Title: PV inverters disappear from VRM device list after changing phase (L1 → L3, SMA SunSpec)
Hi all,
I’m seeing a consistent and reproducible issue where some PV inverters disappear from the VRM device list after changing their phase.
Setup:
Cerbo GX (latest Venus OS)
5x SMA inverters via SunSpec (manual IP config, different VLAN)
All inverters:
are visible in GX console
are visible in VRM → Advanced
provide correct live data
are included in total PV power/energy
Background:
Originally, the affected inverters were physically connected to L1 and configured as such in both the SMA inverter and VenusOS.
In that situation, they were visible in the VRM device list.
Later, I corrected the installation:
These inverters were physically moved to L3
Their phase configuration was updated accordingly in both the SMA inverter and VenusOS
Other inverters were not changed.
Problem:
After moving these inverters from L1 to L3:
2 inverters (now on L3) disappeared from the VRM device list
They have not returned since
At the same time:
Inverters that were not changed remain visible
Current behavior:
The missing inverters:
are visible in VRM → Advanced
provide correct live data
are included in totals
exist as normal dbus services on GX
But:
they do not appear in the VRM device list
Key observation (reproducible):
For a missing inverter:
Change phase back to L1 (VenusOS only, no physical change)
→ it immediately appears in the VRM device list
Change it back to L3 (VenusOS only)
→ it disappears again from the device list
Data remains correct at all times
The inverter remains visible in Advanced
Only the device list visibility changes
What I already checked:
Unique serial numbers
Same firmware versions
Same ProductId
Identical dbus structure
Removed and re-added all inverters
Rebooted GX multiple times
Conclusion / suspicion:
This looks like a state/caching/classification issue where:
inverters that were previously on L1
and later moved to L3
are no longer correctly shown in the VRM device list.
Expected behavior:
Changing the phase (L1 ↔ L3) should not affect whether a valid PV inverter appears in the VRM device list.
Actual behavior:
After moving from L1 to L3, some inverters are no longer shown in the device list, while still functioning normally.
Has anyone seen this before, or is this a known issue?
Happy to provide logs or additional data if needed.
Thanks. It is a bit cosmetic, since everything works fine. The dashboard is showing all the right values, I can make widgets with the missing inverters on the advanced tab. Everything is fine in nodered and GX.
Would you mind updading the (L3) inverters to their latest firmware versions?
E.g. the PV inverter with instance ID 23 on L2 is running v4.10.10.R. That version includes a datapoint allowing us to recognise it as a (SMA) PV Inverter.
Long story short, we check whether a device reports either L1 Power or Status. Apparently, the 3.11.05.R version doesn’t include Status (and L1 power is of course also not reported).
3.11.05.R is the latest version of these SMA inverters . The one on L2 (ID23) is newer. It is the only one on 4.10. I don’t expect newer software for the L1/L3 inverters. The latest software for the VL40 series is archived. The VL40 series is discontinued. With SMA this means, that they don’t change software anymore unless legally required.
L3 power/yield is reported by these two inverters on L3. These values are used by VenusOS and both inverters on L3 show up correctly in the VRM dashboard. L3 values are also correctly used for solar prediction.
Couldn´t you change checking for L1 power to checking for L1, L2 or L3 power? That would fix it. No hurry, just next release? I mentioned above, everything works completely fine. They just don´t show up in VRM device list. As far as I can see, this is a minor issue, but confusing nevertheless.
Oh, and the funny thing is that I observe this behavior by changing phase in VenusOS only. Not in the inverters itself. So reporting by the inverter does not change. Only the interpretation buy VenusOS, I guess.