Outdoor Living Guides & Tips

What Is the Hercules Front Bar LED?

The Hercules Front Bar LED is the full-width integrated lighting upgrade for the Hercules Shademaker Retractable Awning, sold factory-direct at 1800Awnings.com in Tampa, Florida. Instead of putting light fixtures on the arms or hanging them from a structure, this option builds LED lighting into the front bar of the awning itself — the horizontal extrusion that runs the entire width of the system, from 17 feet up to 40 feet. When the awning extends, the light extends with it, and it washes the space evenly from the outer edge inward.

Priced at $682.00, the Hercules Front Bar LED includes the outdoor receiver and a Somfy Situo 5 Soliris remote, so lighting control ships with the kit rather than being quoted separately. It is part of the broader Hercules Night Series™ platform, which Shademaker describes as "not an add-on" but "a system upgrade." For a large-span awning covering a restaurant patio, a hospitality courtyard, or an oversized Florida lanai, front bar lighting is what turns expensive daytime shade into a space that still works at 9 p.m.

Key Specifications

Why the Hercules Front Bar LED Stands Out

Full-Width Light Instead of Point Sources

Arm-mounted LED lighting — the approach used by the Apollo Arm LED kits — puts light at two or three fixed positions along the awning. On a 12-foot or 16-foot residential awning, that covers the space adequately. On a Hercules spanning 30 or 40 feet, two or three point sources leave obvious dark stretches between them.

The front bar approach solves that by running the light source along the full width of the awning. A 40-foot Hercules gets 40 feet of illumination, evenly distributed, with no bright pools and no gaps. This is the single most important reason front bar lighting exists as a separate option on the Hercules platform: the arm-kit approach simply does not scale to large-span systems.

The Light Comes From the Outer Edge, Not the Wall

Because the LED sits in the front bar, the light originates at the outermost edge of the awning and washes back toward the building. That geometry matters more than it sounds. Wall-mounted or arm-mounted lighting throws light outward and downward from near the house, which means diners and guests sit with the source behind them and their own shadows in front of them. Front bar lighting reverses it — the far edge of the covered area is lit, faces are lit from the front, and the space reads as a defined outdoor room rather than a lit doorway.

The Remote Ships With It

At $682.00 the kit includes the outdoor receiver and a Somfy Situo 5 Soliris remote. The Situo 5 is a five-channel remote, meaning it can address up to five separate devices or groups — practically, that lets one handheld control the awning motor, the front bar lighting, and additional Hercules units on a multi-unit linked run. The "Soliris" designation adds sun-sensor control capability to the same remote. For a commercial installation with several linked Hercules awnings, this avoids the common irritation of a drawer full of single-purpose remotes.

Built for Coastal and High-Exposure Environments

The Hercules platform is engineered for demanding applications — reinforced frames, a heavy-duty torsion bar system, sealed bearing articulation points, and a high-performance powder-coated finish. The lighting is specified to the same environment: an outdoor receiver, concealed wiring inside the extrusions, and no exposed connections for salt air to attack. In coastal Florida — Tampa Bay, Sarasota, Naples, the Gulf Coast generally — that sealed-and-concealed approach is what separates lighting that lasts from lighting that corrodes in two seasons.

It Retracts With the Awning

Because the LED lives in the front bar, the entire lighting system retracts into the closed awning when the Hercules is stowed. There is nothing left outside to weather, nothing to take down before a storm, and nothing visible when the awning is closed. Compare that to string lights or a permanently mounted fixture, both of which stay exposed year-round whether the awning is open or not.

Front Bar LED vs. Arm LED: Which Lighting Approach Fits?

Shademaker offers two distinct integrated lighting geometries across its retractable awning lines. They are not interchangeable, and the right answer is mostly a function of span.

On the Hercules platform specifically, the manufacturer describes LED lighting integrated into the heavy-duty arms with optional front bar lighting for full-width illumination. The two can be specified together on a single system. On a 35- or 40-foot commercial run, that combination — arm lighting for depth plus front bar lighting for width — is the configuration that actually lights the whole footprint. On a 17- or 20-foot Hercules, front bar lighting alone is usually enough.

Hercules Pricing With Front Bar LED

All prices below are current factory-direct pricing from 1800Awnings.com. The Hercules awning price covers the complete motorized system with Sunbrella® fabric; the Front Bar LED is a flat $682.00 regardless of width, which means its share of total project cost drops as the system gets larger.

Related Hercules options frequently specified alongside the Front Bar LED:

Who Is the Hercules Front Bar LED Best For?

• Restaurant and bar operators whose outdoor seating generates the most revenue after dark and who need even, flattering light across a wide patio.
• Hotels, clubs and hospitality venues running linked multi-unit Hercules installations where consistent lighting across every bay matters visually.
• Owners of large Florida lanais and pool decks — spans past 25 feet where two or three arm lights would leave the middle dim.
• Coastal property owners who want lighting that retracts and seals rather than hanging exposed to salt air year-round.
• Anyone already specifying a Hercules — at $682.00 against a $9,477–$23,225 awning, it is between 3% and 7% of the system cost, and far cheaper to install at build time than to retrofit later.
• Buyers who want one remote for everything — the included Situo 5 Soliris handles awning, lighting, and additional linked units.

