Simple Solution to Lock my Campervan Doors from Inside

The set up

So, there I was. Campervan conversion all finished and I was ready to give it a trial run.

With everything packed and ready to go, I set off for the coast. After a wonderful day, I went back to my van for the night.

The time was 11-30 pm, and I was ready to get to bed. The van was set up for the night and I was ready for sleep.

 

The problem shows itself

It wasn’t until I went to lock the doors, that I realised the only way to lock them without setting the alarm, was to activate the locks from the cab of the van.

Slight issue… there’s no way for me to easily get from the back of my van, to the front.

I thought it’d be a good idea to build my battery box and electrics, etc. into a cabinet behind the cab seats.

Luckily, I had my golfing umbrella in the back of the campervan and hatched a plan to stretch across and push the button with the tip.

Simple in theory, not so simple at 11.30 at night, in the dark!

But, after a few attempts, I managed to get it locked 🙂

Clearly, not a permanent answer to the problem though.

 

A simple solution to lock my campervan doors from inside

The following day, I drove home and thought about how I could solve the problem.

In the end, it was very simple and something that can be done by anyone: Put a switch in the back!

 

How to do it

On my Renault Trafic, the central locking works by adding a ground, when the switch is pressed.

So, my solution was to buy a cheap ‘press to make’ switch from eBay, and run a spur wire from the wire that feeds the drivers door lock, to the rear of the campervan.

Then, I connected that wire to one pole of the switch, and the other pole directly to a ground point.

Now, whenever I press the switch, all the doors lock, but the alarm isn’t set.

A simple solution to a no-doubt common issue. I hope this helps someone.