Heat, air conditioning, lighting, engine heaters, security cameras—there’s big convenience in controlling these hangar systems remotely. There are two approaches to modern hangar automation: DIY with off-the-shelf tech or purpose-built aviation solutions.
Which you choose depends on budget, of course, because a DIY setup might cost around $500 for the hardware plus a cellular data plan. A fully integrated system, like HangarBot, could run over $2500, plus installation and monthly fees, while simpler systems that control an engine preheater might be substantially less. Here’s a primer to get you started.
Assessing needs, budget
That’s the first step. For some who simply keep the engine heater plugged in 24/7 from fall to spring, there might not be a need for remote virtual access. But engine preheating is just one use case for a smart hangar.
Like in a house there are a lot of things you might want to control in a hangar, including temperature via the thermostat, video surveillance cameras (useful for viewing the ramp to see if the ice and snow was removed), security alarm, burst water pipe notification, motion detection notification, hangar door remote open and close, water shutoff valve, filing flight plans through an EFB, and access to entertainment services like Apple Music, Spotify or Sonos. A few of my friends have turned their hangars into “man caves” complete with offices and big-screen televisions. For them, monitoring for flood damage when they are away can be important.
In the planning, consider one-time and monthly costs that are similar to what you pay for smartphones and home internet, and depending on the solution, you might spend a few bucks or a couple hundred.
Aviation-specific systems
This market is hardly new—we started covering remote heater controls in Aviation Consumer (including the Switchbox, once a top value in 2013) years ago. But hangar automation had some warts that improved with technology.
FST LLC began delivering a pager-attached remote switching system in 2011, marketed as REGAL, which operated by sending a text message from a telephone. It was clunky to use but improved with an eventual iPhone app (an app for Android came and went). The next-gen product released in 2013 used a cellular connection to control the device, called FST Cell Maintenance Service (CMS). FST annually billed the customer directly for the cellular service. REGAL was later replaced with U-Phone-It, a 4G cellular remote switch, which was discontinued in 2021 and replaced with SwitcheOn products. In 2019, FST LLC was bought by Dovair Aviation Inc., the parent company of Tanis Aircraft products (before the sale of Tanis to Hartzell). In 2020, Malmoset was founded and developed the SwitcheOn product family. Shortly after the launch, Tanis decided to replace REGAL and U-Phone-It with the SwitcheOn product and launched preheatremote.com. In fact Tanis offered a refurbishment to the legacy project, placing SwitcheOn boards into the REGAL and U-Phone-It cases.
SwitcheOn is a complete solution designed to control electrically powered devices like engine heaters and small space heaters. The box has onboard cellular connectivity, either two or four electric connections and is controlled by an app. The device has a bright OLED display showing time, cellular signal strength, power/port status and ambient temperature. There is no built-in Wi-Fi, but instead you control the SwitcheOn device through your smartphone. Key to SwitcheOn is that your hangar must have cellular connectivity, otherwise it won’t work.
Because of the type of cellular network used by SwitcheOn, you can’t necessarily tell from your smartphone if you have cellular service or not (for SwitcheOn). You subscribe to a cellular plan directly through SwitcheOn’s website (the first year is included) at $50 per year. Both the two- and four-channel models have a maximum of 15 amps, which should be more than enough, even for twin-engine Tanis or Reiff engine heaters.
SwitcheOn is sold directly from their website, Gallagher Aviation, preheatremote.com (Tanis), and in Canada by Four Seasons Distributing. Pricing for the four-channel device is $379, the two-channel 15-amp device is $249 and the remote antenna is $48.50. The first year of cellular connectivity is included. SwitcheOn’s four-channel 20-amp model (P60620) is no longer in production. Technical support, warranty replacement and customer service are provided directly by SwitcheOn.
SwitcheOn also manufactures a $249 4G/LTE smart cellular thermostat—a direct replacement for a plain-vanilla thermostat. It can control up to six channels, comprising two air-conditioning compressors, two heat sources and two fan speeds. It includes a bright color LCD touch display and a temperature sensor, plus other analog sensor inputs are supported by the thermostat. The thermostat includes the first year of connectivity, which renews annually for $50. SwitcheOn’s warranty is continuous if you have it on their cellular plan.
