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Cellular power switch

wirejock

wirejock

Well Known Member
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Does anyone have positive experience with a cellular (4G LTE) power switch OTHER than Switcheon?
Yes, I know. Lots of happy customers. I'm not claiming it's bad. It just doesn't work for us. We need something better.

Scott (Rocketdoc) and I are next door neighbors. Both of us are having difficulty with our Switcheon units. Same problem. It drops offline. Sometimes it recovers. They claim RF interference. It's not coming from either of our hangars. We unplugged everything and it still drops offline. If the interference is another neighbor, there's very little we can do about it. It happens all hours. Even middle of the night. I really don't see how RF could be so strong in a metal hangar. Maybe someonenis testing an EMP device. I live 40 miles away so I'm driving 2 hours to unplug and reset. The unit has zero use. We need something more robust.
 
wirejock said:
Does anyone have positive experience with a cellular (4G LTE) power switch OTHER than Switcheon?
Yes, I know. Lots of happy customers. I'm not claiming it's bad. It just doesn't work for us. We need something better.

Scott (Rocketdoc) and I are next door neighbors. Both of us are having difficulty with our Switcheon units. Same problem. It drops offline. Sometimes it recovers. They claim RF interference. It's not coming from either of our hangars. We unplugged everything and it still drops offline. If the interference is another neighbor, there's very little we can do about it. It happens all hours. Even middle of the night. I really don't see how RF could be so strong in a metal hangar. Maybe someonenis testing an EMP device. I live 40 miles away so I'm driving 2 hours to unplug and reset. The unit has zero use. We need something more robust.
Click to expand...
This is what I bought. It has worked well for 6+ years. I do not have access to wifi in my hangar, so this has been my easiest option.

GSM-CTL-AC Remote control switch (relay control switch)​

Wafer manufactures GSM Controller,gsm alarm ,gsm remote control box, gsm switch ,gsm intercom for automatic door and electric gate opener and also manufactures automatic door microwave motion sensor for automatic door system
waferlife.com
 
wirejock said:
Does anyone have positive experience with a cellular (4G LTE) power switch OTHER than Switcheon?
Yes, I know. Lots of happy customers. I'm not claiming it's bad. It just doesn't work for us. We need something better.

Scott (Rocketdoc) and I are next door neighbors. Both of us are having difficulty with our Switcheon units. Same problem. It drops offline. Sometimes it recovers. They claim RF interference. It's not coming from either of our hangars. We unplugged everything and it still drops offline. If the interference is another neighbor, there's very little we can do about it. It happens all hours. Even middle of the night. I really don't see how RF could be so strong in a metal hangar. Maybe someonenis testing an EMP device. I live 40 miles away so I'm driving 2 hours to unplug and reset. The unit has zero use. We need something more robust.
Click to expand...
I too have had problems with switheon including sticking contacts. Please keep us informed of your exploration for a better system.
 
wirejock said:
Does anyone have positive experience with a cellular (4G LTE) power switch OTHER than Switcheon?
Yes, I know. Lots of happy customers. I'm not claiming it's bad. It just doesn't work for us. We need something better.

Scott (Rocketdoc) and I are next door neighbors. Both of us are having difficulty with our Switcheon units. Same problem. It drops offline. Sometimes it recovers. They claim RF interference. It's not coming from either of our hangars. We unplugged everything and it still drops offline. If the interference is another neighbor, there's very little we can do about it. It happens all hours. Even middle of the night. I really don't see how RF could be so strong in a metal hangar. Maybe someonenis testing an EMP device. I live 40 miles away so I'm driving 2 hours to unplug and reset. The unit has zero use. We need something more robust.
Click to expand...
Where did you place your extended range outdoor antenna?

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/fbpages/switcheon_05-28999.php
 
With so many options to have internet at your hangar, I figured these LTE switches would be worthless by now. Just a suggestion: split the cost of a TMobile or Verizon "Home Internet" with your hangar neighbor(s) and get internet in your hangar. Outside of giving you the ability to utilize as many smart switches, cameras, sensors, as you want to use, you get to watch sports, flying specials, and just stay connected. I'm sure I'll get some negative comments about being able watch tv in the hangar and that's fine, but honestly if you split the cost of the internet access with a couple of buddies, it does open up many options. Personally, I have cameras, temp sensors, water sensors, humidity sensors and locks that can be opened remotely on top smart switches that can turn on engine heaters and the little heater or A/C in the office before I get there. Worth every penny. ;)
 
Lucmac said:
Where did you place your extended range outdoor antenna?

https://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/fbpages/switcheon_05-28999.php
Click to expand...
No external. Yet. I ordered one. If that doesn't work, I'm done. I am disappointed with their Tech Support. They keep pointing at RF and nothing is plugged in my hangar or the neighbors.

