bluetooth lighting

ilcag · Member

bluetooth lighting

Kebbin · Guru

If the lights are Bluetooth enabled that only means that you can send a signal to a Bluetooth switch via a device, just a remote really,there is still wiring as they haven't solved the problem of electricity flying all over the place to different appliances.

madaboutled · Guru

I'm with Kebbin on this one!. There will be wiring in atleast one wall cause power has to get up to the roof somehow, then will branch out to the individual light fittings. Some of the newer Jayco's (vans and motorhomes) have similar lighting and last year I came accross 3 people who were having trouble with their "remote" switches. One guy I spoke to had his van back twice with the controller being defective and needing replacement. Common with all was when the controller gives out, it's all light's out and no way to bypass without additional wiring and modification to each fitting.

I had the opportunity to pull out a light fitting and worked out that the remote reciever on each light fitting can be bypassed to allow a switch to be added near the light fitting. I did this for this van so they had at least one light to see by as they where a couple of weeks away from being able get the van in for warranty repair. Before doing it the owners rang their Jayco dealer to get the OK to modify the fitting to get them out of trouble and thus not void their warranty.

ilcag · Member

thanks boys I couldn't work out how they worked without some form of wiring , it is a bit too high tech if the light fails .

ilcag · Member

so if a light fails what needs to be replaced , fitting at light or at the switch .

madaboutled · Guru

ilcag wrote:
so if a light fails what needs to be replaced , fitting at light or at the switch .

Depends on what fails, I can't really comment on the bluetooth type like you have cause I haven't seen one (yet).

The Jayco ones I've see have a wireless switches mounted in various places throughout the van. All the switches communicate with the controller and the controller then communicates with the fittings (which has a reciever).

Here's a link to a Sphere Wireless Lighting 6 Channel, 12V receiver much like the ones Jayco uses, at the bottom of the page is a manual in PDF which might be of interest to you or others.

Mike Harding · Guru

Yes they will need wiring for their power.

Bluetooth is simply a communications protocol and cannot transfer power over and above its radio signal strength which is two parts of not much.

Bluetooth light control in a caravan is technology for its own sake. More expensive and an awful lot more to go wrong and set up than the humble manual switch which has managed to satisfactorily control electricity since it was invented and will still be so doing long after Bluetooth has passed into history.

Avoid complex electronics in areas they are not needed whenever you can.

C00P · Senior Member

Mike Harding wrote:
Yes they will need wiring for their power.
Bluetooth is simply a communications protocol and cannot transfer power over and above its radio signal strength which is two parts of not much.
Bluetooth light control in a caravan is technology for its own sake. More expensive and an awful lot more to go wrong and set up than the humble manual switch which has managed to satisfactorily control electricity since it was invented and will still be so doing long after Bluetooth has passed into history.
Avoid complex electronics in areas they are not needed whenever you can.

Hear, Hear!! Just like electric windows- unnecessary and more fallible than the simple winder...

C00P