Firstly, I absolutely love the continual improvement and additional functionality Victron provide for their products.
However, please make them easier to implement.
Most ppl/places already have an IP based network and if they don't there is a plethora of equipment available to implement one suitable for almost any situation.
For instance, the latest two additions that ppl have been waiting for, Temperature sensors for the CCGX and the Tank sensors are difficult to implement in a lot of systems.
Think rural properties where the GX device is in a standalone power shed separate from say the cold-room where temperatures would like to be monitored, or the tank on the top of a hill (I am aware that levels can be measured from anywhere in the reticulated system with a pressure sensor, this is just an example, but still an extension to the water network could be required in this case)
For the temp sensors, the Ruuvi Tags are great, but trying to get a bluetooth signal 50+ meters through a couple of sheds and a brick wall is not a lot of fun. If you make the ruuvi gateway compatible (or a victron made ethernet/bluetooth bridge), then it could be simply dropped into the network via wireless/ethernet/fibre/EOP/hell 2-cans and a string and connected to the GX. The gateway already supports HTTP and MQTT.
Instead directional external antenna's and long usb runs are required to add a dongle that can pick up the signal from that distance. Not too mention the fact that any of your GX devices don’t even contain a dependable BT chipset nor do you have an officially supported module. (After a lot of experimentation the Sena UD100 works well and supports external antennas).
The tank sensor (I have not used it yet) but the same thing applies, USB is not easy to push 100m. If it was IP based it could be installed at the drop of a hat with some wifi equipment on a tank up a hill or at worst case an ethernet cable run.
Ok I have had my rant, but please think about the practicality of implementation for products, you can have the best product in the world but if you have to sacrifice a goat to the radio gods and read Egyptian hieroglyphs to get it working then it's not going to do well.
The EV Charging Station, Modus TCP, excellent work.
@mvader (Victron Energy) @Johannes Boonstra (Victron Energy Staff)
