TowBrite Long Distance Relay: Stay Connected on Challenging Loads
A wide mobile home or a long industrial load can put a lot of material between your truck's transmitter and the wireless tow lights at the back. When the signal becomes intermittent, the problem may be the path it has to travel, even when the lights are within the transmitter's rated range.
The TowBrite Long Distance Relay gives you another place to receive and repeat that signal. It is designed for challenging loads and awkward transmitter locations where a direct connection needs help.
What does the TowBrite relay do?
The relay pairs with your TowBrite transmitter, receives its signals, and retransmits them. Positioning the relay in a better location gives those signals another route toward the tow lights.
The signal path: TowBrite transmitter → TowBrite relay → wireless tow lights.
The relay works with all TowBrite transmitters and tow lights. It is an addition to your wireless lighting setup: you still use the transmitter to send the truck's lighting signals and the tow lights to display them.
Why placement matters as much as distance
A transmitter's range does not tell the whole story. A wide or long load, steel siding, and an un-ideal transmitter mounting location can make the signal's job harder. Moving a transmitter a short distance to a more exposed location may be more useful than simply looking for a bigger range number.
Start by checking the transmitter's location. Avoid hiding its antenna inside a metal toolbox or behind the same obstruction you are trying to work around. Our guide to trailer connector and transmitter placement on a tow truck explains why this matters.
When the shape of the truck or load still makes a direct signal difficult, the relay provides another positioning option.
Built for challenging loads
TowBrite has tested the relay with applications including:
- 18-foot by 85-foot mobile homes with metal or Hardie Board siding.
- Prefabricated industrial buildings.
- Wind turbine blades measuring more than 350 feet long.
These examples show the kinds of loads the relay is intended to help with. They are application examples, rather than a guaranteed additional transmission distance for every setup. The final position of the transmitter, relay, and lights still matters.
Where should you put the relay?
You can position the relay high on the truck, down low, or somewhere along the load. Choose a location that lets it receive the original transmitter signal and gives the repeated signal a clearer path toward the lights. Putting it halfway along the load is not automatically the best answer if that spot is also obstructed.
- Check the basics. Confirm that the transmitter is connectes and rgR the tow lights are charged and paired correctly.
- Choose a useful position. Turn on the relay and pair it with your transmitter. Try an accessible location that helps the signal get around the obstruction. This could be up high on your truck or half way down the load.
- Secure the relay. Use a suitable mounting surface and check that the unit is firmly attached and clear of moving equipment.
- Test the complete setup. With the load and lights in their final positions, check the tail lights, brake lights, and both turn signals. Recheck after moving the relay or changing the load configuration.
Mounting and charging
The TowBrite relay has a rear magnet rated at 50 pounds, with an optional steel plate available for mounting. Surface condition and mounting position still need attention; a magnet rating alone does not establish that a particular mounting spot is suitable.
A car charger is included. Make charging the relay part of your equipment routine, alongside charging your wireless tow lights. Before a job, check that every powered part of the system is ready to work. The relay draws very little power, so it may last more than a week on a single charge.
Give your wireless tow lights a better signal path
If an oversized load or difficult transmitter location is getting in the way of a consistent connection, the TowBrite relay is worth a closer look. It lets you position the repeating point where the job needs it while continuing to use your TowBrite transmitter.
See the TowBrite Long Distance Relay for current product details and ordering. For help with a particular truck or load, contact TowBrite with your transmitter model and a description of the setup.