BCP Boys said:
With so many options to have internet at your hangar, I figured these LTE switches would be worthless by now. Just a suggestion: split the cost of a TMobile or Verizon "Home Internet" with your hangar neighbor(s) and get internet in your hangar. Outside of giving you the ability to utilize as many smart switches, cameras, sensors, as you want to use, you get to watch sports, flying specials, and just stay connected. I'm sure I'll get some negative comments about being able watch tv in the hangar and that's fine, but honestly if you split the cost of the internet access with a couple of buddies, it does open up many options. Personally, I have cameras, temp sensors, water sensors, humidity sensors and locks that can be opened remotely on top smart switches that can turn on engine heaters and the little heater or A/C in the office before I get there. Worth every penny. ;)
Click to expand...

Agree 100%. Crazy to have one device that only turns on a few things. I have several Alexa outdoor switches at home to turn heaters on when we are away. They work. Problem is only one neighbor (Rockitdoc) is ever around. Most of the hangars are never opened. One of my pet peeves. Why own a hangar or pay rent if it's never active. Then the whole collection thing is a pain. Who pays this month/year. Someone didn't pay. I'm really suprised no cellular company offers limited bandwidth service for things like this.

BTW...I set up a sofa, TV and Blue Ray for my Sweetie to watch movies while we are at the hangar. She loves it.
 
I used Home Fi internet service for couple years. It was about $100 for a medium streaming package. They have several packages. It operated off cell tower service and was very dependable. Might be a bit cheaper by now.
 
wirejock said:
No external. Yet. I ordered one. If that doesn't work, I'm done. I am disappointed with their Tech Support. They keep pointing at RF and nothing is plugged in my hangar or the neighbors.
Click to expand...
Buy yourself a cheap USB RTL-SDR stick (RTL2832U) , download SDR# (SDR SHARP)and look at the spectrum/waterfall at the lower LTE bands (700MHz, 850MHz) and see what's actually there (or not there).

You're probably going to need to use an external-to-the-hangar antenna -- but check this first: If you see the LTE signal using the aforementioned tools, that would imply that your LTE device(s) can as well, but may not be able to communicate to the tower effectively -- said differently, your device may hear the tower, but the tower (and the network) may not hear your device. Hangars tend to be Faraday-cages for most frequencies.
 
I have a Netgear Nighthawk M6 Pro cellular Wi-Fi hotspot (unlocked, originally AT&T) that I bought on eBay in my hangar, connected to a Kasa (TPLink) Wi-Fi smart plug. No external antenna. I also have it connected to a Blink Wi-Fi camera. The By The Gig cellular data plan through US Mobile on the T-Mobile network costs me $10/month. I can turn things on and off in the hangar either on the spur of the moment or on a schedule using the Kasa smart plug and the Kasa app on my phone, and drop in on my hangar cam at will. And of course, I can connect my laptop to the hotspot in the hangar if I have a sudden need to look up something or order parts. Haven't had any cellular connection problems, but people using radar altimeters near the airport may be having problems thanks to the 5G connectivity at the airport.

Note that according to the Switcheon website, the Switcheon box "Uses LTE-M [Long-Term Evolution Machine-Type Communication] and NB-IoT [Narrow Band-Internet of Things] bands deployed as part of 5G rollouts". It does not use the same broadband 4G or 5G cellular signals your phone uses. Whether or not the LTE-M and/or NB-IoT stuff works at your location is kind of up to whether the cellular provider decided there is a market for that at your location. I have a GPS + LTE-M/NB-IoT tracking device in my car that records my location on a private IoT website so I can see what the coverage is, and I can tell you that there are gaps in the coverage in my area (Northern AZ) that do not exist when I try to make a phone call, send a text message, or browse the web using my phone. YMMV.
 
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I have been having the same issues even with an external antenna. I was told it was my fridge, then maybe a neighbor had a battery tender. I’m going to look for a way to securely mount my Starlink mini somewhere unobtrusive and hard to steal. Right now I just set it up on the ground outside the hangar when I need internet. Cell service is terrible in mine. Thinking maybe mount the dish to the hangar roof using some magnet mounts. Makes it kind of hard to get to for other uses but oh well.

Chris
 
YellowJacket RV9 said:
I have been having the same issues even with an external antenna. I was told it was my fridge, then maybe a neighbor had a battery tender. I’m going to look for a way to securely mount my Starlink mini somewhere unobtrusive and hard to steal. Right now I just set it up on the ground outside the hangar when I need internet. Cell service is terrible in mine. Thinking maybe mount the dish to the hangar roof using some magnet mounts. Makes it kind of hard to get to for other uses but oh well.

