Electronics, Lighting, Internet

Mood Lighting – 67

After we changed out the valances in the living room, we got the idea to add a color light strip to highlight the different colors in the valances: Mood Lights we call them. We purchased an Alexa-compatible Smart plug and an LED color-changing strip light. We found a piece of 3/4″ round at the hardware store that perfectly matched our cabinets and fastened it to the underside of the cabinet with double-sided tape, then stuck the strip light to the back of it so light shines on the valances. We then just tell Alexa “turn on the mood lights”.

Driver and Passenger Phone Holders – 68

We use our phones for a lot while driving, especially the passenger: These phone holders got installed early and are well used.

Driver-side USB power – 69

It seems there are never enough USB ports, especially for the driver. We use ones similar to these.  Tapped off the cigarette lighter port in the center of the dash and ran the wire to the driver side console.

Pepwave Router with Rooftop Antenna (Our Evolution) – 70

We had been using just an AT&T hotspot with a cell booster – and it worked just ok.  But we wanted some redundancy as there were sometimes campgrounds that AT&T didn’t reach but Verizon or T-mobile did. And, we have lots of internet-connected devices so some way to seamlessly use both or switch between them was desired. I ended up at Pepwave Max Transit Duo

and a Poynting 7-in-1 MIMO Omnidirectional Antenna mounted on the roof. Now I’m not recommending everyone go this way. For one, the Pepwaves are expensive to buy and maintain. They are complicated to configure. They (especially the Max Transit Duo) frankly are overkill unless you have very high-end Internet demands. We moved our AT&T sim into the Pep, briefly used a T-mobile hotspot as an alternate input to the Pep and now use Starlink with the AT&T through the PEP Max.  Our long story of how we get Internet on the road is here.  While I’m not entirely in love with the Max Transit ( think I might have been happier with a smaller unit) – I am really happy with where I bought it, TechnoRV .  They were helpful and knowledgable.  They carry a wide range of helpful and often necessary RV technology products.

Starlink – 71

We use streaming fairly heavily on our travels. We also blog, create various Youtube content and do video conferencing (Zoom and Facetime) on a regular basis. We’ve had our share of campgrounds and boondocking locations where cell was either non-existent or so bad it might as well have been. Thus when Starlink came out, we jumped on it.  When we ordered it, they just had the residential service. When we moved from our summer spot, we had to add Portability (and the extra cost) so we could move around. It can be difficult to find camping locations without trees blocking satellite view but the AT&T sim helps to survive short outages.  I cut 8 pieces of fairly heavy sheet metal (4 by 4 inches), painted and glued them to the rooftop with Dicor sealant.  I added some magnetic feet to the Starlink mount. The mount then sticks fairly well to the roof, but I also added a small tie-down just to make sure high winds don’t tip it over. I ran the starlink cable out through the roof via the same location I use for the Peplink Cell antenna and I keep the excess cable in a cloth bag, rulled up and tucked under a solar panel. I have a second magnetic mount location on the forward roof as an alternative to try to avoid trees.  My cable is long enough to reach the ground as well.  Starlink isn’t perfect – there have been unexplained short outages but if there is litle or no cell, well there is no substitute.

Apple TV – 72

Apple TV is our primary streaming TV server. We unplugged our DVD player and use that HDMI distribution port to connect the Apple TV box.

Chromecast (or Roku) – 73

You can use most any streaming device to feed the Tiffin-supplied HDMI distribution (only two ports though). We had a special need – to connect our Virtual Reality headset to one of the TVs for parallel viewing. We plugged a Chromecast into the back of the TV above the fireplace (it had a spare port).

Ring/Eufy Doorbell – 74

For several years we had a Ring doorbell. It not only gave us a way to see who was at the door (whether we were home or not), but also functioned as a motion detect security camera. Eventually, the Ring died and we replaced it with a Eufy dual camera door bell with chime.  Most people who come to our door still knock – they don’t expect a doorbell on an RV.  In one park we were in for a couple of months, Amazon delivered right to the RV so with the doorbell we knew when something was delivered. 

Dish Anywhere: Dish, Mount, Wally – 75

Our Tiffin didn’t come with the Dish package (it was prepped) so we ordered a Dish Traveller, Wally receiver and Dual OTA adapter. The OTA (over the air) adapter brings in local TV stations. The Traveller/Wally combination can record or watch ONE station or watch one+record one if one is on the OTA and one on satellite (doesn’t happen often). Using dish saves on the internet streaming bandwidth and the Dish Anywhere package is month to month and can be paused anytime.

