I installed the EVCS into my system last week and I’ve had intermittent issues every day since then.
FW on EVCS and CerboGX are latest versions.
I get the system set up fully, Wifi connected, Modbus interactions running, everything working nicely. Then, some time later it all falls over. The EVCS still appears on the router list at the correct IP address, but no communication on the network, not even a ping reply. Understandably the error message W-104 appears (when I check the EVCS using bluetooth) and the modbus interaction disappears from the CerboGX. I get a sense that this may be related to unplugging and then re-plugging the car after driving somewhere but I can’t tie that down conclusively as it may just be that I’m looking after plugging the car in to make sure its going to be charged.
To get it running again, sometimes I just need to power-cycle the EVCS, but sometimes that doesn’t work and I end up power-cycling the router, the cerbo and the EVCS. As a daily occurrence this is getting rather tedious.
I have seen other threads about this issue, but not a conclusive answer.
Is this something that Victron are working on for a fix, or do I need to return this EVCS and find a more reliable solution. I like the way it interacts, but I (and SWMBO) can’t live with the unreliability.
Thanks for your response, good questions, answered below. Some screenshots, but difficult to screen grab all the settings with the Deco App.
Cheers
Dean
What is the EVCS WiFi signal strength when it is connected? -53dBm
What is the router model? TPLink Deco BE25 mesh system with 2x satellites, FW Build 1.1.0
Which WiFi security mode is used (WPA2\WPA3 …)? WPA2/WPA3 Personal
Are both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz enabled, and do they use the same SSID? Yes and Yes.
Is the EVCS connected directly to the main router, or through a mesh node, repeater, or additional access point? Connected to a mesh satellite node.
Does the EVCS receive its IP address via DHCP, or is a static IP configured? DHCP, the address has not changed since install.
How far is the EVCS from the router, and are there walls or other obstacles between them? About 3m from the satellite station with one brick wall between. The station is outside with the router satellite inside on the other side of the wall.
The instability may be related to the mesh configuration and the use of a combined 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz network. Since the EVCS supports only 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, connecting it to a dedicated 2.4 GHz network and keeping it associated with the nearest Deco satellite may improve the connection stability.
Please try the following:
Create a separate IoT network with a unique SSID. This option should be available in the router settings, for example under More → IoT Network. Set it to use the 2.4 GHz band only.
Connect the EVCS to this new Wi-Fi network.
Open Online Clients, select the EVCS, and open Connection Preference. Select the Deco satellite located closest to the EVCS.
This should help improve the connection stability.
Could you also share a screenshot of the EVCS Wi-Fi settings here?
Please also set Scan period to 0. This is a legacy option and may introduce additional delays in Wi-Fi connectivity. It will be disabled in a future releases.
Just to “add” a note to your question “Any resolution expected?”: Future versions of the EVCS Firmware will also support communication with the gx through mqtt rather than Modbus TCP only.
My experience during development with that firmware is that it is way more stable, even on otherwise unstable wifi connections.
Oh sorry - I hadn’t realized that they had country-specific updates instead of 1 master update with regional flavours for compliance. Perhaps ping their support and ask. Its odd because there are different newer versions for Canada, USA, Singapore, Oz, etc.
Update, it’s still connected this morning .. so far so good. Unfortunately I will be away for the next couple of weeks, but I will continue to check it remotely. No plugging and unplugging of a vehicle will be happening (if that was even related!).
I have a router (Dream Router 7 software version 5.1.19) + access point (U7 pro software version 8.6.11). The EVCS is locked to the access point and has good wifi signal.
Hello @maryusmm97. It seems you describing a few issues, let’s address them one by one.
Wi-Fi issue: It seems that the EVCS reconnects to the router and remains connected most of the time.
Could you please:
Check whether any firmware updates are available for the router and access point.
Check if you have option such as Enhanced IoT Compatibility and enable it.
Check whether there is an option to limit clients based on signal strength. If it is enabled, try disabling it completely.
Try disabling Lock Channel 6.
Make sure that Scan Period in EVCS Settings →Network→Wi-Fi is set to 0 (see the screenshots above).
Stop/start charging. It may be related to CP signal instability. I can check this, but you need to invite me to your VRM installation. I’ll send you a PM.
waiting for sun state. Need to check whether the EVCS is receiving data from the GX device. Have you configured the GX device IP address and VRM ID in EVCS Settings → General → GX Device? Do you see any warnings or errors on the EVCS dashboard? Could you please provide a screenshot of the EVCS dashboard when it shows the Waiting for sun state?
all firmware updates are up to date on my router and access pint
enhanced IoT compatibility - already enabled
disabling clients based on signal strength - already disabled
tried also with disabling lock channel 6. Didn’t make any difference, same behavior
yes, scan period is set to 0 in EVCS settings
Happy to invite you in my vrm installation, please send me a PM.
I haven’t configured manually the IP addresses of EVCS or GX device, they are dynamically assigned by DHCP. Haven’t seen any warnings or errors in VRM while having the “waiting for sun” state, unfortunately I can’t check again as I don’t have yet an EV. I tried a couple of times, when friends with EVs came by.
