Blue Tooth Electric Brake controller

[tompla]

I have a 40 ft Class A MH. I am going to pull a trailer with electric brakes. Curt makes the Echo mobile Trailer break controller that plugs into the 7-way plugin on the back of the coach and then you plug the trailer brake into that Echo Device. The device is managed thru Blue Tooth as an app on your phone. I am concerned if Blue tooth will have a strong enough signal when my phone is with me on the dash. Has anyone had any experience with this type of set-up?

[JRscooby]

phemens wrote:
Still sounds like a solution looking for a problem. Sometimes more technology isn't better...

THANK YOU

valhalla360 wrote:

You would dial it in the same way. Assuming it's connecting, you can do it from the driver seat. If it's having difficulty, you could either stop and walk to the back to adjust between runs or have your wife in the back making adjustments as you call them back to her. A little more hassle but usually once it's set, most people don't make changes often...so it's not a deal breaker.

I'm still hard of understanding. What are you walking to adjust? I put my donkey in the seat, turn key, check it is connected by the readout, and look at settings. If I have changed trailers, reset. Most times, just pull off, work the hand control at walking speed. If feel the tug, ready to roll. More important, unlike the phone that might be in pocket, on charger, in cup holder wife's hand... if I need trailer brakes, the lever is right there!

bikendan wrote:
A lot of those buying this type of BC, don't have the factory tow package, therefore no factory wiring for a BC. This is a workaround for that.
As much as I love technology, I would never have a wireless BC.

Another problem it does not solve. Unless it works on some powerful magic it would still need a controlled wire to trailer, a ground and power, and a signal wire from brakelight switch.

[bikendan]

A lot of those buying this type of BC, don't have the factory tow package, therefore no factory wiring for a BC. This is a workaround for that.
As much as I love technology, I would never have a wireless BC.

[BenK]

Agree and the next step will be to highly integrate the trailer brakes via the new on-board WiFi option that does away with the hard wiring from the TV to the trailer...

SOS and LAGS...

phemens wrote:
Still sounds like a solution looking for a problem. Sometimes more technology isn't better...

[Lwiddis]

Soon, while moving can you manually apply the trailer brakes? Such as to control sway.

[phemens]

Still sounds like a solution looking for a problem. Sometimes more technology isn't better...

[valhalla360]

"Everything is better with Bluetooth" is a common technology joke. Ie: A PB&J sandwich would be better with Bluetooth.

You would dial it in the same way. Assuming it's connecting, you can do it from the driver seat. If it's having difficulty, you could either stop and walk to the back to adjust between runs or have your wife in the back making adjustments as you call them back to her. A little more hassle but usually once it's set, most people don't make changes often...so it's not a deal breaker.

Yeah, having the manual control integrated into the phone does bring some issues. I assume the app overrides the sleep function on the phone as you certainly wouldn't want to have to enter your PIN number before you can get to the screen with the brake button. But if the Bluetooth connection isn't rock solid, that's a deal breaker.

I'm not sure how cell phone rules would play into this. Technically you could argue it's not functioning as a cell phone but part of the vehicle operating systems.

[soon2bexpat]

I'e been using it since 10/19. Works great. I use an old phone that has a broken screen. Attach it with a vent mount.

If you lose connection (I don't remember that happening yet), the system still works the brakes using the settings you plugged in.

[Sjm9911]

A lot of people have this controller and like it. Me i want something hard wired, to me its less stuff to go wrong. Have a real controller wired in.

[Mike134]

Until my other devices work 100% of the time with bluetooth and never ever pause/skip I'll use a wired brake connection my $.02

[JRscooby]

JRscooby wrote:

schlep1967 wrote:

Your phone is not controlling the brakes. It is manged by your phone. Managed as in you can use your phone to adjust the amount of brake applied. Like adjusting the dial on a regular brake controller. When you plug in the 7-way plugin and apply the brakes the plugin/brake controllers inertia reader will adjust the amount of voltage applied to the brakes. I'm sure it would use the settings previously applied if the bluetooth signal is lost.

I might be OK with this, but need to understand Why? I hook up to a trailer, and adjust the settings for that trailer. If I only pulled 1 trailer, never need to adjust. Why would I richard around with a phone to make adjustments?

valhalla360 wrote:
Because everything is better with Bluetooth...