Removable Outdoor Motion Lights – 76

We purchased these solar motion lights and hung them with two Command Strip hooks next to our entrance door (and a couple of other places around the RV).  Normally, we remove these when we travel, but there have been a couple of times when the one by the entrance has survived several hundred highway miles.

Dash Compass and Temperature -77

There are times when your GPS is confused as is everyone in the front of the RV. A combination compass and outside temperature gauge can help clear up the directional confusion and keep an eye on weather if you find yourself driving with chances of snow and ice on the road. The model we purchased doesn’t seem to be available anymore.

Temperature Monitoring System and Sensors – 78

There are a variety of temperatures that I need to monitor around the RV. I monitor the Lithium batteries, both sides of the water bay, my electronics cabinet, my inverter/solar charger space and the output of my water heater. I use, however, an older generation of sensors and internet gateway that are no longer available. The closest thing I can find to it is the Ambient Weather Hub and its associated sensors. You could also put a sensor in your refrigerator and freezer – or even on your 50 amp plug on the power pedestal. Sensors come with or without remote temperature probe.  For example, I took a remote probe and tucked into the water heater under the styrofoam to monitor the water output temperature.  The rest of the sensor is velcroed under the sink where I can get to it to change batteries.  Your temperature readings can be read locally or transmitted to an Ambient web server so you can view temperatures when you aren’t at your RV.  When it is very cold or very hot these are very useful.

Garmin RV GPS RV760LMT – 79

Whether you are driving a class C, or A, or towing a Travel Trailer or 5th wheel you need road instructions that take into account your RV height, length and weight. We currently use the Garmin RV760LMT.  While I can’t say its routes have always made sense to us, it has never stranded us in the middle of the desert either.  The current version of that GPS is the RV780 and there is also the RV795 with a built-in camera and the RV1095 with a massive 10″ display. I’m not personally convinced you need the higher-end units, but having something that keeps you away from low bridges or low-capacity bridges and works when there is no cell, is valuable.

New Headlight Bulbs – 80

Our headlights were terrible right out of the factory. We bought Sylvania Xtravision for both high and low beam. Make sure you pull your bulbs first and order the right ones. Some people convert to LED, but there are several things you need to take into account: Not all LED bulbs are approved for road use. The LED needs to have the same physical light element position as your stock headlight filaments or your light pattern on the road will be wrong or even shining in other driver’s eyes. My headlamps can’t be adjusted.  LED lights typically require more power so depending on the unit, sometimes additional wiring and relays are required.  You wouldn’t want your headlights to go out on the road because the LEDs pulled too much load through stock fuses..

Level Mate Pro – 90

This is a game-changer. It can be mounted anywhere in the RV, but I suggest within reach of the driver.  We turn on the Level Mate Pro; pull out a phone and it will read exactly how much which side or end of the RV needs to go up or down. It needs to be calibrated once when new by finding a flat, level parking lot.

Replacement Reading Lights Living Room – 91

The factory reading lights over the couch could not adjust down far enough to hit a book. If I pulled one all the way down, they did a nice job of lighting up my knees. I switched to these instead along with the extra plate because their base is smaller than the factory units. They have a brightness control and for some reason, a RED LED switch.  But they shine on my book. nicely.

Replacement Sconce lights – 92

We really didn’t like the style of the Sconce lights in the living room. We ordered a pair of 110 Volt fixtures and found 12V E26 LED bulbs to fit. But in the end, we didn’t like those either. Meanwhile, we visited the Tucson Rock Show and Debbie got the idea to make agate sconce lights.  When she gets an idea….

  I get to build something. We picked up some 8×10 plexiglass pieces and some nice 1×2 lumber. I routed out a 1/8 inch wide and deep grove 1/4 inch from the top and bottom inside edge and assembled the frame around a piece of plexiglass in the top groove. I routed a bit more from the back of the top piece so the back plexiglass could be slid in. Then we found Gallery Glass Liquid Leading – clear, green and black. We took the best agates we bought by the pound at the show and glued them to the plexiglass with clear leading. Then filled in between the rocks with green leading around the green “cactus rocks” and black for the rest. THEN, I bought led strip lights and connectors and got out my soldering iron and built a backlight of LED strips on the second plexiglass plate. We really like these – I’ll make you a set for the low, low price of $800 – 8^}

Non-inverter Outlet in the Bedroom (Split Breaker) – 93

Even though we have a 3k inverter, we have to watch our power use off the inverter. Every outlet inside the RV, including the refrigerator, microwave, kitchen counter top (induction burner or air fryer), run through the inverter. In addition to the fireplace, we use two small heaters. In order to remove some of this load from the inverter,  I replaced a breaker in the panel (water heater) with a split breaker and ran the new breaker position to a new plug underneath the hamper drawer in the bedroom. We can now run that heater without impacting the inverter or we can still plug it into the old plug to use the inverter. When cooking we still have to be careful not to run too many things at once when they all pull 12-15 amps.

