chip inside - it's a 4G capable chip. Was wondering if anyone else has hit this issue?
 
Update on Switcheon

I posted about the Switcheon earlier. I have had it for a year now and it has worked perfectly. Well except when I knocker if off my cart and broke the antenna off. I sent an email and was told to ship it back and they would fix it. I offered to pay but there was no charge for the repair. They had to re solder the connection to the board back on so it wasn’t an easy fix.

I have several friends who have purchased it and all are happy they have a way to control electrical outlets with no cell service.
 
+1 for the Switcheon/Anti-Splat combo. Installed mine last week. Cell service is pretty much non-existent at my hangar, but the Switcheon mounted on an inside T-hangar wall works like a champ. I purchased the remote-mount antenna just in case but it doesn't seem to be needed. Turned it on yesterday 3 hours before a flight, OAT was 35 degrees and the oil temp was 90 when I fired up the engine.
 
Remote Power Control

I've been using more/less the same solution outline below. This will allow you much more control and options for controlling remote devices. A simple Kasa $10 WiFi Smart Outlet paired with your Wifi Hotspot will do the job for pretty much anything you want to turn on remotely. I use it for the engine heater, hangar heater and battery charger.

dpansier said:
I added an addition data line to my AT&T phone plan (similar to adding a iPad) and coupled that with a Netgear Nighthawk MR1100 creating a WIFI Hotspot at the hangar.
The Hotspot links to a BN-LINK Heavy Duty Smart Plug Outlet controlling a 200 watt Reiff heater. The BN Link app has real time data showing the current drain in Watts, the Voltage, and KWH for the month. An additional WIFI thermostat and app indicates the temperature in the hangar.

Testing has shown a 15 degree temperature rise per hour over ambient on the oil temp gauge but with the sensor located near the upper case it is much more because the oil temp climbs to 100+ degrees as soon as the engine is started. (Three hour heater period with engine cover / blanket)

The monthly cost is more than a text only plan but the system offers flexibility allowing all the WIFI accessories . In the non heating season I plan to use the Netgear device for camping. Last year I was camped near a guy that pulled a Hotspot up about 30 feet in a tree and had great WIFI coverage at his camping site.
Click to expand...
 
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