VictronConnect update: parallel, three/split-phase setup and more

Matthijs Vader, Victron Energy |2/02, 2021

Today Victron Energy are releasing a new version of VictronConnect. It has quite a list of improvements as well as updated product firmware versions.

The most significant change is that you can now set-up and configure parallel, three and split-phase systems, up to three units. Which makes it a lot simpler to set-up such a system; no longer requiring the -Windows only- VE Configuration tools.

The next two highlights concern the VE.Bus Smart Dongle. First of all it now (finally!) allows setting the input current limit from your phone, for systems having a VE.Bus BMS. And secondly it can be configured to be a Voltage- and Temperature-sense input for Solar Chargers; so it now no longer needs an extra Smart Battery Sense to be installed alongside it. More details about this below.

The last highlight is in the main Device List page: it’s been improved by showing Bluetooth signal strength. And also the app now scans for bluetooth products continuously; making it both faster and more straightforward.

Let’s get into the details!

VE.Bus System Configuration: Parallel- Three- and Split-phase

Until now our VE.Bus Quick Configure software was required to set up a complex VE.Bus System. This is not the case anymore as VictronConnect can now be used to configure systems of up to three units.

Which is a big improvement. There is no need to switch between applications – which saves time and makes it simpler. And updating the Inverter/Charger firmware is now part of the system configuration flow, VictronConnect will suggest that automatically when configuring a new system: also better and simpler.

VictronConnect now also allows you to change the settings of each individual MultiPlus/Quattro in an existing system. And to copy settings from one of the inverters to the rest; as well as saving the settings of all the units to a file.

Please note that Assistants, such as the PV Inverter-, ESS- and VE.Bus BMS Assistant, are still not supported by VictronConnect. And Assistants are also not included in the ‘copy and save’ settings feature. Obviously we’re working hard on a solution for that, as that is now the next big step in making things simpler when it comes configuring our inverter/chargers.

Supported features and limitations:

Set up Parallel, Three phase and Split phase systems. (Limited to a max of three units)
Configure existing systems of up to twelve or fifteen units – depending on the inverter/charger model.
Copy settings from one unit to the rest.
Save the complete system configuration to a file for future use on a similar system, and as a backup.
Assistants are removed when setting up a new system.
Firmware updating is proposed automatically when setting up a new VE.Bus system.

Make sure to study the related VictronConnect VE.Bus Configuration guide.

Bluetooth continuous scan & signal strength

The next new feature in VictronConnect which deserves a special mention is Continuous Bluetooth scan.With this new functionality, VictronConnect will constantly scan for nearby products and add them to the Device list. When a product goes out of range, its unavailability is indicated by animating the product signal bars. After a certain amount of time it will be removed from the list.There are many physical reasons that can affect the Bluetooth signal strength: the quality of your phone antenna, the quality of the antenna in the product, walls and obstacles between the product and your phone and even the position in which the product is mounted.This simple but useful feature gives you real-time feedback of the quality of the Bluetooth signal received by a phone or laptop and can for example help to determine the best position in which to place a Bluetooth Victron product.

VE.Bus: Why is the grid rejected?

Diagnosing why the grid has been rejected is not something that can usually be done at-a-glance and requires checking a number of parameters, together with having a good knowledge of the installation.

The reasons can be as simple as a grid blackout or, for example, that the inverter has been configured to ignore the AC input under certain conditions. In the latter case, the reason might go unnoticed, triggering unnecessary electrical checks.

Now VictronConnect can help by providing the exact reason from the inverter/charger and showing it on the overview page.

Once the grid is available again, or the cause of the problem has been solved, the inverter/charger makes some checks before connecting to the AC input. The time remaining before the AC input is reactivated is shown.

In addition to the new features described above the recent VE.Bus Inverter/Charger firmware update 478 is included in VictronConnect.

VE.Bus Smart Dongle improvements

For this accessory dongle, this VictronConnect version has a firmware update, v1.08. Two highlights:

Changing the AC input current limit is now (finally!) possible for systems which have a VE.Bus BMS. A long sought-for improvement. Note that this requires VE.Bus firmware 415 or newer to be installed on the inverter/charger. And note that the other limitation, switching between On/Off and Charger-only is unfortunately still not possible for systems that have a VE.Bus BMS.
Added VE.Smart networking functionality: wirelessly sharing battery voltage and temperature sense with for example a Solar Charger.

Other changes

Improvements relating to the BLE connection.
New firmware for all BMV models as well as the SmartShunt, containing various minor improvements.
New firmware for the SmartBMS CL
New firmware for the Inverter RS and MPPT RS.
Added option to filter VRM installations by tag.
BMS CL: Various user interface improvements.
Inverter RS & MPPT RS: Configurable display backlight behaviour and selectable temperature unit.
Various bug fixes and stability improvements.

For the full list of changes see the VictronConnect changelog. The new version is v5.37 for Android, and v5.36 for all other platforms.