How Do I pair my iPhone with my GX Raspberry Pi Running Victron Venus?

[featherlite]

How Do I pair my iPhone with my GX Raspberry Pi Running Victron Venus?

I bought a Raspberry Pi 4, successfully installed the Victron Venus software onto both my MacBook Pro laptop and the Pi, and successfully connected the Pi to my laptop via my Verizon WiFi hotspot. I use the Victron V.E. Connect app on my laptop to view data.



Consequently, using my laptop, I am now able successfully to view the GX Pi Device which shows up on VRM web page . I am so happy!

However, I have not been able to figure out how to pair my iPhone to the Pi.

When I try to open and view the GX Pi device on my iPhone, I get stuck at the point where a menu pops up and asks for the “code” number shown on the Pi. Below is that menu.




I have tried “000000” as the code, to no avail.

I have several photos showing how I connect via my laptop, but did not want to clog up this initial post with a wall of distracting text.

Does anybody know what I need to do to pair the iPhone to the Pi?

 

[wildbillpdx]

Do you have a monitor attached to the Pi? Remote Desktop access? Sounds like a code should be displayed somewhere.

 

[featherlite]

Do you have a monitor attached to the Pi? Remote Desktop access? Sounds like a code should be displayed somewhere.

I am running "headless" right now. I have a monitor and a keyboard but have not attached them to the Pi. I am hoping i do not need to learn Python in order to run the Pi off of terminal commands.

I have a laptop I use successfully .
By "remote desktop" do you mean a desk top computer? If so, I do not know what a remote desktop would do that my laptop cannot do.

 

[Crowz]

Why not just go to the webpage on your phone the same way you did on your latop?

Solar assistant works that way since it just puts a link to the webpage and calls it an app.

 

[featherlite]

Why not just go to the webpage on your phone the same way you did on your latop?

Thanks for the suggestion.

In fact, I am using the same way on my iPhone as I did on my laptop.

The first time I accessed the Victron web page, I was using my laptop while connected wirelessly to the Pi.

The Victron web page will not connect to or open when I use Safari on my iPhone. However, on my laptop, I can go directly to and open the Victron web page, even when the Pi is not powered on or connected to the laptop.

I am guessing that, before a second device like my iPhone can connect to and open the Victron web page, the second device must first initially access the Victron web page through the Pi. I dunno.

Again, the problem is that I cannot make an initial connection between the iPhone and the Pi .

 

[Robbert]

I think you need to input your VRM ID.
In Victron connect I think you should be able to access the PI locally (on your local network).

 

[featherlite]

I think you need to input your VRM ID.

Great idea.

However, I just now tried inputting the VRM ID but that did not work. Darn!
Just below the pairing menu shown in my first post, where the iPhone asks for the Pi's Bluetooth code, the key pad looks like the photo below.


But the VRM ID is 12 characters long, comprised of both alpha and numeric characters. So, when I used the key pad, I was only able to input numerical characters corresponding to the alpha characters, as shown on the key pad. Consequently, I could not input alpha characters. Again, it did not work.

Thanks for the suggestion.
Any more ideas?

 

[wildbillpdx]

I am running "headless" right now. I have a monitor and a keyboard but have not attached them to the Pi. I am hoping i do not need to learn Python in order to run the Pi off of terminal commands.

I have a laptop I use successfully .
By "remote desktop" do you mean a desk top computer? If so, I do not know what a remote desktop would do that my laptop cannot do.

By remote desktop I mean running a program like RealVNC which allows you to view the PI desktop on your computer. If the application is asking for a code from the PI, the PI must be displaying that code somewhere, OR there is a default code somewhere in the documentation. The default bluetooth paring code is 0000 for the pi.

Just found this too:

Unable to connect using Bluetooth dongle on Venus Rpi 2.42 - VC 5.18 - Victron Community

community.victronenergy.com

 

[featherlite]

The default bluetooth paring code is 0000 for the pi

I tried using 0000, but no luck.

Thanks for the RealVNC suggestion.

If I cannot figure out how to connect another way, I will have to start learning how to view the Pi desktop on my computer. If that is the case, I might have to lean on you or someone else if I get stuck.

