Victron Energy SmartSolar MPPT 100V 30 amp 12/24-Volt Solar Charge Controller (Bluetooth)

I have three Victron Energy solar charge controllers of different sizes. I love them all and personally think they are the best. They perform flawlessly and are extremely efficient. The controllers all have the same configuration interface per Bluetooth with the Victron Energy App on iPhone/Android. I can set up fully customized charging profiles easily and can see the performance at a glance. The controller is small and robust, weather proof and is a great value for its performance and price. I will say that if you attempt to get any support from Victron Energy, forget it. You are out of luck and have to go to the dealers for help. Please check who the dealer is before you buy so you have someplace to turn to for support if needed. Because of the support aspect, I give this controller 4 stars. I wish there was a better support system for customers.

The controller seems well constructed. However, I could not get the blue tooth to connect consistently. In fact it failed to connect more than succeeded. Also. had difficulties getting 10 gauge wire to connect to the controller. I finally was able to but it took some effort. Fix the blue tooth and Ill try again maybe, but for right now Ill pass on this one. UPDATE UPDATE. Was contacted by EDEN Products and they did provide assistance and get me running. The problem is the Android app has issues where the Apple app does not. I loaded the app on my iPad and everything seems to work so I will keep the controller. Below is my response to EDEN Products: Put the app on my iPad and everything seems to connect. I will update/upgrade my review on Amazon. You folks need to get the Android problem resolved. I should not have had to go thru all of this for the money this controller cost. Also when doing a firmware update it required the scan code be entered but on the app all it said was Enter the code off the controller. It didnt specify what code, where it was located or anything like that. The thing is also very hard to read off the label because the print is so small. Speaking of small print I had to download the manual because I could not read the VERY small print in the enclosed manual. Its things like this that cause people to want to purchase from you in the future or not. I revised my rating from 2 to 3 stars and kudos and thanks to EDEN Products for their support.

Summary: I have evaluated quite a few MPPT controllers for Vine, and while all were decent, the Victron Energy (VE) has high ratings, so I decided to purchase one for evaluation. My solar/PV system specs: 1000W of panels; 24-volt, 270Ah marine battery bank (Optima); Voltworks 2000W inverter. Using the system to reduce our electricity bill. Observations: The first thing to notice is that this one, unlike most others, does not have a control panel (just three LEDs); which means youll need a smart device to read the values. There are two basic VE offerings: this SmartSolar (built-in bluetooth), and BlueSolar (requires a BT dongle). Between the two, I went with the built-in BT (SmartSolar). One great feature of the VE system, is that it allows the MPPTs to communicate with each other via BT; which is a great feature for a larger system. Recommendations: One reason to choose the lower cost BlueSolar over the SmartSolar, is if you do not need the additional features that the BT brings; but for me, I didnt mind spending the extra $30-40 (per controller) to gain those features. Pros: Industrial quality & features; good application support (firmware updated upon first connect); security (bluetooth); good/efficient charging algorithm; good data and graphs. Cons: No built-in display (offset by the much better app and graphs). Conclusion: At $160, rating this 5-stars. Of all the MPPT controllers I have reviewed, this is the recommended one. Related Products (lised in ORDER of HIGH to LOW rating): EPEVER MPPT Solar Charge Controller 10A 60V PV 1206N ~ $60 (5-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094JCG6Y1 ACOPOWER Midas 40A MPPT ~ $180 (4-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HQB8RYK ACOPOWER MPPT Solar Charge Controller 30A ~ $140 (4-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NB1KOOZ Renogy Rover 20/30/40 Amp ~ $112/170/168 (2-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRWTAB5 GARNDE Rosefinch XS 30A MPPT ~ $150 (1-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094Z7RVXR

