EG4 Electronics: Empowering Energy Independence and Protecting Your Privacy

[kolek]

This post is an infomercial. If we allow posts like this, they should be in a special subforum called Solar Products PR / Advertising

 

[kolek]

Also, EG4 is not the original manufacturer, they are just slapping their sticker on the front. So they have no idea if their products are backdoored or not. Only the manufacturer knows. Which puts EG4 in exactly the same boat as any other untrustworthy Chinese vendor like Deye. If EG4 and the manufacturers they work with want genuine trust, they can open source their designs and their firmware.

Which means for your safety and security, you should always try to keep your device off the internet and avoid updating your firmware unless you have an urgent or critical reason to update it.

 

[GRMRC]

Can we get the option to add more users but limit their ability? (Unless this is a feature and I’m missing it).

Would like to allow my wife see the data or my buddies without being able to change any settings.

Schneider Insight Home/Facility provides that functionality right out of box.

 

[sunsurfer]

At EG4 Electronics, we're committed to giving you complete control over your energy future. We understand that true energy independence means having the freedom to manage your system on your own terms, without interference.

Let us know once all the schematics and firmware code is uploaded to your website.

Thanks.

 

[sunsurfer]

This post is an infomercial. If we allow posts like this, they should be in a special subforum called Solar Products PR / Advertising

Nooooo!!!!

I love this comedy gold once in a while. Give me something to laugh at on a normally dull day.

 

[GRMRC]

Also, EG4 is not the original manufacturer, they are just slapping their sticker on the front. So they have no idea if their products are backdoored or not. Only the manufacturer knows. Which puts EG4 in exactly the same boat as any other untrustworthy Chinese vendor like Deye. If EG4 and the manufacturers they work with want genuine trust, they can open source their designs and their firmware.

Which means for your safety and security, you should always try to keep your device off the internet and avoid updating your firmware unless you have an urgent or critical reason to update it.

Or just don’t buy it in the first place. Would never touch these low cost MOSFET HF inverters.

 

[kolek]

Cool well since EG4 is here spamming, surely I would also be free to promote my latest gadget:
The world's first solar-powered vibrator!
Very secure. No firmware to hack or crack. No backdoor.
Of course, we have no problem if you use it in your backdoor tho!

 

[CorruptDB]

Also, EG4 is not the original manufacturer, they are just slapping their sticker on the front. So they have no idea if their products are backdoored or not. Only the manufacturer knows. Which puts EG4 in exactly the same boat as any other untrustworthy Chinese vendor like Deye. If EG4 and the manufacturers they work with want genuine trust, they can open source their designs and their firmware.

Which means for your safety and security, you should always try to keep your device off the internet and avoid updating your firmware unless you have an urgent or critical reason to update it.

FWIW, EG4 previously released a joint statement with their manufacturer (don't recall the name off the top of my head but it was in this forum) in response to the Deye/Solark debacle that they committed to never remotely disable a customer's inverter. It's certainly a lot more than the other manufacturers say and it looks like this functionality in the interface is in response to that so they are at least taking some action. I don't have a dog in this fight as this type of gear is way too much for my simple home and RV solar systems but if I was buying in this space I certainly wouldn't be using anything associated with Deye or Solark after they bricked customer inverters over a contract dispute. That's just totally unacceptable behavior and I'm glad a manufacturer at least says they won't do that.

 

[Sonne]

I personally think it’s good that EG4 are coming down on the side of customer autonomy and I trust that they will be doing what they can to avoid situations where consumers lose control of their own devices. None of us however know how much is in their hands and how much power is held by their manufacturer, so keeping devices offline* is still going to be the safest approach.

*truly offline, not online with a “please keep me offline” box ticked on a webserver.

 

[kolek]

Deye or Solark after they bricked customer inverters over a contract dispute.

Nobody has offered proof or evidence of any kind showing that Solark was involved in any way with, or authorized Deye's action.

 

[kolek]

EG4 previously released a joint statement with their manufacturer (don't recall the name off the top of my head but it was in this forum) in response to the Deye/Solark debacle that they committed to never remotely disable a customer's inverter.

Haven't seen that. Link to joint statement please.

 

[kolek]

I personally think it’s good that EG4 are coming down on the side of customer autonomy

If they were really coming down on the side of customer automony, they would be open sourcing their firmware, offering a local network interface to manage their devices, and saying "the only way to keep your equipment 100% secure is by keeping it off the internet"

 

[Danke]

Haven't seen that. Link to joint statement please.

Thread 'CHINA kills all non Sol-Ark branded DEYE unit in the USA this morning.'

Nov 15, 2024

Ethics-wise you are literally shutting down equipment homeowners paid for and depend on to fit some twisted business strategy.
literally seeing dozens of people call me all morning, and I never even sold Deye

EDIT 11/19/24
After this issue has turned out to be a strategy to disable and "brick" inverters that were not the listed USA partner brand (and hilariously bricked some USA branded units by accident showing their total control over all their hardware) EG4 and Luxpowertek released a joint statement signed by both company owners re-affirming the absolute rights of the end users...

