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

I love the Victron SmartSolar charge controller. Weve had 2 of these and just ordered a 150|100 unit for our 1200W expansion on our new RV. These are simple, operate via bluetooth so I dont have to cut any holes and mount a monitor anywhere. It would be cool if I could see the stats via wi-fi, but honestly I dont care to pay for that feature, and bluetooth is more than enough. Its easy to mount, the app is stupid-proof to set up and use, and my only complaint would be that the wires get a little too close to each other for my own comfort while wiring them up. Otherwise, this is the top of the line for charge controllers, and youll certainly pay for it. Just cry, get it over with, and enjoy your purchase.

This is a good little MPPT Controller, Bluetooth, efficient and does what its supposed to do . It also has a Load Output to prevent from draining your battery flat. My only gripe is the specs say the terminals can accept 10AWG or 6mm2. While a bare, stranded 10AWG wire will fit, if you use Ferrules, it will not fit in the terminal. The largest wire this controller will take with a Ferrule installed is about 12AWG. I use Ferrules on ALL connections that use a clamp down terminal. I never allow bare strand wire to be clamped down by the terminal. If you do this, it will smash the wire, spreading it apart, and not allow for a secure connection. Yes, it will work but, with the amount of vibration in a Boat or RV, the use of Ferrules will make for a more secure connection. I returned the 100-15 and purchased a 100-30 Smart Solar MPPT. The 100-30 is the smallest Controller that will accept 6AWG Ferrules. I use 4AWG wire and crimp on 6AWG Ferrules. Works perfect and when cut apart to inspect, the copper is so tight, its almost welded together from the amount of force the ferrules crimp down. FYI, the wire and crimp tools I use are from TemCo. While this controller doesnt need anything bigger than 12AWG wire, I always oversize my conductors for low loss and room for expansion (Future Proofed). Hope this helps someone make the proper choice for their application.

This is just to provide some comparison between these MPPTs when i am in search of one that suit my needs. The test being done in various conditions, multiple PV configuration and repeated at least 3 times to eliminate some quick and easy judgements. Honest observation during test found that each MPPT here has their own strength and weakness, but all seems are good quality one. None of these result determine anything about reliability and longevity of the MPPTs and no intention to favor one from the others as they are different from their price point and strength/weakness as mentioned above. And by no means this was the absolute result since product batch, setup/configuration and environment condition may differ from time, application and place perspective. Component of tests: - 4 x 300W Monocrystalline Solar PV - 280Ah LiFePo4 Batt 12V - 150A Smart BMS - AMPINVT MPPT 150/40 - EPEVER MPPT 150/40 - VICTRON SmartSolar 100/50 (*) Victron is the only MPPT has higher specs of amp (50A) while the other 2 are 40A, but AMPINVT and EPEVER has higher volt (150V) compare to Victron (100V) Key Performance Indicator: - Tracking time and amount of current (amp) generated in various conditions a) Series/Parallel, and combination of Series and Parallel of PV b) Combine multiple MPPTs (parallel) in same system c) Cloudy/Shading and Full Sun radiation performance Test Method: - To measure the current generated by each MPPT, i use the battery BMS across all the MPPTs so this will eliminate AMPINVT/EPEVER/VICTRON specific calculation and calibration on each of their device. - Using external amperemeter (BMS) will make the judgement square and fair between the 3 MPPTs and objective(not subjective as per vendor specific) Build wise 1) AMPINVT - If i could choose, i would like all the MPPT being build like AMPINVT. - It is very nice solid metal all-round, 2nd most heaviest and the connector style for batt and PV are full clamp type which is good one. - The only complain on this 150/40A series is the connector very small for 4AWG cable size (batt), it is impossible to fit in 4AWG cable in the batt connector. 2) EPEVER - The heaviest and biggest among the 3 MPPTs and the shape a bit awkward for me - Solid build and provide more heat-sink surface to dissipate heat - Among the 3, the connector type on EPEVER is the worst in my opinion, it was pinch style with screw so it doesnt have good amount of contact and holding power, however the connector size is HUGE!, 4AWG size is not a problem at all. 3) VICTRON - Being the smallest (less than half-size of EPEVER!) and the lightest of all - All metal case with heat-sink on the bottom - Connector style similar to AMPINVT and the size is also small, impossible to fit 4AWG cable size! Tracking Time - No doubt AMPINVT is the clear winner here for tracking time, it is very fast compare to VICTRON and EPEVER, VICTRON took almost double the time to reach maximum power point while EPEVER being the slowest of all. - However, this is very important and i almost didnt notice it first till i repeated the test , albeit AMPINVT tracking time is the fastest, the amp generated is not steady, it is fluctuate between 2A(min) - 6A(max) from the max current generated, it seems AMPINVT was very active re-scanning the maximum power point in looping mode and sweeping through the current between 4-7 seconds. - Due to unsteady current generated by AMPINVT, this may reduce the total amp-hour produced even though the tracking time is the fastest (quick/shortest). Cloudy Day - In 2S PV setup, all 3 produced very similar amperage. - In 2S2P PV setup, VICTRON has perform slightly better on cloudy day (by 0.3A - 0.6A) after multiple test reading, while AMPINVT being the last one. Shading Problem - In 2S PV setup, VICTRON and EPEVER produced slightly more amperage compare to AMPINVT. - In 2S2P PV setup, 2 out of 5 test reading shows EPEVER generated slightly more amperage compare to VICTRON (by 0.4A - 0.8A) Full Sun radiation - In 2S and 2S2P PV setup, i cant really tell since the max amperage for AMPINVT and EPEVER already reached (40A), while VICTRON has 50A max, thus VICTRON constantly produce more amperage by 6A-8A higher than the others. Conclusion - AMPINVT has very attractive price point, pretty compact but loud (fan noise) and the really downside is unsteady amp generated, however if system small enough (less than 600W) with 2S PV config only and very limited budget, i think AMPINVT is quite difficult to resist here, since the remaining 2 options is twice or thrice the price. - VICTRON is long known name in MPPT worlds, no doubt it could be the best and the test result telling not far from the tale, however this is the most expensive one in the similar class, if budget is not an issue and you want to build very compact (small) system then it is no brain to not pick up this one. - EPEVER, this MPPT perform similar as VICTRON in many ways and perhaps slightly better in shading scenario, can do over paneling up to 3x the power specs (3x520W=1560W) is huge advantage but due to size you need bigger space, but i guess the the best bang for the buck on this class.