It would be interesting to see if SwitcheOn has the capability to connect their electric device and smart thermostat together using a single cellular connection (and plan). With the low amount of data being sent to the cloud and the app, this would make the monthly recurring costs more reasonable. The hardware supports physical connectivity for external analog devices and a 433- MHz security interface. For the tech heads in the audience, SwitcheOn’s technology utilizes the LTE-M (U.S.) and NB-IoT (Canada) RF bands, which are part of the 4G networks. This technology allows the devices to operate much farther from cellular towers than normal 3G and 4G data connections, and service is offered in 130 countries.
Switchbox control
Switchbox Control has two models, both with a maximum power output of 1800 watts and including a 10-foot extended antenna for installation outside of the hangar. Switchbox can control two devices only with the base model, priced at $199.99. Their full system includes a SIM card, internal battery and LEDs on the power connector and it’s priced at $299.99. The internal battery is used to keep the configuration of the Switchbox alive during a power failure, a handy feature that we really like—no reprogramming Switchbox after a power failure. Plus, both Android and Apple apps are provided. The hardware comes with a SIM card preinstalled and is controlled using text messaging delivered by the Switchbox app on your smartphone. When you purchase a Switchbox (directly from their website or other retailers, including Aircraft Spruce), you must contact support via email to activate the cellular service and receive the unique telephone number for Switchbox. The telephone number is required during the installation process (through the app).
All Switchbox Ultra SIM accounts have unlimited text usage, and the monthly charge for Switchbox Ultra SIM service is $30 for 90 days of use and is available on their website under Switchbox Ultra SIM credit and service. You can choose autopay to continue service uninterrupted or manage the account yourself manually. The hardware includes a one-year warranty and you can return the hardware within 30 days of purchase for a refund (less a 20 percent restocking charge).
Hangarbot
An alternative to SwitcheOn and Switchbox is HangarBot, owned by Lynk Remote Technologies. HangarBot came on the scene in 2016, showcasing their tech at AirVenture, with the first-generation product delivered in 2017. Morgan Walker, president of HangarBot, said the company wanted to offer a practical solution with low monthly data service costs.
“We created a unique system from the ground up that minimizes message size between the server and HangarBot, and by processing the routine tasks directly on HangarBot,” Walker told me. A Cirrus owner, in 2017 he was sitting in his plane wondering why he couldn’t open his hangar door like his garage door at home. With a background in web development, mobile device applications and the Internet of Things (IoT), his vision led to the development of HangarBot. In 2016, while attending AirVenture with a 3D-printed model of the HangarBot Hub, a list of features and a survey, Morgan returned home with several preorders for the solution.
HangarBot uses a modular approach to hangar automation, beginning with the Lynk Avation Base Station. Their ecosystem of devices is much like Lego, where you decide what you want to automate and add in the device, beginning with the base station. Their Lego blocks include: a hangar door controller, door sensor, video surveillance camera (both 4K and standard definition), an Echobee thermostat, temperature and humidity sensors, engine preheater switch, light switch and electrical plugs to name a few.
The base station uses AT&T’s 4G cellular connectivity and Wi-Fi to connect the devices to the HangarBot cloud. The base station has a hardwired Ethernet port on it, so your pre-existing internet services can be used rather than AT&T cellular. AT&T’s full- spectrum cellular network is used because it can provide more bandwidth than low-bandwidth NB-IoT systems. In Canada, the service is delivered by Telus, though the service is not offered in Mexico. Some of the 17 hardware products are manufactured by other consumer electronic companies and have code proprietary to HangarBot. So, you cannot go to BestBuy and purchase a $25 TP-Link electric switch in favor of HangarBot’s $99 switch.
Core to HangarBot’s solution is their Lynk Aviation Mobile app, which supports both Android and Apple but requires iOS devices running Version 9 or better, and Android version 4.1 or higher. This shouldn’t be a problem unless you have an old smartphone or tablet. The hardware is relatively expensive as compared to the consumer electronics versions, representing the size of the aviation marketplace.
I expect that HangarBot increases the price of the hardware and the monthly cellular plans to pay for the costs of their cloud infrastructure and the proprietary code in the device. The Mobile App communicates over cellular or WiFi to the HangarBot Cloud, which communicates and controls the devices in the hangar.
