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Remotely Monitoring BASIC 12v Solar System, Why is there not an easy solution for this???

ADDvanced

ADDvanced

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Sep 6, 2022
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133
Okay, super short version, I have a property about 2000+ miles from my house, and on that property I have a converted school bus, and a shed for snow removal equipment. I am installing 400w of solar panels, and 400Ah of lithium batteries, and TBD charge controller. The batteries will operate an NVR and several cameras, and a 4g router, this will allow me to keep an eye on my property from anywhere in the world.

That said.... how the hell do you monitor the solar system itself? On the bus, I have a renogy rover charge controller w blue tooth dongle, and it works great, but they don't offer a wifi version, only a CELL dongle that costs $100+ a year. I am already paying for WIFI at this location, and I'm streaming VIDEO. A couple 1s and 0s to show how much energy I am getting, the state of charge of the batteries, and energy use is apparently too much to ask in 2022???

What gives? Is there a charge controller that has WIFI connectivity that I am not aware of?
 
Is there any off the shelf solution that works with a decent established company? I am seeing some chinese MPPT controllers that have a wifi enabled module and an app to allow you to view it... why doesn't renogy or victron have something like this?
 
The silly answer is point another camera at it.

But im pretty sure what you want exists and is even common, i just don't know anything about it because i've decided not to involve any wireless connectivity into my system at all and have been ignoring that subject. But i think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find exactly what you're looking for once someone comes in here and names it. ?
 
You'd think but I have been searching for days with no luck. I could point a camera at it but the inefficiency of transmittiing video when it should be a couple KB or less is just irritating.
 
Victron cerbo gx. Pretty sure it has wireless connectivity and will allow you to monitor your solar stuff from anywhere.

Here’s a link the Victrons sub section of system monitoring and remote control devices.

www.victronenergy.com

Panels and System Monitoring - Victron Energy

Make sure your components are working in harmony en monitor the status of your batteries. View our panels and system monitoring products now.
www.victronenergy.com www.victronenergy.com
 
Last edited:
ADDvanced said:
You'd think but I have been searching for days with no luck. I could point a camera at it but the inefficiency of transmittiing video when it should be a couple KB or less is just irritating.
Click to expand...
Ring camera mounted next to it wouldn’t be a bad idea
 
Solar Assistant is easy. I bought it, ran the cables to everything and turned it on. Now I can monitor everything, or change the settings, from anywhere in the world.
 
But I don't need an inverter, and that requires an inverter. I'm fine with just an MPPT controller
 
timselectric said:
Solar Assistant is easy. I bought it, ran the cables to everything and turned it on. Now I can monitor everything, or change the settings, from anywhere in the world.
Click to expand...
Sounds like what I need. Are there different models?
 
Vigo said:
The silly answer is point another camera at it.

But im pretty sure what you want exists and is even common, i just don't know anything about it because i've decided not to involve any wireless connectivity into my system at all and have been ignoring that subject. But i think you'll be pleasantly surprised to find exactly what you're looking for once someone comes in here and names it. ?
Click to expand...

I use a baby monitor to watch the engines in the boat. Steam or smoke down there I will know it.

The answer to the OP might be here www.google.com/search?q=marine+remote+monitoring all kinds of stuff to watch boats. No power no pumps can = big problems.
 
ADDvanced said:
I don't really need an inverter....
Click to expand...
My apologies. Solar assistant like the other said is probably your best bet if it works for your set up …Not sure if it works with just an mppt controller. What brand mppt controller are you considering? I saw it said TBD above
 
Victron offers their VRM remote management software also free of charge which is like Dolar assistant.
 
ADDvanced said:
Is there any off the shelf solution that works with a decent established company? I am seeing some chinese MPPT controllers that have a wifi enabled module and an app to allow you to view it... why doesn't renogy or victron have something like this?
Click to expand...
They do. A victron charge controller with a cerbo gx will allow you to monitor and control settings from anywhere in the world.
 
LywWyr said:
Sounds like what I need. Are there different models?
Click to expand...
You can buy just the software and use your own Raspberry Pi. Or buy it already loaded on a Pi. (This is what I did) I purchased directly from SA. But, watts247 now carries them too.
 