• James Showalter

• 
• 
• 

 

[Sonne]

If they were really coming down on the side of customer automony, they would be open sourcing their firmware, offering a local network interface to manage their devices, and repeating the same things you, @timselectric, and I'm saying, which is, "the only way to keep your equipment 100% secure is by keeping it off the internet"

Yes but what they have is what they have, and it was developed and in production before this all became a hot topic. Give them time and see what the next generation of product incorporates and maybe they will pleasantly surprise you by designing guaranteed autonomy in from the beginning.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

FWIW, EG4 previously released a joint statement with their manufacturer (don't recall the name off the top of my head but it was in this forum) in response to the Deye/Solark debacle that they committed to never remotely disable a customer's inverter. It's certainly a lot more than the other manufacturers say and it looks like this functionality in the interface is in response to that so they are at least taking some action. I don't have a dog in this fight as this type of gear is way too much for my simple home and RV solar systems but if I was buying in this space I certainly wouldn't be using anything associated with Deye or Solark after they bricked customer inverters over a contract dispute. That's just totally unacceptable behavior and I'm glad a manufacturer at least says they won't do that.

yeah if they had not they would have seen their sales tank as well... that was a self service cover your own a$$ maneuver and nothing more. if they had read the room wrong as to how people felt about the situation they would have said nothing.

the fact that they felt the need to put out the comment shows you they were scared for their cash cow as well, probably as I would bet that any electronics that comes out of china has the same capability. there are reasons why the US government does not want china to make inroads into anything electronic int he US, Nato, or UN gear wise.

 

[Daddy Tanuki]

Yes but what they have is what they have, and it was developed and in production before this all became a hot topic. Give them time and see what the next generation of product incorporates and maybe they will pleasantly surprise you by designing guaranteed autonomy in from the beginning.

the next generation of comedians has been born.

 

[kolek]

maybe they will pleasantly surprise you by designing guaranteed autonomy in from the beginning

What, like open sourcing their firmware? C'mon bro, name one Chinese company that has open sourced anything.
"Why I gots to give away free?! It no good fo' business!"
And if they had any plans to do any of the things I've described, EG4 & Co would be chiming in right now to this thread saying so, they don't miss an opportunity to self-promote.

 

[bolek_bolek]

How would anyone expect to benefit from remote access support of his equipment , without also accepting that the remotely connected helper can do whatever he likes with the equipment during that remote-help session? If they need to restart it for some reason , their reset button on the interface should be greyed out , and they should call you instead to ask you to click it because they are helpless?
OK, they should ask for you permission first, politely.

 

[kolek]

How would anyone expect to benefit from remote access support of his equipment

You're assuming we all think that's a benefit. We're saying the risks outweigh the benefits, as we've seen with Deye.

 

[wpns]

If I remember correctly a member was working with eg4 support on an issue with his inverter and support accidentally adjusted someone else's inverter settings due to a typo on the serial number....

That was me, I kinda felt bad for the tech, but it was an eye-opening moment for both of us. Too many people here leaking their serial numbers, which allows control of your inverter with a little social engineering at EG4/SS.

_Hopefully_ their software infrastructure is on the schedule for a major upgrade, there are too many scary misfeatures...

 

[wpns]

That is a step in the right direction however:

Indeed, let's not pile on them for taking positive steps.

Provide the end user with computer based software that permits the management and monitoring of the Inverter as well as installing/uploading new firmware that is available from your website as a download. You do this with your batteries, why not your inverters.

Yes, but not Windows only, please. The Windows software for the batteries is enough of a mess that I have a separate WinDoze PC just for mucking about with the batteries, and it spends most of it's time in a shoebox, and is only let out (on a short leash) for updates. The new capabilities of updating the battery RS485 (but not the RS232) firmware is a sideways step in the not-bad direction.

In addition fully document the communications protocols.

Oh, yes, please!

 

[wpns]

Can we get the option to add more users but limit their ability? (Unless this is a feature and I’m missing it).

Would like to allow my wife see the data or my buddies without being able to change any settings.

There's a Users page in the Cloud, which has all the features you need for this _except_ the "add a user" button.

 

[kolek]

There's a Users page in the Cloud, which has all the features you need for this _except_ the "add a user" button.

There's a Users page in the Cloud, which has all the features you want, well, except for the fact that because it's Cloud-based, you're exposed to all kinds of attack vectors.

 

[Quattrohead]

The world's first solar-powered vibrator!
Very secure. No firmware to hack or crack. No backdoor.

Well you've lost a considerable number of potential customers right there

 

[SparkyJJO]

There's a Users page in the Cloud, which has all the features you want, well, except for the fact that because it's Cloud-based, you're exposed to all kinds of attack vectors.

This is nothing new. This is why you should not connect anything to the "cloud."
Nothing of importance of mine is on any cloud. Onedrive/google drive/dropbox/etc no. I have stuff 'out there" but it isn't anything of importance or private.

If I want remote access to stuff for any reason, I'll DIY that. I have a couple things I've done that for, and I use no cloud services for any of it.

If I had an EG4 or a Deye or SolArk or any other inverter with cloud support, well, they would never be connected to it.