RV FEATURE
TECH KILLS THE TRAILER PLUG
Your computer: wireless. Your phone: wireless.
Your caravan… wireless.
Last year, a product called WiTi hit the market.
This product, in essence, facilitated a wireless
connection between the tow vehicle and the
caravan, allowing the van’s tail lights and electric
brakes to operate without the need for a seven or
12-pin trailer plug. It also had a neat alarm system.
The latest version of the system, however, has
been enhanced with a couple of new features:
GPS tracking, and hill descent control.
First, how does it work? If you’re sick of dealing
with a common van plug and the occasional
dodgy connection, you’ll appreciate the fact
that the system does away with them entirely. It
comprises two control modules, one for the van
and one for the vehicle.
The vehicle’s control module sends a wi-fi signal to
the van’s control module, which in turn activates
the van’s electric brakes, indicators or brake
lights – whichever is activated by the driver.
ANTI-THEFT SYSTEM
Tony showed us WiTi’s alarm system and it
certainly appeared impressive. Once activated
by a button on a keychain fob, one knock to the
van, including the coupling, would cause a horn
to sound and all external lights to flash, while
simultaneously locking up the van’s wheels,
turning it into a dead, untowable weight.
In conjunction with Quicktrack, WiTi is also
now available with a GPS tracking and alerting
system. If someone were to nick off with your
pride and joy, you could track it in real-time via
the QuickProtect mobile or web applications.
This system alone has such market potential,
according to Tony, that it’s available to purchase
as a standalone system for buyers who want peace
of mind but not the full suite of WiTi features.
THE BRAKES
WiTi functions as an electric braking system.
When the driver applies the brakes, a wireless
signal is sent to the van’s control module and the
brakes are applied exactly like an electric brake
controller wired through a trailer plug.
The new hill decent features, however, adds a new
layer of safety. “Typically when going down a hill,
one feathers the brakes, so most brake controllers
won’t apply braking onto your caravan because
there’s no inertia being generated,” Tony said.
“But I can’t get a wi-fi signal everywhere,” you
might be thinking. Rest easy: this is a point-to-
point wi-fi signal that has nothing to do with
the internet. And it’s used instead of Bluetooth
because, as WiTi director Tony Maddison says,
“Wi-fi is a much more robust and tenacious signal
than Bluetooth.”
It even has a built in brake-away breaking system
and is compliant with the relevant Australian
Design Rules and other state-based legislation.
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