So question branching off from this, I have a renogy 12v system with mppt controller in my bus, and I have a seperate 1500w inverter. I turn the inverter off when not in use, because I was told it consumes energy just having it on.

For combination/more residential units like GroWatt, that combine a MPPT charge controller AND inverter, is that less efficient because the inverter is on all the time??? Or is it like a "smart" inverter that only pulls power when there is a load?

Sorry for the newb questions, absorbing lots of technical info like a sponge but unclear on basic stuff like that.
 
ADDvanced said:
So question branching off from this, I have a renogy 12v system with mppt controller in my bus, and I have a seperate 1500w inverter. I turn the inverter off when not in use, because I was told it consumes energy just having it on.

For combination/more residential units like GroWatt, that combine a MPPT charge controller AND inverter, is that less efficient because the inverter is on all the time??? Or is it like a "smart" inverter that only pulls power when there is a load?

Sorry for the newb questions, absorbing lots of technical info like a sponge but unclear on basic stuff like that.
Click to expand...
Typically the All In One (AIO) units consume more power in stand by. Usually around 50-70 watts.
 
ADDvanced said:
Okay, super short version, I have a property about 2000+ miles from my house, and on that property I have a converted school bus, and a shed for snow removal equipment. I am installing 400w of solar panels, and 400Ah of lithium batteries, and TBD charge controller. The batteries will operate an NVR and several cameras, and a 4g router, this will allow me to keep an eye on my property from anywhere in the world.

That said.... how the hell do you monitor the solar system itself? On the bus, I have a renogy rover charge controller w blue tooth dongle, and it works great, but they don't offer a wifi version, only a CELL dongle that costs $100+ a year. I am already paying for WIFI at this location, and I'm streaming VIDEO. A couple 1s and 0s to show how much energy I am getting, the state of charge of the batteries, and energy use is apparently too much to ask in 2022???

What gives? Is there a charge controller that has WIFI connectivity that I am not aware of?
Click to expand...
There’s no industry standards. If the system has wifi access ( and many do ) and you have fixed broadband or cellular modems. It is possible ( albeit with a bit of mucking around ) to make the phone vpn onto the internal wifi from outside

The alternative is a system that broadcasts the data over Ethernet , wifi or Bluetooth to a gateway device that uploads this to a monitoring portal which you then query with your phone. To do this requires you to buy into a manufacturers “walled garden “
As there is no common communications standards. ( the closest thing is probably NMEA 2000 can bus common on boats , where remote monitoring is getting easier every day )

So Victron has the building blocks for example ( Cerbo GX , globallink 520 etc ) others do not have sufficient infrastructure or have no monitoring capability in the first place.
 
That's so dumb. It's 2022. I can see my security system from anywhere in the world, but transmitting a couple 1s and 0s to show some numbers? Impossible. Wtf.
 
ADDvanced said:
That's so dumb. It's 2022. I can see my security system from anywhere in the world, but transmitting a couple 1s and 0s to show some numbers? Impossible. Wtf.
Click to expand...
The issue is the lack of standard communication protocols to enable third parties to build compatible tools. Today the only people doing it are larger systems orientated companies like Victron

This is the way in other areas. My washing machine has wifi , but making it talk out of my home network to the outside world is problematic in a similar way as solar gear

Victron does have some nice solutions if you live in an area with cellular LTE-M Then the globallink 520 can easily connect some Victron units and push the reporting data up to the free Victron VRM portal. This can then be viewed by any device having internet access.
 
Goboatingnow said:
The issue is the lack of standard communication protocols to enable third parties to build compatible tools. Today the only people doing it are larger systems orientated companies like Victron

This is the way in other areas. My washing machine has wifi , but making it talk out of my home network to the outside world is problematic in a similar way as solar gear

Victron does have some nice solutions if you live in an area with cellular LTE-M Then the globallink 520 can easily connect some Victron units and push the reporting data up to the free Victron VRM portal. This can then be viewed by any device having internet access.
Click to expand...
That’s pretty awesome actually.
 
Try the SBMS0 it comes with an optional WIFI module. (But his products are out of stock until around November 2022)
 
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