Bluetooth connection problems Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 with smartphone Android 13

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marco-ferrari asked Sep 8, '23

Bluetooth connection problems Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15 with smartphone Android 13

hi,

I have a bluetooth connection problem with my smartphone (Realme) running Android 13 and a brand new Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15, just received yesterday.

The connection with my smartphone worked OK only the very first time, when the Victron device upgrade the firmware. After this event I was not able anymore to connect.

Actually, the Victron SmartSolar works perfectly connecting to an old smartphone (Honor 6A) running Android 7.0.

I did lots of troubleshooting,including:

1) use another smartphone Android 13, - same identical connection problem

2) use another smartphone android 7 - NO ISSUES

3) deleting the victron Connect application and bluetooth pairing info and after rebooting the smartphone and reinstalling the Victron software - same connection problem

4) resetting the PIN - same connection problem

5) disconnecting from battery and PV and reconnecting - same connection problem

6) clearing the cache and local files from Victron application and restarting - same connection problem

7) installing the previous version of Victron Connect - it does not even detect the Smartsolar device !

IMPORTANT NOTE:

A) the Victron Connect application on the smartphone Android 13 can actually see the Smartsolar device from the list, it's asking the PIN for the BT pairing process, it's checking if the PIN is correct (I tried to enter the wrong PIN and it's asking PIN again !), then the connection progress up to 95% ... then restart from 1% up to 95% .. and then it fails with error message that "connection failed" :-(

After all my testing and the troubleshooting it seems that the 2 smartphones (Realme) I have with Android 13 does not like communicating to Victron SmartSolar MPPT 75/15. Instead, using another couple of smartphones (Honor 6) with Android 7 the device works perfectly.

I am really running out of ideas, and it's pretty strange that a new smartphone cannot work with a brand new Victron device/firmware !

Can someone please confirm if they had a similar problem, or confirm if they run OK with a similar configuration ?

Any other suggestion is welcome

thanks

marco

Bluetooth

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Thiemo van Engelen (Victron Energy staff) answered · Sep 11, 2023 at 07:28 AM

Hi @marco ferrari

Thank you for the service report. It seems that this phone is also hit by the problems we experience with the Unisoc chipset, although this phone has a different chipset than what we uncountered until now. The next VictronConnect beta/release will contain the same workaround and should this fix the problem.

Kind regards,

Thiemo van Engelen

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marco-ferrari answered · Sep 11, 2023 at 06:12 PM

hi @Thiemo van Engelen (Victron Energy staff)

Thank you very much for the very good news about the next VictronConnect beta/release. I'll be ready to test as soon as this will be made available !

Do I need to subscribe somewhere to be notified when it will be ready for download ?

@mike4nl also want to thank you for your precious support in the troubleshooting, that helped to evidence and confirm the problem. Hopefully this will be resolved soon :-)

kind regards

marco

2

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Thiemo van Engelen (Victron Energy staff) ♦ commented · Sep 12, 2023 at 06:39 AM

Hi @marco ferrari

You can regularly check https://www.victronenergy.com/live/victronconnect:beta to see whether a new version has been released. Or you can create an account there and add that page as a subscription. Then you should be notified by mail the page has changed.

Kind regards,

Thiemo van Engelen

0 ·

Thiemo van Engelen (Victron Energy staff) ♦ commented · Sep 12, 2023 at 02:55 PM

Hi @marco ferrari

Good news, VictronConnect v6.00beta3 has just been released and this version should fix the problem.

Kind regards

Thiemo van Engelen

0 ·

Modifications Space

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Answer 1 · 2023-09-09T13:49:19Z

mike4nl answered · Sep 09, 2023 at 01:49 PM

Hello @marco ferrari

look here and test it.It is a beta test version for the next full version

https://www.victronenergy.com/live/victronconnect:beta#v600beta2

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Answer 2 · 2023-09-09T21:20:15Z

marco-ferrari answered · Sep 09, 2023 at 09:20 PM

hi @mike4nl ,

Thank you for the link, I just tried now but unfortunately i get the same error. Before the test I deleted the BT connections, removed the old Vicrton version and installed the new Android ARM64 (Modern phones). Installation was quick and succesfull

I selected the device from list, enter the pin 000000, then it failed after a couple of retry

What is very strange is that the Smartsolar device is discovered from the smartphone, it tries to connect but fails at 95% :-(

It that can help, I have also attached the service report from Victron

VictronConnect_report.log

thanks

marco

screenshot-20230909-230116.png (179.1 KiB)

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screenshot-20230909-230535.png (188.0 KiB)

screenshot-20230909-231419.png (90.5 KiB)

victronconnect-report.log (48.5 KiB)

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Answer 3 · 2023-09-10T02:52:29Z

mike4nl answered · Sep 10, 2023 at 02:52 AM

Hi @marco ferrari

Thanks for your resonse.I was searching for an issue like your and found one.
Plaese read it an then look at the last posting from.
-> peter-schenke answered, 4 days ago

I hope that helps because i don't have Android 13. I'm still on verion 6,haha, i have all waht i need with that version.

BTW: in that thread the guy from Victron has tested things too so possible the right place to talk with them and share the postings from here. ;-).
-> Thiemo van Engelen (Victron Energy staff)

The right place:
https://community.victronenergy.com/questions/229282/victronconnect-bluetooth-key-not-accepted-android.html

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Answer 4 · 2023-09-10T18:07:44Z

marco-ferrari answered · Sep 10, 2023 at 06:07 PM

hi @mike4nl

Very similar, almost there, but does not work, yet :-(

I just tried this solution. I have deleted the MPPT from the Bluetooth list on BOTH Smartphones.

I performed the PIN reset by using PUK on the Android 13 smartphone, and the reset was succesful.

Then I selected the MPPT from the list, entered the PIN at proper time, the progress bar reached 95%, then started from 1% again -> 20% -> 80% -> 95%, then restarted again from 1% and when reched 95% then I got the usual connection error :-(

This is the classic approach "3-times retry then error", when developing a software routine.

I have to keep using the old smartphone Honor 6 with old Android just for managing MPPT, and hope that Victron will soon develop proper software for all the new smartphones. I cannot beleive that they develop top-of-the-edge solar products but we have to rely on 5-years old mobiles and get crazy to communicate !!

thanks
marco

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Answer 5 · 2023-09-11T18:40:39Z

mike4nl answered · Sep 11, 2023 at 06:40 PM

@marco ferrari
Thanks Marco but not needed. I'm 100 pro Victron guy who works his but off to get more and more people like home owners house the Ferrari, haha, under the Solar systems.

@Thiemo van Engelen (Victron Energy staff)
Victron -The Ferrari in Solar systems.
I use these words on the Victron videos on Youtube more then ones because it is a fact and i can tell you, you guys are on the right way.
I can't wait to get my fingers on the power meter developed finally by Victron.

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Answer 6 · 2023-09-12T17:33:15Z

marco-ferrari answered · Sep 12, 2023 at 05:33 PM

@Thiemo van Engelen (Victron Energy staff)

Thank you for the alert about the VictronConnect v6.00beta3.

I just installed and tested, it works perfectly, fast and without any error !!!

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screenshot-20230912-192154.png (100.0 KiB)

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