Chris
Click to expand...
Try using Meshtastic some guys are using it to control switches for heating and door openers. You will need to study up on it. It is a work around when no internet is available and can be used from you plane car or home.
 
So, for the guys putting the mini Starlink in their plane would you educated guys recommend a compatible Wi-Fi switch. Could I just use the airplane's Wi-Fi to operate the engine heater, etc.? It probably wouldn't pick up signal inside the metal hangar but how about roof mounted or other options? I'm just thinking out loud here. I installed a mini on the wife's travel trailer today. Maybe I can get multiple uses out of this thing when we aren't camping.
 
I went with a T-mobile hotspot ($50 with five years of service) with a smart outlet. It is part of my engine dehydrator, specific part numbers can be found here:
www.strikhedonia.com

Version 3.2 LATEST – RV-10 Lycoming Engine Dehumidifier and Remote Engine Heat Assembly Tutorial - Strikhedonia

System Description: I decided to build a system that could be remotely controlled via cellular connected monitoring system that would allow me to pre-heat my engine from home and for a self contained engine dehydration system that can also be monitored from my phone. Basically there are three...
www.strikhedonia.com www.strikhedonia.com
 
wirejock said:
No external. Yet. I ordered one. If that doesn't work, I'm done. I am disappointed with their Tech Support. They keep pointing at RF and nothing is plugged in my hangar or the neighbors.



Agree 100%. Crazy to have one device that only turns on a few things. I have several Alexa outdoor switches at home to turn heaters on when we are away. They work. Problem is only one neighbor (Rockitdoc) is ever around. Most of the hangars are never opened. One of my pet peeves. Why own a hangar or pay rent if it's never active. Then the whole collection thing is a pain. Who pays this month/year. Someone didn't pay. I'm really suprised no cellular company offers limited bandwidth service for things like this.

BTW...I set up a sofa, TV and Blue Ray for my Sweetie to watch movies while we are at the hangar. She loves it.
Click to expand...
Hello neighbor, I’m at my hangar most days and happy to do a reset for you anytime. Chat with me about my internet solution.

Don
Slooooow build RV-8
 
I am considering trying one of these hotspots:


Supposedly comes with a lifetime of 1gb of data per month. Operates off 5G or 4G. If I can find a place in the hangar where it gets decent reception it may work well for me at add a wifi controlled outlet. Anybody have any experience with these?

Chris
 
Norman CYYJ said:
Try using Meshtastic some guys are using it to control switches for heating and door openers. You will need to study up on it. It is a work around when no internet is available and can be used from you plane car or home.
Click to expand...
I did some digging on this; while in theory it will work, it also relies on having a meshtastic network in your area and above average tech skills to build yourself a switch. The largest benefit is the relatively low cost of hardware and free service.

I suspect the OP's problem is signal strength-definitely need an external antenna on the Switcheon. Most LTE devices are going to suffer from the same issue inside a metal hangar.
 
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F18Sailor said:
I did some digging on this; while in theory it will work, it also relies on having a meshtastic network in your area and above average tech skills to build yourself a switch.

I suspect the OP's problem is signal strength-definitely need an external antenna on the Switcheon. Most LTE devices are going to suffer from the same issue inside a metal hangar.
Click to expand...
Yes, that was my experience too. Came up all of a sudden last July. I'd always had crappy signal strength but the box started going off-line several times a day...my frequent phone notifications were getting annoying. Jake at Switcheon measured me as low as -127 db at those points (he sent the the logs). He proposed the low signal as being RF interference. He did recommend a better antenna too. I had nothing new that might be generating RF but did unplug my refrigerator, battery tenders, and scooter/tug chargers .. that made no difference. I did buy the new antenna he recommended, got a ladder and put it way up on the wall. That solved my problem enough that the box is performing normally but I'm still at only -116 to -118db. He said that -128 db is about the worst signal they see. "Clock drift" is where the system reboots itself. In my case things may have been cumulative...RF interference + crappy antenna + a transient problem with the local IoT transmitter. Verizon did confirm for me that they had some "tower issues" around that time, wouldn't give me more specifics. I think my "period of malfunction" was due to the issues with their transmitter and I also suspect that OP's issues are due to a crappy cell signal rather than RF interference. If he gets a Logmor unit, I'll be interested to see if things start working better since Logmor will be relying on the same 4G/LTE/IoT transmitter. If Logmor solves his problem, it will suggest an issue with Switcheon's receiver design

1768342789718.png
 
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Scott is waiting for a Logmor. I am keeping the Switcheon for now. No sense both of us chasing the same problem with the same manufacturer.

