Anderzander Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 I'm pondering what the most practical switch is for a thermotop. Most of the re-furbed kits come with the same aftermarket 7 day timer. Which I guess if great if you leave for work at the same time everyday. I wonder if these have any battery implications though ? I've also seen mention of GSM remotes - so you can text the start. I can imagine I might forget to do that though or forget to turn it off. Any experiences or thoughts welcome in considering the options ....? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arjan Posted February 14, 2016 Share Posted February 14, 2016 Yes, GSM controlled switches are around but I am not happy with the sort of other use these devices have. Various options. We have a separate battery for heating, lights etc. A very - as in BIG - HD thing that powers everything not engine starting related and has never let us down, even on weeks of camping & heating. But they do use a few amps and will eventually drain any battery. We have the batteries inside and heated - gives them much more power in the cold - and have a coolant heater so we never ever have start problems. On the other vehicles we use cheap winch remote controls and that works fine. About 50 mtrs. range. I read there are somewhere WiFi ECU / PLC's for 12 volt applications but know nothing about them - what we have works for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simonr Posted February 15, 2016 Share Posted February 15, 2016 I have the Webasto timer - and connected the manual start button contacts to a garage door remote opener which works pretty well. The remote is small enough to live on your key-ring and gives 25m range. On a cold morning, the engine being hot saves more battery power than the heater uses in heating it up - least I reckon it does! Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maverik Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 I've got a Telestart (which is the key fob button type) on mine and with new batteries it has a fair old range on it, I recently acquired a 7 day timer too as the standard Webasto loom comes with two control plugs to allow you to install two forms of controllers at the same time. I thought about installing the timer but I'm holding off as there's no real need for me to have it just now. The telestart is great, I leave my keys on the bedside table (yes that could sound odd) but I just blip the fob as soon as I get up and by the time I've had a shower the trucks nice and warm for its drive to work. One of the best bits of kit I've installed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Brock Posted February 16, 2016 Share Posted February 16, 2016 Telestart on mine, works a treat and the remote flags up if it started up ok via the LED's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anderzander Posted February 16, 2016 Author Share Posted February 16, 2016 Ooo - I didn't realise it could take two. A tells tart and a timer would appear to cover all bases. Be nice if I could get an all in one fob. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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