In the meantime, I will wait a bit longer to see if anybody else has any more suggestions.

 

[featherlite]

Just found this too:

Unable to connect using Bluetooth dongle on Venus Rpi 2.42 - VC 5.18 - Victron Community

community.victronenergy.com

wildbill,

Thanks for the "bluetooth article!

At this stage of my Pi education, I cannot much understand the substance of the article. However, from what I have read, I see hints that make me think that the article might possibly contain the solution to my problem.

This morning, I learned how, and was successfully able, to open the "Pi desktop" on my external monitor and to make a wireless internet connection to the web. So far, I have acquired four beginner Pi books, three of which are not helpful, the fourth of which I will start reading this morning. Hopefully, the book will teach me enough to be able to decipher the bluetooth article.

I cannot thank you enough for you taking the time to help me.

As an aside, in the past, I never paid attention to computer technology because I was too busy working on other matters. Now I need to catch up to the extent necessary for me to run my Victron devices.

In the meantime, I hope the members of this august forum will continue to provide me with help.

 

[wildbillpdx]

I can‘t provide any real assistance with Victron, but can probably assist or point you in the right direction for things related to the Raspberry Pi.

 

[featherlite]

The Victron Cerbo GX manual, dated October 2023, makes me wonder if it might not even be possible to use an iPhone to connect to the Victron VRM portal. The manual says:


My iPhone is a model 12 with IOS 16.6.1.

However, the bluetooth article furnished by wildbill specifically mentions code for an iPhone soI am not giving up just yet.
.
I am still befuddled as to why my iPhone cannot even open the VRM portal from a straight internet search but my laptop can. Perhaps this is related the problem referred to in the Cerbo Gx manual. I dunno.

 

[featherlite]

I can‘t provide any real assistance with Victron, but can probably assist or point you in the right direction for things related to the Raspberry Pi.

Thanks wildbill!

One guy posted in a Victron related article that the Cerbo GX will not display pi information unless the pi is reconfigured to "headless". I successfully made the pi headless as instructed but now all i get is a blank screen with no mouse control.

I am worn out from today's fruitless efforts but will pick up tomorrow.

 

[Adam De Lay]

I have a pi that I recently installed Venus OS on. I’m not sure if it has built in Bluetooth though. I’ll take a look and see if I can connect to it from my phone.

 

[Adam De Lay]

Sorry about that. Got sidetracked last night. It looks like the Pi I'm running on is a 2B which doesn't have Bluetooth. I looked around to see if I had a USB bluetooth adapter and I don't.

 

[Robbert]

If you connect the PI to your local network (ethernet or wifi), you don't need Bluetooth.

Just install victron connect on your phone and the pi will be visible in the app.

 

[featherlite]

the pi will be visible in the app.

Yes, the Victron app is installed on my IPhone and the pi is visible on my iPhone just as depicted in the image you attached. However, when i click on the image, the pairing request menu pops up as shown in my first post.

Are you using an iPhone to connect to VRM?

 

[rhino]

As @Robbert mentioned, do you not have the Pi connected to your local network? How did you install Venus OS on it to begin with?

 

[featherlite]

do you not have the Pi connected to your local network?

Thank you for help!

The Pi can access the internet via a wireless WiFi connection.

How did you install Venus OS on it to begin with?

I used my MacBook Pro laptop with the Raspberry Pi Imager software to flash a SD card with the Raspberry Pi 4 B software, and, in the process, flashed my WiFi connection information for my laptop onto the SD card. Then I inserted the SD card into the Pi with an external keyboard, external mouse and external screen attached to the Pi. When I turned on the Pi, I could see the Pi desktop and various menus, including WiFi set up. Using the keyboard and mouse, I established the WiFi connection on the Pi using the same WiFi address as on my laptop. On the Pi, I was able to serf the internet. Same with my laptop.

Thanks for taking the time to help!

 

[Robbert]

So if the PI is connected to your local network, you should be able to find it with the Victron connect app. The Victron connect app detects the PI automatically if your phone and the PI are on the same network.

Alternatively you could access the PI by entering venus.local in your browser. Than you can change settings.