Out of the Darkness: Adding a Reliable LED Fixture to Light Up Your Entry Steps

The JHBOX solar motion light does a good job of illuminating all the rungs on the entry steps. Light will come on when the electric eye senses motion and stays on for 25 seconds.

RV entry steps are an obvious necessity, but reality suggests that they can be dangerous at night without proper illumination.

The industry continues to make improvements in this department, but people still misstep and are injured, usually caused by not holding on to the grab bar when entering and exiting the RV — especially when it’s dark.

For RVers, lighting up the entry steps is a “must-do” — and if you go on the Internet you’ll find plenty of imported products with wacky names that supposedly fit this bill. However, not all are created equal. JHBOX Solar Motion Sensor Outdoor Lights (https://amzn.to/3aYbvmC) may not be the most stylish on the market, but they provide uninterrupted function for a long time, offer plenty of light and are easy to mount — and you can buy four of them for just $22.99.

The housing is not very stylish but takes up little space when mounted on the sidewall near the steps. A built-in solar panel on the top of the light charges the internal lithium battery; exposure to the sun for eight hours provides enough energy for 8-10 hours of light.

These odd-shaped fixtures are waterproof and have 30 LEDs that shine light across a 140-degree area. Mounted next to the entry steps, they bathe all the rungs with plenty of light, making it much safer to get in and out of the RV. An attached solar panel provides the internal lithium battery recharging with eight hours of exposure to the sun, and a motion sensor — which senses movement from 3-5 meters — turns the light on when it’s needed and stays on for 25 seconds after it senses a lack of movement. A push-button switch next to the electric eye can manually turn the light on if desired. Working time is 8-10 hours, which is plenty since the light is usually used intermittently.

We mounted this light on the sidewall adjacent to the top entry step; one or more screws can be used to keep the fixture secure on the wall. It worked flawlessly for three years before needing replacement. Not bad for a little more than five bucks a light — and the safety angle is priceless.