Redarc RedVision TVMS Review

“Maybe it’s time to let the old ways die”, rasps Bradley Cooper in the box-office hit ‘A Star is Born’. And despite my reluctance to embrace new technology in off-road caravans, maybe it is.

I speak after some quality time playing with the latest version of Redarc’s RedVision, fitted to Track Trailer’s new T4 Hybrid pop-top that is also seen in an increasing number of other premium caravans, campers and motorhomes.

RedVision is a Total Vehicle Management System (TVMS) that allows power protection, distribution and control all to be controlled through a compact display in your RV. Its functions can be controlled via designated rocker switches, or through a Bluetooth connection to the RedVision App, which runs on most on most modern Apple or Android smartphones.

To do what? Well, as it acts as a master switch, it can be configured to control multiple devices automatically. For example, your lights and all other power except to your fridge can be turned off for travelling, just by pressing one button on the RedVision or on your smartphone. Alternatively, it can be set up so all caravan loads can be turned off when the vehicle ignition is turned on via a spare connection on your trailer plug.

How about if your caravan awning, steps and TV antenna could all be retracted by another single ‘Travelling’ button? Or what if you configured a ‘panic’ button that you could use from your bed to turn on all exterior lights and lock your door if John Jarrett comes calling late while you’re free-camped? On a simpler level, you could have it turn on your van’s side and rear lights when reversing onto a site. Use your imagination...

The limitation at present are the 10 available channels in the Distribution Box, each of which is protected by fuses and relays.

This makes life easier for travellers, but what’s in it for caravan manufacturers other than something interesting on the option list? Well, for a start it simplifies the RV’s electrical system if the Distribution Box can  be located close to the host vehicle’s battery. This saves time on the initial electrical installation.

However, as  the RedVision can also incorporate gauges to show the level of your water tanks and battery (when used in conjunction with a Redarc Manager30 or Manager15 battery management system) instead of a multitude of separate dials and switches, it also saves on hardware costs and their weight, plus all the wiring required to connect them.

In fact, it’s almost break-even when you compare the RedVision’s OEM price versus the cost of the alternative hardware and their extra fitting time.

Track Trailer has already harnessed its capability to operate one of the signature options on its new T4 Topaz replacement launched at this year’s Victorian Caravan Show – one button central locking for all interior cabinets and drawers, which can be achieved directly via the designated RedVision panel button, or through a smartphone app.

Meanwhile, Track is now working on extending this function to lock the T4's exterior lockers, so that all your expensive camping ‘toys’ like a Weber Baby Q, generator, exterior fridge, gas bottles and all those cases of beer or wine stored in the exterior lockers can be secured when you’re not there.

So far, all the RedVision action has been in the OEM (new RV) market, but that’s about to change later this year when Redarc will offer the RedVision as an after-market product for all types of RVs, with fitting to be carried our through authorised agents and installers.

This doesn’t mean that it will be practical to retrofit your caravan, as the ease (and hence cost) of installation will be linked to the proximity of your RV’s main battery to the Redarc Distribution Box and its RedVision display. In many instances, the difficulty and cost may rule retro-fitting out.

Another growth area for the RedVision is for slide-on campers, where it can be plugged in to monitor and control all functions – just like in a caravan. This is likely to be a simpler installation given that there's usually more space available to group and connect the system’s individual components.

Redarc has set up the fleet of Toyota Hiluxes operated by its technical reps as mobile showrooms to demonstrate not only the RedVision, but also its combined boost pressure gauge, its latest Tow-Pro Elite V3 electronic brake controller that offers both proportional and user-selected braking, its battery monitor that makes it easy to check on the health of an auxiliary battery, the Hummingbird GPS Speed Alert that gives an accurate speed reading with selectable functions that include a GPS-Speed alert and a ‘Track Day’ mode, plus the new Hummingbird Trailer Odometer that accurately measures how far your caravan or camper has travelled and thus can alert you when it's time to have it serviced.

So, is this all technical over-kill or something that you should order on your next RV to ensure it is ‘future-proofed’ when it comes time to sell or upgrade it? By ‘future proof’ I mean a feature that everyone will expect on an RV when it comes time to sell yours down the road and will make yours harder to sell if it’s not fitted with it, like an inside toilet.

If the RedVision is available at a realistically-priced option on your next camper or caravan, I’d tick that box, with one proviso; if it controls the operation of a power pop-top roof, an awning, or any other device that could potentially disable your RV in a remote area if it doesn’t function as planned, make sure there's a manual over-ride mode in its operation.