Monthly subscription plans start at $30 with 250MB of data. Other monthly plans include: $40 (500 MB), $50 (1 GB), $80 (10 GB) and $150 (unlimited data). If you already have internet in your hangar, they charge $20 per month. Their value add is not only providing one-stop shopping for the hardware, but also a single app to control the devices. I’m a bit surprised that they are charging $20 per month if I bring my own internet to the party—that’s essentially a fee to use the app and their cloud technologies.
HangarBot offers a remote door controller, which is not compatible with manual latch hangar doors and costs $799. Like a garage door opener, you can open your hangar door from your aircraft or car—a convenience if you can taxi right into the hangar. The door controller is unique to each site and will not be shipped until customer service receives some additional information from the buyer.
Professional installation services are offered for $5000 to install the system on-site. With 17 different products, the final cost will depend on how many Lego blocks you need. In an example of a suite consisting of engine preheating, three surveillance cameras, one light switch, one thermostat and one motion detector—with installation—the cost is $7658 (plus shipping and taxes). Monthly recurring costs would be $40 or $50, depending upon the video storage approach. If you’re tech savvy, you can save $5000 by self-installing.
I’m disappointed that the company’s website does not have any technical manuals on each product to review and that there’s no telephone number to call for technical support. We’ve heard from a handful of readers (potential and existing customers) that reaching the company has been impossible. I’m told that presales, customer service and technical support calls are initiated through texting Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Pacific Time. There is staff working on the weekend, who may respond to emergencies. HangarBot has 35 full-time employees.
When asked about support, the company told me its text-based support offers pilots the flexibility to get help on their schedule and allows for quick resolution of common issues through streamlined communication. Once you have ordered a system, HangarBot’s customer service will create a custom set of user and installation documents that correspond with the components that you have purchased and email them to you. HangarBot’s online portal is used for customers to make changes to their account, including credit card payments. If you sell your hangar, you can close your account and through customer service, transfer the hardware to the new owner (who would then set up their own account). I expect that HangarBot’s preferred customers will be the FBOs, maintenance shops, commercial operators and airport operators who will invest into the capabilities and technology through reducing existing costs funded by revenue from their operations.
Home-brewed options
If you are fine with a small number of smartphone apps, you can set up your own hangar automation with low-cost off-the-shelf consumer electronics technologies. Automation is about command and control (kind of like SAC), which requires a telecommunication path to connect your hangar to the open internet. In 2024, there are a bunch of alternatives, but like real estate, it’s all about location, location, location and monthly recurring cost.
Our challenge is that many smaller airports tend to be in the middle of nowhere or if they are near a metropolitan area, they’re overlooked by the telcos. From a hardwired perspective, we have a few alternatives: fiber, DSL running over a telephone line (really slow) and cable from telcos like Cox Communications and Comcast. The good news is these technologies are suited to share your connectivity with your hangar mates, which saves money. If you have four or five friends with nearby hangars, you can share the bandwidth costs equally, reducing your costs to $10 or $20 per month for high-quality bandwidth.
If there’s no wired connectivity into your hangar (yes, the last mile counts), wireless internet comes into play. Starlink’s satellite-based technology is about as fast as cable technology but it’s costly, making it a great technology for sharing. That leads us to cellular tech.
In the U.S., monthly cellular costs can be cheaper than filling up your car with gas. Depending upon the proximity of your hangar to the mobility provider’s tower, the bandwidth may be really slow or really fast. You can use an iPhone plan and simply pop the SIM card into a cellular modem. Some providers offer fixed wireless, which is a point-to-point solution. In Canada, we’re seeing cellular data plans (from Tier 2 providers) for as little as $25 per month. Plus, 5G and 5G+ cellular connections can deliver speeds over 300 Mbps (my home internet from Rogers Communications over cable is $90 and delivers 400 Mbps down and 70 Mbps up).
With the exception of video surveillance, hangar automation requires low amounts of bandwidth and moves small amounts of data. That’s perfect for cellular connectivity, even if it is shared between two or three hangars. When thinking about a provider, start with how much data are you going to need— both in terms of the size of the pipe and the amount of monthly data you’re going to use. The wired telco plans use an all-you-can-eat approach, as does Starlink. In the cellular world, you subscribe to a plan with a specific amount of monthly usage (i.e., 85 GB). For our needs, as the mobility carriers have moved the bar up on their data plans, going over the monthly allocation tends to not be an issue (again, depending upon your video surveillance tech).
