The iNet Box is certainly not a new gadget from the house of Truma, but today seems technically very dusty. No wonder, the iNet Box has now been around since summer 2015. We all know how quickly technology becomes obsolete in this day and age. For comparison, Apple introduced the iPhone 6s in 2015, today there is the iPhone 14.
But does “old” technology have to be bad? Let’s take a closer look at this.
What is the Truma iNet Box and how does it work?
Let’s start from the beginning, not everyone knows what an iNet Box is or what it does. The iNet Box is a remote control for various Truma systems, in the case of the Grand Californias it can be used to control the heating.
To use the box as a remote control, Truma provides a free app for Android and iOS.
The app offers you, for example, the possibility to set the temperature inside or to heat up the water. The setting options are equivalent to the display of the Truma heater itself.
You are of course wondering how the data from the smartphone to the iNet box, good question 🙂
There are two ways of transmission:
- The app establishes a connection via Bluetooth. Of course, your smartphone has to be within range of the iNet Box. I tested it myself, and we stopped after about ten meters. So if you are sitting in front of your camper or lying in bed, controlling it via Bluetooth is no problem at all.
- If you are not in Bluetooth range, the app automatically switches to SMS mode, yes that’s right SMS! The commands are simply sent via SMS from your cell phone to the iNet Box. For this, the iNet Box requires a SIM card, which is not included in the scope of delivery. We simply bought a prepaid card and installed it in the box. Once topped up with ten euros, you can send around 160 commands via SMS before the credit is used up. You can get such a prepaid SIM from various providers for eight euros at dm-drogeriemarkt, for example.
The iNet Box is therefore a very practical little companion for your Truma heater. The good thing, any body heater in the Grand California, gas or diesel, is compatible.
Okay, so now we’ve talked about the function of this little box. For those who are now asking, “Do we need this?” 100 percent yes, I would not want to miss them after such a short time.
One example, we were at the Christmas market in Munich two weeks ago. When we weren’t in the Cali we set the heater to 15 degrees, it doesn’t have to be 20 degrees in the car when no one is in it. Without the iNet box, we wouldn’t have been able to raise the temperature until we got back to Cali. With the iNet Box, this was still possible at the Christmas market, simply set the desired temperature via the app and when we were back, it was toasty warm.
Also in the morning from bed to turn up the temperature again without having to get out from under the covers, makes the box for us already almost priceless 🥹. Of course, this is a nice to have.
How is the iNet Box installed?
The good thing is that the installation is really not difficult and with a bit of skill can be done within 30 minutes, although the time is already generously thought.
Generally the box is connected between the CP display and the heater, this is done simply via Plug and Play. I took the power supply from the CP display, Truma supplies a suitable luster terminal including fuse.
Here you can find a small video by the rough principle is clear, I think 😅😅:
To accommodate the box, you should remove the bench or the seat of the dinette, for this you need a 30 Torx.
Once you have removed the wooden panel, you can look down on the Truma heater from above and choose a place for it. I chose the upper left corner because it allows you to access the iNet box through the dinette door.
Since I didn’t want to drill any holes, I attached the box with velcro tape, you can find a link here -> Amazon Link
Is there a catch to all this?
Yes! If you read through the whole thing so, you could quickly think: The box is perfect and I have to have it immediately! But stop!
For me, the box has a more or less big catch, the iNet box relies on GSM for transmission, so 2G standard. The crux of the matter is that the 2G network is being shut down in parts of Europe to free up the frequency bands for other new technologies, such as LTE. This means that if there is no 2G network in the country, you will not be able to send SMS to your box, because it simply has no reception. This is already the case in Switzerland, where 2G is already completely switched off. Sweden and Norway plan to shut down by 2026.
However, there is good news for German users, the 2G network in Germany will not be switched off as of today. None of the 3 major network providers wants to give up its GSM network.
Does that make the box a showstopper now? This is a question that everyone probably has to answer for themselves. The Bluetooth function is of course not affected by the 2G shutdown and the box can still be controlled via this way in the future.
Currently, there is no successor to the iNet Box from Truma, whether one is coming at all I think is unlikely. Truma has already committed to a path with the new iNet X generation, the new control panel can currently only be controlled via Bluetooth, but in the future there will certainly be a remote control option. However, all this does not help you in the Grand California, because the old CP system is installed there. An upgrade is possible in principle, but it requires some conversion work.
We would buy the box again, we are 100% satisfied with the function and can only recommend it to every owner of a GC. Now I’ve said a lot, but I haven’t said a word about the price, the iNet Box is available for around 300 euros.
If you are interested in an iNet Box you can order it at Camping Wagner via our affiliate link.
