Adding a Schneider Gateway box to my solar sistema

[Bambinoruth714]

i've got a Schneider sw invertir and a Outback MPPT 80 AMP. Would a Schneider Gateway box help me get the most of my equipment as it is? Will swtiching to a Schneider MPPT really help? Why?

 

[JoeHam]

I’m running a CSW 4048 and ComBox along with a Victron SCC, a Victron SmartShunt and a Cerbo GX.

I couldn’t justify the cost of either the Schneider MPPT’s nor the Victron Quattro 48v.

The main drawback is that I need to use Schneiders Insight and Victrons VRM to keep an eye on the whole system when away from home but the money saved makes it worth the effort IMHO.

 

[GXMnow]

Since I have a Schneider XW-Pro, I had no choice but to use the Gateway to configure the system. It does work fairly well, but it will only monitor Schneider devices. You will be able to see your battery voltage, but it will not show you the charging current from the Outback MPPT. You will get basically the same information from a Schneider Combox if you can still find one. That should be a fair bit cheaper than the Gateway, but it is being discontinued. The Gateway in the new replacement. It has a lot of "room" for new features if they decide to add to it. But for now, a lot of them are not being used yet.

 

[JoeHam]

Yes, as noted I found a ComBox and have been using it.

A minor inconvenience is using Schneider Insight to monitor the CSW4048 and using Victron VRM via CerboGX to watch the SmartShunt and 250/60 MPPT. These tools allow me to monitor from anywhere in the world via internet.

I did save some money for the inconvenience of using two different cloud based monitoring systems. For sure Victron’s system is much easier to use. I didn’t even read the manual.

Schneider support is horrible. I spent 3 weeks getting nowhere with them and at the end I’m not even sure they understand the basics of their own equipment.

 

[GXMnow]

I have certainly had my issues trying to deal with Schneider tech support. The hardware is very well built and the basic operation is great. But when it comes to the software setup and some functions, they totally dropped the ball and have no clue how the equipment is being used in the real world.