How to Order

1. Measure your available mounting width and the projection you need. Hercules widths run 17' to 40'; projections are 14'-9" or 16'-6".
2. Configure your base awning on the Hercules Shademaker Retractable Awning page — select width, projection, frame finish and Sunbrella® fabric.
3. Add the Hercules Front Bar LED at $682.00. The outdoor receiver and Situo 5 Soliris remote are included.
4. Consider companion options — hood and end covers, the aluminum torsion bar upgrade for coastal sites, and professional LED installation.
5. Call 1-800-AWNINGS (296-4647) if you have a multi-unit run, an unusual mounting condition, or need help confirming the lighting configuration before you order.
6. Place the order. Hercules systems are built to order and ship factory-direct from Tampa, Florida.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Hercules Front Bar LED?
It is the integrated front bar lighting option for the Hercules Shademaker Retractable Awning, priced at $682.00. LED lighting is built into the front bar extrusion so it illuminates the full width of the awning. The kit includes an outdoor receiver and a Somfy Situo 5 Soliris remote for wireless control.

How much does the Hercules Front Bar LED cost?
$682.00 at 1800Awnings.com, factory-direct. That price is flat across all Hercules widths from 17 feet to 40 feet and includes the outdoor receiver and Situo 5 Soliris remote. It is added to the Hercules awning itself, which ranges from $9,477.00 to $23,225.00 depending on width and projection.

How does front bar lighting differ from arm LED lighting?
Front bar lighting runs along the entire outer edge of the awning and produces an even wash of light across the full width. Arm LED lighting places fixtures at two or three arm positions and creates pools of light with darker gaps between them. On spans past roughly 25 feet, front bar lighting is the only approach that lights the whole area evenly, which is why it exists as a dedicated Hercules option.

Can I add front bar LED lighting to a Hercules awning I already own?
Retrofits are possible but are handled case by case, because the wiring runs concealed inside the system and the front bar must accept the LED extrusion. It is significantly simpler and less expensive to specify the lighting when the awning is built. Call 1-800-AWNINGS (296-4647) with your existing system details for a retrofit assessment.

Can the lighting be dimmed and controlled from a phone?
Yes. The Hercules Night Series™ platform supports remote-controlled lighting with optional dimming, smart home and app integration, and synchronization with awning operation so the lights can respond when the awning extends or retracts. The included Situo 5 Soliris remote handles up to five channels on its own.

Does the Front Bar LED hold up in Florida weather?
It is designed for it. The wiring is concealed inside the extrusions, the receiver is an outdoor-rated unit, and the entire lighting system retracts into the closed awning when stowed rather than sitting exposed. For coastal installations, pairing it with the $536.00 aluminum torsion bar upgrade further improves corrosion resistance across the system.

What warranty applies to a Hercules with front bar lighting?
The Somfy® motorization carries a 5-year manufacturer-backed warranty and the Sunbrella® solution-dyed acrylic fabric carries a 10-year manufacturer-backed warranty. Warranty terms specific to the LED components are confirmed at the time of order — call 1-800-AWNINGS (296-4647) for the current lighting warranty in writing.

Do I need front bar lighting if I already have arm LED lighting?
On a large Hercules, often yes. The manufacturer positions arm lighting and front bar lighting as complementary rather than redundant — arm lighting handles depth from the wall outward, front bar lighting handles width along the outer edge. On systems in the 30-to-40-foot range, specifying both is what produces genuinely even coverage. On a 17-to-20-foot Hercules, front bar lighting alone is usually sufficient.

The Bottom Line

The Hercules Front Bar LED is a narrowly targeted option that solves a real problem: large-span retractable awnings cannot be lit well with point sources. At $682.00 including the outdoor receiver and Somfy Situo 5 Soliris remote, it delivers full-width, warm, dimmable illumination that retracts with the awning and leaves nothing exposed. On a Hercules costing between $9,477.00 and $23,225.00, that is a small fraction of the project — and it is the difference between an awning that works from sunrise to sunset and one that works from sunrise until you go inside.

If you are already specifying a Hercules for a restaurant patio, a hospitality courtyard, or an oversized lanai anywhere in Florida, add the lighting at build time. Retrofitting concealed wiring into a finished system is more expensive and more disruptive than getting it right on the first order. And if you are still deciding between lighting geometries, the rule of thumb is simple: past about 25 feet of width, front bar lighting is not the upgrade — it is the requirement.

Ready to Light Your Large-Span Awning?

Configure your system at 1800Awnings.com — Hercules Front Bar LED or start with the base Hercules Shademaker Retractable Awning. Questions about multi-unit runs, lighting layout, or coastal specifications? Call 1-800-AWNINGS (296-4647) and talk to someone who builds these systems.

Written by Corey Courtright | 1800Awnings.com | Tampa, FL