From a wired internet connection, pick up a consumer firewall from retailers like BestBuy. Manufacturers like TP-Link and D-Link make inexpensive broadband routers with Wi-Fi. These are easy to set up and have Ethernet ports on them to hardwire your Google TV, networked audio receiver and computer. Wi-Fi will be used for devices without hardwired ports. Ethernet cabling is typically about $72 for a 500-foot box of Cat 5e cabling.
Cellular connectivity can be a bit challenging, typically because our hangars are made of steel. ZTE’s MC7010CA 5G Cellular CPE Modem Router (roughly $170 one time) is a waterproof device designed to be installed on the outside of the hangar. An LTE or 5G cellular SIM card from your cellular provider is inserted into the MC7010CA (double-check that your cellular provider is supported by the modem). The MC7010CA has a 30-foot cable, which provides power and Ethernet connectivity to a firewall. With no built-in Wi-Fi, a firewall or broadband router is required. We paired ours with an Apple Time Capsule. The MC7010CA’s Power Over Ethernet adapter plugs into the broadband router using a 3-foot Ethernet cable, a power cable attaches to a power outlet and the 30-foot waterproof cable attaches to the MC7010CA. The kit includes a small bracket to mount the MC7010CA to the roof, hangar door or wall. There’s a small amount of configuration required.
Let’s equip a hangar
We’ll start with heat control and replace an ancient thermostat with an IP-enabled Google Nest, Honeywell or Echobee smart thermostat. To keep the learning curve at a minimum, consider using the same smart technologies that you have at home in your hangar, too. I’m using Google Nest. I can turn up the heat in the hangar before I jump in the car to head to the field. The Nest is designed to keep the hangar at a minimum temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit (protecting water pipes from bursting). I like the ability to set up a heating and cooling schedule. With this being our first winter in the hangar, we keep the hangar at 46 degrees Fahrenheit, but will bump it up to around 60 degrees Fahrenheit when we’re at the hangar.
Being a bit paranoid about fire and carbon monoxide, I installed a Nest CO detector. Hardwired or battery operated, the Nest CO detector will alert if it detects CO or smoke and signal the Nest Thermostat to turn off the heating system. At $150, it was a no-brainer.
To control electrical power, TP-Link has a bunch of inexpensive devices (around $20 to $30) all wirelessly connected and using a single app. To control my Rockwell Commander’s Tanis engine heater remotely, I used a TP-Link TP25 smart power bar attached to a standard electrical outlet. I’ll jump on the TP-Link Kasa app and turn the TP25 on, providing power to Tanis.
The TP25 is waterproof (so it’s good for aircraft in an outdoor tie-down) and has two outlets. TP-Link’s TS15 is a single-pole switch to replace the hangar’s light switch—no more running back to the hangar to turn the lights off. TP-Links’s hardware is all controlled through an iPhone or Android app on a smartphone and does not require a dedicated gateway. The app is easy to install and use. Their KS line of switches supports Apple’s HomeKit, which can provide automations (i.e., if motion is detected, it turns the lights on). An alternative to TP-Link is Lutron Caseta switches and outlets. While the quality is much different than TP-Link, the price of the Caseta products is about three to four times more. Caseta requires their gateway to provide integration to HomeKit and their smartphone app.
What’ll all this really cost?
The most cost-effective approach to hangar automation, if you have the skills (or access to friends with skills), is to build your own system using off-the-shelf components from Tier 1 manufacturers and cellular providers. In a like-for-like pricing exercise, building a system has a one-time cost of $543.85 and monthly costs of $20.00, while a similarly equipped system from HangarBot costs $2658.99. Plan on monthly costs of $80. The differentiator boils downs to your IT skills, time and single versus multiple apps.
For the diehard DIY types, cellular remote control boxes like the SM1-WLTE-GA (www.aliexpress.com) retail for around $50 and can control electric devices with relays. It’s light and cheap for doing it yourself, plus control of the device is delivered through their app, SMS texting or dial control.
The ultimate goal of hangar automation would be an iRobot approach. After landing, the hangar door would be automatically opened, the tugbot using geolocation services for the aircraft would drive itself to the aircraft, attach to the nosegear, return the aircraft to the hangar, followed by closing the hangar door—all without hitting the hangar and damaging the aircraft. Far-fetched? We probably all thought that self-driving cars were not in our future, but it seems like Tesla is breaking that thought.
