Out of the Darkness
JHBOX solar motion light does a good job of illuminating all the rungs on the entry steps. Light will come on when the electric eye senses motion and stays on for 25 seconds.
JHBOX solar motion light does a good job of illuminating all the rungs on the entry steps. Light will come on when the electric eye senses motion and stays on for 25 seconds.
ver since Thomas Edison invented the light bulb, people have been on a constant quest to find the best way to illuminate dark places. First came incandescent lights, which were hugely inefficient but lit up the world. Fluorescent fixtures, which produced less heat and could generate more light from less power, hit the market in 1934, though it wasn’t until the 1980s when they began showing up anywhere but businesses and warehouses. And then came the light-emitting diode (LED).
To say the invention of LED lighting was a giant leap toward efficiency and cost effectiveness is an understatement. The fact that LED fixtures run cooler, are brighter, last a lot longer, are relatively inexpensive and can be purchased in a variety of color (light) temperatures makes it possible to identify a number of places where added lighting will improve livability and safety. For RVers, lighting up the patio, the entry steps and storage compartments (inside and out) are logical places for additional light — if you go on the Internet you’ll find hundreds of imported products with wacky names that supposedly fit this bill. But not all are created equal; after years of testing under full time usage, we can recommend three products that perform as advertised, are reliable and inexpensive.
RV entry steps are an obvious necessity, but reality suggests that they can be dangerous without proper illumination. The industry continues to make improvements in this department, but people still misstep when exiting the RV and are injured — usually caused by not holding on and a lack of lighting. JHBOX Solar Motion Sensor Outdoor Lights (https://amzn.to/3aYbvmC) may not be the most stylish on the market, but they provide uninterrupted function for a long time, plenty of light and are easy to mount — and let’s not forget that you can buy four of them for $22.99.
These odd-shaped fixtures are waterproof and have 30 LEDs that shine light over a 140-degree area. Mounted next to the entry steps, they bathe all the rungs with plenty of light, making it much safer to get in and out of the RV. An attached solar panel provides the internal lithium battery recharging with eight hours of exposure to the sun, and a motion sensor — which senses movement from 3-5 meters — turns the light on when it’s needed and stays on for 25 seconds after it senses a lack of movement. A push-button switch next to the electric eye can manually turn the light on if desired. Working time is 8-10 hours, which is plenty since the light is usually used intermittently.
We’ve all experienced a mysterious “disappearance” of a needed item in a storage cabinet or pantry. You know it’s there, but the lack of light makes it difficult to find — especially if you pack these areas with too many foodstuffs. Fumbling through dark shelves usually results in a few choice words before reaching for a flashlight. Well, tamp down the expletives; the motion-activated Vyanlight LED Closet/Under Cabinet Light (https://amzn.to/3E443mm) makes a cool addition to any cabinet/pantry interior. While the name suggests that it’s primarily designed for mounting under a cabinet to illuminate a countertop, it’s equally at home inside any storage cabinet, inside or outside.
Attaching the light using magnets allows the housing to be pulled off the wall or shelf and plugged into a nearby USB cable for charging. It takes an hour or so to complete the charging, and because the light is used intermittently, the charge lasts for a very long time.
These lights, mounted in a fifth wheel, have been in full-time RV service for three years with no hiccups, which is pretty amazing for something that can be purchased for only $23.99 (two units).
Patio lights come in all shapes and sizes, and many are too anemic to illuminate a large area. Many RV manufacturers have transitioned to LED strip lights mounted to a track below the awning roll, but unless the awning is extended, some of the potential light is blocked by the rolled-up awning material. The Dream Lighting LED Heavy Duty Awning Light Bar (now that’s a mouthful; https://amzn.to/3vzltnM) is compact and will illuminate the entire patio and more — and it sells for only $28. While there are numerous fixtures floating around the Internet, this model passed muster (more than 1 ½ years of service) — so much so, that additional units were installed, replacing the round scare lights on the corners of the fifth wheel.
The LEDs in the fixture provide 720 lumens of cool light, projecting a 40-degree downcast beam — and the LEDs are dimmable, which is nice for after-dinner lounging when too much light spoils the ambiance.
The LEDs in the fixture provide 720 lumens of cool light, projecting a 40-degree downcast beam — and the LEDs are dimmable, which is nice for after-dinner lounging when too much light spoils the ambiance.