Do I need battery monitor when Victron MPPT already has bluetooth?

[vonschott]

Hello,

Quick question, probably a dumb one. As title suggests, what more is a battery monitor going to do for me that I cant get with my bluetooth connectivity to the MPPT? Haven't set it up yet so I have not actually seen what the bluetooth/app info gives me in the first place, but putting in a big amazon order and wondering if the extra $200 is necessary for the Victron battery monitor or is it just redundant info I can get via bluetooth to the MPPT anyways.

Thanks!

Steve

 

[gnubie]

The battery monitor is more than just letting you check it for voltages. It can talk to a bluetooth enabled Victron controller (check hardware revisions for compatibility) and allow the controller to sense the temperature of the battery and the voltage at the terminals of the battery. This is useful when your charge controller and battery are not close together or in the same room - ie voltage drop across the cables and different air temperatures.

If your charger and battery are close to each other and you have appropriate gauge wires between them you don't need it, IMO.

Whoops, wrong product, you mean a BMV. The BMV can also tell a bluetooth enabled Victron SCC how much current is going to the battery so you can use the tail current end of charge detection in the SCC. Your SCC may not have separate load output terminals, or your loads may be too big for that purpose.

 

[Zil]

I'm not familiar with Victron MPPT CC. But my BMV-700 measures the amps going into the battery and also the ampere being discharged. It does some math to display the % charge, SOC, of the battery. It also display the amperes, volts, and other stuff. It has one relay that can be programmed for different triggers.

 

[jmbrunson]

Apparently my victron can monitor battery useage-- it has terminals for solar, battery, and load. the software screen also reports power consumed... it is the smart solar 15 amp version

 

[Zil]

It can not measure energy used from the battery unless it has a shunt on the battery cable.