Remote monitoring, just use a PC?

[Checkthisout]

Why do you guys use Pi, cloud services etc when you can just use a cheap PC and log into it via any remote desktop app or program and look at your stuff that way?

I have a $100.00 mini pc with everything hooked into it and I just google remote desktop and I can access the pc with any android device or other PC.

 

[kommando]

I use both, really depends on the software plus I dislike using terminal but the amount of software is definitely biased to the Pi on GitHub so I end up using more Pi's.

I use Node-red and this is cross platform, I develop on the PC and then pass the flow to a PI. A Pi used to run on less watts but with the Pi5 that advantage is gone.

A typical Node-red flow, you develop the program on a webpage on the PC/Pi running Node-red.

Solax X1 Boost MQTT to SMA Modbus Emulator to feed Solar-Log Data Logger (flow) - Node-RED

flows.nodered.org

 

[chasingentropy]

Why do you guys use Pi, cloud services etc when you can just use a cheap PC and log into it via any remote desktop app or program and look at your stuff that way?

I have a $100.00 mini pc with everything hooked into it and I just google remote desktop and I can access the pc with any android device or other PC.

View attachment 189099

Even the most lightweight pc is going to pull 15-20 watts with an active Ethernet connection required to use remore desktop, 20-25 with wifi.

Thats 500 watt hours a day, 14kw a month.

In comparison, a pi with properly configured polling will consume 2-5 watts, or less than 1 kw a month.

 

[Checkthisout]

Even the most lightweight pc is going to pull 15-20 watts with an active Ethernet connection required to use remore desktop, 20-25 with wifi.

Thats 500 watt hours a day, 14kw a month.

In comparison, a pi with properly configured polling will consume 2-5 watts, or less than 1 kw a month.

Ok. I didn't realize their power draw was that low.

The mini PC I use draws 12 watts. Wifi is off.

 

[chasingentropy]

Ok. I didn't realize their power draw was that low.

The mini PC I use draws 12 watts. Wifi is off.

Nice, did you do any tweaks to get it that low? I have a 2nd gen NUC that best i can get is 15w with
Force cpu to lowest state, enable magic packet,
100mb uplink speed,
Video card and usb hub disabled

Similar to your setul, im hooked on remoting in and dislike cloud gateways.

 

[ksmithaz1]

Size matters. I can get an OrangePi5b with 16G RAM, blind fast RK3588 with 8 cores, and a 1TB disk, Wifi, case and wall wart for < $200 brand new and it fits in a box thats 2.5x4.5" in size. I fabricated a DIN mount and stuffed a vanilla 8G opi5 (not b), nvme ~$100 inside a box with a couple of relay boards, and a couple of rs-485 usb sticks, without pigging up a ton of room. I want to figure out POE direct from the batteries/switched, I digress. Kinda just depends on how you want to play it. If you gotta do windows NUC is a better option.

 

[Checkthisout]

Nice, did you do any tweaks to get it that low? I have a 2nd gen NUC that best i can get is 15w with
Force cpu to lowest state, enable magic packet,
100mb uplink speed,
Video card and usb hub disabled

Similar to your setul, im hooked on remoting in and dislike cloud gateways.

I did none of that. I'm software retarded but now I'll have to do that. Just deleted all the bloatware and shut off the radios.

 

[Checkthisout]

Size matters. I can get an OrangePi5b with 16G RAM, blind fast RK3588 with 8 cores, and a 1TB disk, Wifi, case and wall wart for < $200 brand new and it fits in a box thats 2.5x4.5" in size. I fabricated a DIN mount and stuffed a vanilla 8G opi5 (not b), nvme ~$100 inside a box with a couple of relay boards, and a couple of rs-485 usb sticks, without pigging up a ton of room. I want to figure out POE direct from the batteries/switched, I digress. Kinda just depends on how you want to play it. If you gotta do windows NUC is a better option.

My setup runs off 12 Volts via a poe injector at the end of around a 30 foot cat6 cord.

The back where the extra drive goes comes off so it's pretty tiny. Maybe 5"x5"x 2"

KAMRUI Mini PC, AK1 PRO 12GB RAM 256GB SSD Mini Desktop Computer Intel Celeron N5105 Processor,Quad Core Micro Computer 4K, Support 2.5-inch SSD, 2.4G/ 5.0G WiFi, Gigabit Ethernet, HTPC https://a.co/d/4c9kvkR

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

A Pi with SolarAssistant pulls very minimal power draw, has few points of failure with no moving parts, takes up minimal footprint (I have mine wall mounted next to my equipment)... And as far as I am concerned, the less Windows boxes I have on my network, the better.

This kind of use case is basically what SBCs excel at, so I can't see myself digging out an old laptop to do what a Pi can do for a few watts.

 

[Checkthisout]

A Pi with SolarAssistant pulls very minimal power draw, has few points of failure with no moving parts, takes up minimal footprint (I have mine wall mounted next to my equipment)... And as far as I am concerned, the less Windows boxes I have on my network, the better.

This kind of use case is basically what SBCs excel at, so I can't see myself digging out an old laptop to do what a Pi can do for a few watts.

Does that allow you adjust settings or just monitor?

 

[Dagoth Ur Does Solar]

Does that allow you adjust settings or just monitor?

SolarAssistant, at least with my cheap MPP AIO allows me to adjust all settings I could adjust via the units physical buttons, tracks the data for power drawn, energy produced by my panels, state of charge (via my Victron shunt)... Not sure it works bidirectionally with all inverters, but in my case, I haven't touched the buttons on my AIO in ages.

They also recently added features for automation, so you can set up automations to do things like switch to AC charging when you hit 25% state of charge rather than relying on the AIO checking voltages.

It's been really nice, as when there's something like a big storm coming up, I can quickly jump on my phone and switch my setup over to AC bypass for loads, and charge the batteries to full via AC, that way if I lose power in the storm, I know I'll be at 100% battery.