Vent Fans on Electronics Bay Behind Bedroom TV – 94

In my electronics cabinet behind the bedroom TV, I have a Wally (Dish), Apple TV, Starlink Router, Pep Max Transit Duo router, a disk server and a Reolink Video Security system. Needless to say, it can get warm in there, especially on an afternoon when the sun is on that side of the RV. I bought a little electronic thermostat and three whisper-quiet fans that I mounted along the top vents on a “frame” made from stiff foam and hot glue. I set it at 85 degrees and it doesn’t always keep up, but it does help a lot.

12V Outlet Next to Bed for CPAP – 95

Normally I use 120V power for my CPAP, but when we are boondocking, it is more efficient to use my 12V adapter. There was no 12V socket next to the bed so I tapped off the USB wiring and installed a 12V outlet.

Underframe Lights – 96

We went through a couple renditions of underframe lights. The one we settled on and are happy with were based on 33 ft, fully waterproof strings. We used three for our 34 ft motorhome as we wanted them to light all four sides. The ones we used aren’t available anymore – but they were similar to these.  I preferred the square rope instead of round as it was easier to keep the led’s pointed in the right directly. Running rope lights underneath is a lot of work. You have to avoid hot engine and exhaust parts, moving parts and in places use screws and screw down tie wraps to fasten them.

GMRS Radio and Better Antenna – 97, 98

Our RV came wired for CB – sort of. They cable was so damaged from improper installation I had to run a new cable and choose a better CB antenna. But we still weren’t happy with the quality or range. We decided to go to GMRS with the Midland MXT115 micro mobile radio. We installed one in our RV and our pickup truck. We equipped both with an MXTA25 3DB antenna – it is higher gain and very short. A special low profile cable was also required. We also bought a pair of Wouxan Professional GMRS 905G handheld radios. Thes are expensive, but the quality is miles above your run of the mill GMRS walkie talkies.  We really can talk from 4+ miles apart.

Additional Full-Time Rear View (and forward view) Camera and Monitor – 99

The Tiffin supplied rear view camera was, frankly, trash. It was only good for looking at the back of the RV in daylight. It didn’t look back far enough to see clearance behind the tow and was totally useless at night. Toss in the mirror cameras kicking in when the turn signals were on (and they were pretty useless as well) thus we wanted something better.  At first I tried adjusting the existing camera but that was a waste of time. I purchased a four camera set with monitor, wired. Two cameras were general use and two were intended for side mount. I put one next to the factory rear camera but aimed it back farther. It provides a good, full-time, rear view showing clearance for the tow vehicle when changing lanes. Another camera is mounted on the front AC shroud at “max RV height” – with a push of a button we can see forward and check clearances on tree branches and the like. The unit I purchased is no longer for sale. There are lots of options: Look for a wired or wireless, full time rear view camera/monitor set.

Four Full-Time Security Cameras with NVR – 100

At some point, we were convinced we needed full time security cameras. We researched and came up with a four camera, wired, system with NVR and motion detect. Well, the motion detect drove us nuts in most campgrounds, so we leave motion off – but we let the cameras record 24/7 so we can review if anything does happen and we can access the cameras while away from the RV.  Our system is capable of 8 cameras but we use only 4.  It also provides extra views/recordings while on the road – more than just a dash cam.

Weather Station – 101

We bought a La Crosse weather station on sale at a big box store and it seems it is no longer for sale. It sends wind speed, direction, temp, humidity and rain to an inside display which forwards the data to a web site.  I wouldn’t say a weather station is a necessity, but we like have the access to the data. Our rain gauge quit a couple of months ago, and La Crosse sent us a new one, free!

Eufy cameras – 102

Before we got the security camera system, we added three Eufy cameras, one each to look forward and backward out of the main slide and one Pant/Tilt camera watch the doggies inside the RV.