- Had a similar hiccup with a solar gate opener—worked great until a week of rain hit and then... nothing.
- I still love the idea of solar, but yeah, sometimes you just want something that works no matter what the weather’s doing.
- For my last project, I added a small backup battery to the solar setup. Not perfect, but it helped bridge those cloudy stretches.
- Low-tech has its perks, but I’m stubborn—I keep trying to make the eco stuff work. Sometimes it’s just about finding the right combo.
Swapping to keyless entry was a game-changer for me, but I totally get the frustration with solar setups. I tried to power my keyless lock with a solar trickle charger last year—figured it’d be a fun experiment, plus less wiring mess. It worked... until we hit a string of gloomy days and suddenly I’m locked out, standing there in the rain, cursing my “brilliant” eco solution. Ended up having to crawl through a window just to get inside. Not my proudest moment.
I still think there’s something really satisfying about making these green solutions work, though. It’s like a puzzle—there’s always some new combo of backup batteries, better panels, or smarter placement that might make it more reliable. But honestly, when it comes to entry systems, I’ve started leaning on hybrid setups. My current lock’s got battery backup and a manual key override. Not the purest eco move, but at least I’m not left out in the cold if the weather doesn’t cooperate.
Low-tech definitely has its place. There’s a certain peace of mind knowing that a plain old key or latch will work no matter what. But I can’t help tinkering—sometimes I wonder if the challenge is half the fun. Maybe it’s stubbornness, or maybe it’s just wanting to prove that the “impractical” solution can actually work with enough trial and error.
Anyway, keyless entry has been mostly smooth sailing since I gave up on solar for that part of the house. Still using solar for lights and cameras, but with more realistic expectations now. Sometimes you just gotta pick your battles...
Ended up having to crawl through a window just to get inside. Not my proudest moment.
Been there—except my “window” was a rickety old coal chute that’s probably seen more raccoons than humans in the last fifty years. I swear, these historic houses have a way of humbling you. I tried to go full keyless too, but after the third time the batteries died (and I had to explain to my neighbor why I was shimmying up the porch column), I caved and kept the skeleton key on my ring. Ever notice how the more “modern” you go, the more you end up crawling around like it’s 1923?
Ever notice how the more “modern” you go, the more you end up crawling around like it’s 1923?
Seriously, this is so true. I went keyless to make life easier, but now I keep a backup key in a fake rock—just in case. Technology’s great… until it isn’t.
Technology’s great… until it isn’t.
I get where you’re coming from, but honestly, I think the backup key thing is just old habits dying hard. I switched to keyless and ditched the spare key paranoia after a few months. Haven’t had a single issue yet—if anything, it’s made me realize how much time I wasted fumbling for keys before. Maybe we just need to trust the tech a bit more? Or maybe I’ll regret saying that when the batteries die...