Summary: I have evaluated quite a few MPPT controllers for Vine, and while all were decent, the Victron Energy (VE) has high ratings, so I decided to purchase one for evaluation. My solar/PV system specs: 1000W of panels; 24-volt, 270Ah marine battery bank (Optima); Voltworks 2000W inverter. Using the system to reduce our electricity bill. This review is for the 100V/50A, which is the 2nd VE controller Ive purchased. Observations: The first thing to notice is that this one, unlike most others, does not have a control panel (just three LEDs); which means youll need a smart device to read the values. There are two basic VE offerings: this SmartSolar (built-in bluetooth), and BlueSolar (requires a BT dongle). Between the two, I went with the built-in BT (SmartSolar). One great feature of the VE system, is that it allows the MPPTs to communicate with each other via BT; which is a great feature for a larger system. Recommendations: One reason to choose the lower cost BlueSolar over the SmartSolar, is if you do not need the additional features that the BT brings; but for me, I didnt mind spending the extra $30-40 (per controller) to gain those features. Pros: Industrial quality & features; good application support (firmware updated upon first connect); security (bluetooth); good/efficient charging algorithm; good data and graphs. Cons: No built-in display (offset by the much better app and graphs). Conclusion: At $325, rating this 5-stars. Of all the MPPT controllers I have reviewed, Victron is the recommended brand. Related Products (lised in ORDER of HIGH to LOW rating): VICTRON ENERGY MPPT 100V 20 amp 12-24-Volt (Bluetooth) ~ $160 (5-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075NPQHQK EPEVER MPPT Solar Charge Controller 10A 60V PV 1206N ~ $60 (5-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B094JCG6Y1 ACOPOWER Midas 40A MPPT ~ $180 (4-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HQB8RYK ACOPOWER MPPT Solar Charge Controller 30A ~ $140 (4-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01NB1KOOZ Renogy Rover 20/30/40 Amp ~ $112/170/168 (2-star) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MRWTAB5

Use the APP. This Solar Charge Controller is fantastic in every way - except one ... the terminals are its weak point. If you want to put a ring terminal on your wire, torque it down and move on with your project like I do, you cant. The terminals requite a small, almost precision but not quite size STRAIT screwdriver. I believe its because the the terminals could not withstand the force of a regular, Philips or TORX bit full size screwdriver. The terminals require finesse, time, patience. The good news is that after you get it wired up this thing works like a champ. I still recommend it.

good little controller. The terminals are very flimsy & cant get 8 awg or even 10awg wire in without stripping cable stains down! Connection problems they come loose or fall out. It wont charge of they are loose! They are to close together & might short out… make sure u use strain reliefs & zipties. After tgat i was able to get it to work…Manual to small to read & obtuse! No customer support ur on your own here!

Works great! I like the app but would like a pc app better. Biggest wish is that it had a higher input voltage range. Im limited to two 72 cell panels in series for this controller. Ive got panels configured 2x2 which maxes out this controller but I of course had to use thicker wire for 20 amp from the panels.

I have built 3 so called Solar Generators, and have used Victron Energy charge controllers in all of them. I tried other brands, and always seemed to run into issues with configuration, ease of use and size. I have two 100/30 charge controllers and I love them both. They are small. very very efficient and they are so reliable. I love the Bluetooth connection and Victron Energys app. Configuration is a breeze, and I can even do a little logging of the chargers performance. This controller also has a very small footprint, and it fits into tight places. Installation is easy as well. These are little more expensive than other controllers, but they are worth it to me. They have never let me down, and they are very reliable. I find them to be a good value for the price and I highly recommend them. I give this controller 5 stars.

I like the bluetooth connection to see what is happening real time. Im not crazy about the fact it doesnt store the history of the charge controller input/output. If you use different devices on it you cant get the same history downloaded. Connecting wires with the screw wire block seems less secure to me. I dont know why most of the companies do it this way. Seems to limit the size of wire and makes it less secure. Ive had wires come out easily. This isnt really a dig at this brand, they all seem to have these screw connectors. The back aluminum plate popped off one day. A whole bunch of sand came out of it; it looked like beach sand. Apparently the inside of unit has sand to help with heat dissipation. Never heard of this before but I read up on it. I thought it was a defect at first but others have experienced the same thing. This shouldnt be an issue for most people since they will have it mounted on a wall but I had been moving mine around a lot and one day it just popped off. It does seem to have affected its performance so far. Time will tell. Im using it with a 100ah LiFePo4 battery and RadioB BMS connected to a Renogy shunt/battery capacity. Also us it to charge up the battery with my solar panel and AC/DC power adaptor.

This is my 3rd Victron unit, but my first with the LOAD terminals. I am thrilled with it. Very pleased. Easy installation. The only thing I noticed is that I couldnt find in the software where to select a battery type (I remember having done this with my previous units, but it is the same software.) However, it does have the ability to fully configure whatever battery settings you would like.