I assume sarcasm?

The primary thing is to adjust the brake controller settings thru the phone. That should be OK as you shouldn't need to change those often and worst case, you should be able to take the phone and walk to the back while parked and make an adjustment. They say that once set, it remembers the settings if the connection is lost.

How do you people adjust your controller? I start on a low traffic street, make repeated stops until dialed in up to about 25 MPH. After that, normal driving, I adjust little at a time, go to far, back off, until it feels best. Then I record the settings for next time I pull that trailer. While I might want to apply brakes while near trailer wheels to trouble-shoot, not to adjust controller.

But it also has the manual trailer brake application thru the phone. If you do any driving in the mountains, this is a deal breaker for me as there are times, I will use the trailer brakes independently and I don't want to find out it's not connecting when it fails to connect.

Shortly after I retired, Feds determined for a driver of commercial vehicle to talk on a phone, he had to use a hands free device. I disagreed because it is the mind distracted, not the hand busy that is the issue. OTOH, my brake controller is mounted. If I need to apply trailer brake, I don't need to look for the control, I want to know where it is, and it is connected.
BTW, if at highway speed, and a tire blows, we are told not to brake. If pulling a trailer, get on the trailer brakes. If it is a trailer tire, will not matter, you will not loose control anyway. If it is a TV tire, the extra pull will hold you straight, and drop speed.

[valhalla360]

JRscooby wrote:

schlep1967 wrote:

Your phone is not controlling the brakes. It is manged by your phone. Managed as in you can use your phone to adjust the amount of brake applied. Like adjusting the dial on a regular brake controller. When you plug in the 7-way plugin and apply the brakes the plugin/brake controllers inertia reader will adjust the amount of voltage applied to the brakes. I'm sure it would use the settings previously applied if the bluetooth signal is lost.

I might be OK with this, but need to understand Why? I hook up to a trailer, and adjust the settings for that trailer. If I only pulled 1 trailer, never need to adjust. Why would I richard around with a phone to make adjustments?

Because everything is better with Bluetooth...

I saw this yesterday and was confused so I looked it up.

The primary thing is to adjust the brake controller settings thru the phone. That should be OK as you shouldn't need to change those often and worst case, you should be able to take the phone and walk to the back while parked and make an adjustment. They say that once set, it remembers the settings if the connection is lost.

But it also has the manual trailer brake application thru the phone. If you do any driving in the mountains, this is a deal breaker for me as there are times, I will use the trailer brakes independently and I don't want to find out it's not connecting when it fails to connect.

[Lynnmor]

Just when I thought that brake controllers couldn't get any dumber, they come up with this. How do you manually control the trailer brakes?

[phemens]

schlep1967 wrote:

tompla wrote:
I have a 40 ft Class A MH. I am going to pull a trailer with electric brakes. Curt makes the Echo mobile Trailer break controller that plugs into the 7-way plugin on the back of the coach and then you plug the trailer brake into that Echo Device. The device is managed thru Blue Tooth as an app on your phone. I am concerned if Blue tooth will have a strong enough signal when my phone is with me on the dash. Has anyone had any experience with this type of set-up?

Your phone is not controlling the brakes. It is manged by your phone. Managed as in you can use your phone to adjust the amount of brake applied. Like adjusting the dial on a regular brake controller. When you plug in the 7-way plugin and apply the brakes the plugin/brake controllers inertia reader will adjust the amount of voltage applied to the brakes. I'm sure it would use the settings previously applied if the bluetooth signal is lost.

One thing I like about my more 'analog' controller is the ability to force application of the brakes if needed (surge them). That would be a lot more complicated or impossible with a phone.

[JRscooby]

schlep1967 wrote:

Your phone is not controlling the brakes. It is manged by your phone. Managed as in you can use your phone to adjust the amount of brake applied. Like adjusting the dial on a regular brake controller. When you plug in the 7-way plugin and apply the brakes the plugin/brake controllers inertia reader will adjust the amount of voltage applied to the brakes. I'm sure it would use the settings previously applied if the bluetooth signal is lost.

I might be OK with this, but need to understand Why? I hook up to a trailer, and adjust the settings for that trailer. If I only pulled 1 trailer, never need to adjust. Why would I richard around with a phone to make adjustments?