Yesterday, I moved the Switcheon as close to the hangar door as possible. No resets. However, the stubby antenna is low quality. It flops around.

Today I replaced the stubby antenna with the antenna he recommended. No resets so far.

I don't know or understand why they point fingers at local rf interference when it it appears their stubby antenna and weak reception is the problem.
 
wirejock said:
Scott is waiting for a Logmor. I am keeping the Switcheon for now. No sense both of us chasing the same problem with the same manufacturer.

Yesterday, I moved the Switcheon as close to the hangar door as possible. No resets. However, the stubby antenna is low quality. It flops around.

Today I replaced the stubby antenna with the antenna he recommended. No resets so far.

I don't know or understand why they point fingers at local rf interference when it it appears their stubby antenna and weak reception is the problem.
Click to expand...
At Sean Mollet's recommendation several years ago, I ditched that little stubby right away and replaced it with an Amazon Chinese antenna. When I suddenly had trouble last summer, Jake recommended a different Amazon Chinese antenna (same as above). I don't know if that is what fixed my Switcheon problem, or if it was someone in an adjacent hangar shutting off their float charger, or if it was leaves falling off the trees, or if Verizon fixed their transmitter, or something else. Whatever it was, it's working better now.
 
Why not get a starlink and put it in standby mode for $5/mo.. you still get limited low speed data which should be more than enough to operate remote swtiches/sensors. Plus you then have the option of full speed internet if you want and enable it.
 
YellowJacket RV9 said:
I am considering trying one of these hotspots:


Supposedly comes with a lifetime of 1gb of data per month. Operates off 5G or 4G. If I can find a place in the hangar where it gets decent reception it may work well for me at add a wifi controlled outlet. Anybody have any experience with these?

Chris
Click to expand...
I went with the Solis (SIMO) Lite hotspot and a Leviton smart switch in November 2024. It has the same 1GB per month included. At first, it was great and did exactly what I needed to do. However, after about 2 or 3 months SIMO changed something so that the device uses 50 MB per day whether you have anything connected or not. This means that the 1GB that is included only lasts about 20 days even with nothing connected. This change to the use of data with nothing connected has also been reported by several other users on some other on-line forums such as Redditt.
I spent over two months going back and forth with support trying to resolve this issue and while they confirmed that it was using data with nothing connected, they would not admit that something had changed on their end and there was no resolution to my issues. They finally quit responding to me. I'm still using it but I'm having to manage it by turning it off if I know there is no chance of flying for a few days. This kind of defeats the purpose of the unit. Of course, if I was willing to pay for a data top off there wouldn't be an issue but I'm avoiding this option on principle.

Based on my experience, I would be careful going with this unit if you are planning to have it connected full time. I would try to get a written confirmation from them before purchasing that the 1GB will last a full month with no other usage.

Note that I'm in Canada so maybe it will act differently where you are.

Rob
 
wirejock said:
Does anyone have positive experience with a cellular (4G LTE) power switch OTHER than Switcheon?
Yes, I know. Lots of happy customers. I'm not claiming it's bad. It just doesn't work for us. We need something better.

Scott (Rocketdoc) and I are next door neighbors. Both of us are having difficulty with our Switcheon units. Same problem. It drops offline. Sometimes it recovers. They claim RF interference. It's not coming from either of our hangars. We unplugged everything and it still drops offline. If the interference is another neighbor, there's very little we can do about it. It happens all hours. Even middle of the night. I really don't see how RF could be so strong in a metal hangar. Maybe someonenis testing an EMP device. I live 40 miles away so I'm driving 2 hours to unplug and reset. The unit has zero use. We need something more robust.
Click to expand...


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Cheapest solution
 
Has anyone found a hotspot that works particularly well inside our Faraday cages (metal hangars) without an external antenna?
 
I have had the Solis Edge from Simo for several months now. The first few months I did notice a lot of extra data usage even with nothing connected, but that seems to have slowed dramatically now. Considering that all I use it for is controlling a power strip, I don't need much data, so the 1gb per month for life is plenty. The benefit is that it will scan all networks and pick the best signal, so it always seems to find something that works even in my closed hangar. Not great for internet browsing in the closed hangar, but more than enough to keep the wifi power strip online so I can turn on preheater, etc.
 
ERushing said:
Has anyone found a hotspot that works particularly well inside our Faraday cages (metal hangars) without an external antenna?
Click to expand...
See post #11. Inside a metal T-hangar. Works well enough to stream video and run some TP-Link Kasa switched outlets, via Alexa from home if desired, several miles away. By the Gig plan service is $10/month from US Mobile.
 
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