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824 Review
38 Karma

Review on πŸ”Œ Enhanced Bluetooth VE.Direct Smart Dongle by Victron Energy by Joe Calabro

Revainrating 4 out of 5

Offers valuable connectivity but has a few design flaws

I am using this in our camper with a Victron 75/15 BlueSolar MPPT charge controller. Overall it's a great system, but I noticed a few design flaws that cost this product 1 star: 1) The bluetooth module connector for connection to the charge controller is a small multi-pin spade connector that is unobstructed. very reliable. A few times I accidentally knocked him unconscious just by pulling the cord. A blocking plug would be great here. Reconnecting this cable to the controller is also very difficult unless you can see the connector on the bottom of the controller (e.g. if the controller is mounted low next to the battery as instructed). 2) As a general rule, flashing lights should be used for things that require your attention. The Bluetooth module will flash a bright blue LED when you are NOT connected via BT (and this is normal as the VictronConnect app will be disabled if you open another app or turn off the screen). I wanted to place this module in an easy-to-access location (so I can diagnose problems at a glance), but at night in our RV, that blinking LED is bright enough to be annoying, so I can hide the module in a closet where it is are not visible, or tape the LED - or a solution that destroys all the convenience of "at a glance".

Pros
  • Network products
Cons
  • No automatic