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.

EDIT 2/28/21 : Bluetooth problem solved, even when you remove app from device the pairing stays and locks out other devices. So I removed the MISSING! power button or bluetooth reset. as the subject. The bluetooth has been fine. I have an epever 40amp that is cheaper and has better connections (not all epevers but the higher model) Bluetooth crashes almost daily. I am sick of unhooking then hooking back up this unit because I cant see whats going on. There is a FAQ or in the manual if the Bluetooth freezes you need to power cycle the unit. This works but how to power cycle? Uninstall and re-install unit? Thats your choice. The stats and UI are fine on the app but this is poor design not to reset automatically after time period or give user a way to reset without UNINSTALLING THEN REINSTALLING unit. Should I install my own external switch on the highest price in class controller? UPDATE.. I removed pairing from 2 zte devices. And just use samsung tab and looks like not crashing going to 4 stars. Still wires are close and companies should use some kind of uniform comms with cat5.

At first I ordered a budget MPPT charger, only to learn later that in order to program it to use a Lithium battery required ordering another part, which makes it not such a bargain after all. After reading reviews on Victron stating how easy this model is to program, I decided to try one for myself. It was indeed very easy to setup the unit on my iPhone, and switch the default setting to lithium. I enjoyed watching the charge history from day to day. The Bluetooth connection is strong enough to connect from pretty far away. Im really enjoying using the application. The solar charger is working great. Id definitely buy one again.

Charge controller did not work properly from the beginning. Ultimately ended up with error code 28 repeatedly and controller was dead. I returned it and the replacement is working correctly so far.

Ive had Epever and Renogy controllers which were both difficult to read and configure for Lithium battery. Once I resigned myself to bluetooth - I loved it! The software offers a lot of programmable options which is important for LifeP04 battery (check out Battle Born batteries for info on how to configure). The bad: Victron says to use 10AWG wires. Good luck. It took a half hour to install two cables. You install. You damage the wires. You cut. You reinstall and on and on...By the time I got both in, the terminal box was trashed and the screws (pleeeeease, my daughters Barbies jeep has sturdier screws..and theyre plastic) the screws have a very shallow indentation for a flathead screw driver. After multiple attempts of tightening, one of them was stripped. Ive ordered a 100/30 in the hopes of actually being able to use 10AWG. (Victron says that model accommodates 6AWG but reviewers disagree......) Disappointed but hopeful. If you are going to use this, go with 12AWG.

Should have bought this from the get go.... It just works perfectly, app is super easy to use and there is a ton of information it gives you

Seems to work fine. I have the SmartSense battery monitor which this uses to get accurate battery voltage and that is really helpful since I have a ~20 wire run from my solar controller to my battery. But having now owned 4 different charge controllers in the last 7-8 years, I dont think Victron is worth the extra $. Heres why: First, you get zero support. Thats right, Victron will only provide support to certified resellers, so if you have a problem and you bought from Amazon guess what? Youre SOL. In my case I believe theres a bug in their charging algorithm, but I literally cannot talk to anyone at Victron directly. (That said their community support is great, but its not the same as actual technical support). Second, some of their really useful features (like being able to monitor charge voltage over time and graph it) only work if you disable screen lock and leave your bluetooth device (phone, typically) connected and running the app. Dont change apps because your graphs will reset. Why cant this run in the background? The unit does have daily stats but that doesnt help me when Im trying to understand why charging isnt cutting out as expected. My personal issue is that I have a LiFePO4 setup (which this device does support), but I want to cut off charging on my setup when the battery hits about 90%. The Victron has several settings to shorten the absorption times, all of which seem to work when I drain the battery and need to recharge it. However if the battery doesnt get drained one day and starts off full, the unit still goes into bulk mode for several hours and ends up topping off the battery. I assume this is a charging algorithm-related problem, but its disappointing behavior and defeats the reason I purchased the device.