Solar battery monitor review 2022
Imagine driving your vehicle without a gas indicator not expecting when the engine will stop running. It will be quite an intriguing trip to your destination, right? Thankfully, your car provides accurate fuel information. The same applies to a battery. You can’t monitor how much energy is left without an indicator, and that fuel indicator is called a battery monitor. We hope that our article “solar battery monitor review” will facilitate our readers selection process.
For many newcomers who enter the solar and battery industry, a battery monitor concept, sometimes referred to as a battery shunt, may not be known initially. However, this tiny and unnoted hardware can potentially prolong your expensive battery bank life span and save your budget, preventing premature replacement.
How much energy is stored in the battery? What’s the battery operating temperature? How much usable energy is left? Such and many other parameters can be reported using the monitor/shunt. Tracking the battery state with the battery monitor facilitates maintenance and provides critical feedback to the user so that preventive actions can be taken when needed. Doing this will extend battery life and help plan off-grid usage when renewable energy sources, such as solar or wind, fall short.
Every battery monitor integrates a shunt needed for measuring current flow. A shunt is a precise and very low-resistance element which estimates the amount of current flow, its direction and, thus, calculating a battery net Amp*hour state of charge. In simple terms, it works like a water meter measuring how much goes in and out of a bucket and its pressure. All battery monitors in this review are suitable for lithium batteries, lead acid batteries and nickel-metal hydride batteries with voltage input ranges vary from 10-120V DC.
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1. Victron Energy battery monitor review
Without any doubt, Victron Energy has become one of the best solar power equipment suppliers in the past decade. Victron battery monitoring systems provide superb vision into the RV, boat or off-grid energy storage system and are equipped with the ready-to-go Internet of Things (IoT) features. These high-precision monitors give comprehensive data sets such as battery state of charge (SOC), voltage and temperature. In large battery banks, some models offer a midpoint voltage or voltage of the secondary battery. All Victron battery monitors are stand-alone and come in three models 500A, 1000A and 2000A. On top of that, Victron BMV and SmartShunt monitors can be used in 12V,24 and 48V battery systems. Victron Energy offers a few options we believe must be covered in this review.
One of the most popular models in the Victron monitor’s product line is BMV-712 Smart.
This model has embraced the best and latest features of all BMV battery monitors. The most notable feature is an integrated Victron Smart technology which allows monitoring the battery state of charge through Bluetooth by connecting a cell phone. The tiny Bluetooth symbol along with the word “Smart” on the display indicates that the device has built-in Bluetooth. Having Victron Smart Technology streamlines system configuration, remote monitoring, and firmware update. We found that many users love utilizing a free Victron Connect app for remote battery monitoring.This model has a second input that can measure the voltage (of a second battery), battery temperature and midpoint voltage.
Specs:
– Supply voltage range is 6.5-70 VDC
– Battery capacity 1-9999Ah
– Operating Temperature -40 +50°C (-40 – 120°F)
Pros:
– 5-years warranty
– Built-in Bluetooth
– Easy to install
– Midpoint voltage monitoring
Cons:
– Price is on a higher end
BMV-702/BMV-700
Unlike 712, the BMV-702/BMV-700 model doesn’t have built-in Bluetooth. The battery screen is the only way for getting the battery parameters. Other attributes are the same as in the BMV-712. By adding the VE.Direct to Bluetooth Smart dongle allows the BMV-702 unit to use the VictonConnect app over Bluetooth, just like BMV-712. The only difference between the BMV-702 and BMV-700 is that the last one is missing a secondary battery input. Therefore, it can’t measure the voltage of that battery and temperature.
Specs:
– Supply voltage range is 6.5-95VDC
– Battery capacity 1-9999Ah
– Operating temperature -40 +50°C (-40-120°F)
Pros:
– 5-years warranty
– Easy to program
– Midpoint and Secondary battery voltage monitoring (only BMV-702)
– Easy to install
– Shows energy left and time to go
Cons:
– Not the cheapest
Victron SmartShunt
It is a compact product that works similarly to the BMV series monitors but comes without as a display. Your cell phone or tablet (both Android and IOS) acts as a display. It connects to the SmartShunt via Bluetooth using the VictronConnect app. The app has a user-friendly interface which can easily navigate you through various parameters such as battery state of charge (SOC), voltage, charge/discharge history and other historical information. The SmartShunt is an excellent alternative to any other display-based monitor. It makes a solar installation clean as it doesn’t need wiring going into a screen. An IP65 rating which means its waterproof makes a product a go-to monitor. Especially, if the shunt needs to be installed in isolated and extreme conditions such as an engine cabinet. The Bluetooth connection range can be as far as 15 meters.
Specs:
– Supply voltage range is 6.5-95 VDC
– Battery capacity 1-9999Ah
– Operating Temperature -40 +50°C (-40 – 120°F)
Pros:
– 5-years warranty
– Built for the heavy-duty usage
– Bluetooth connection
– Compact battery monitor
– Cloud communication
Cons:
– Bluetooth connection can be tricky
Useful Tips
Many customers have asked us on how to use the built-in relay on the back of the solar battery monitor. Please note that the following three models, namely BMV-712, BMV-702, and BMV-700 have the built-in relay. We have summarized the most valuable scenarios of using the relay below:
– Turning the device off, such as the fridge, if the battery voltage or SoC gets too low
– Turning ON a backup generator or enabling shore power if the voltage or SoC falls under a certain level
– Enabling a water heater (or another power-consuming device) only when the state of the charger or voltage is above a certain level.
2. Renogy battery monitor review
In recent years, Renogy products have become widely used in the solar industry. Their battery monitor has gained its popularity due to reasonable price and quality. The real-time battery parameters are displayed on the LCD allowing a user to receive quick feedback. The monitor doesn’t have Bluetooth. The internal memory function allows a monitor to preset the battery’s low capacity or low voltage alarm. It is suitable for small/medium size solar applications. The shunt is capable of handling of 500A max.
Specs:
– Supply voltage range is 10-120 VDC
– Battery capacity 1-9999Ah
– Operating Temperature -10 +60°C (14 – 140°F)
Pros:
– 3-years warranty
– Simple to use
– Informative display
– Reasonable price
Cons:
– Mounting bracket is not ideal for the mobile applications
– Not ideal if the temperature gets lower than -10°C (14°F)
3. Aili battery monitor review
Does the battery monitor picture look familiar? Yes, you got it right. The battery monitor above is the same as the current one. The advantage of the Renogy battery monitor is the 3-years warranty though. This battery monitor performs its primary purpose such as state of charge, temperature and voltage without any problem. It is considered a cheap alternative to the top-notch Victron battery monitors.
Specs:
– Supply voltage range is 10-120 VDC
– Battery capacity 1-9999 Ah
– Operating Temperature -10 +60°C (14 – 14°F)
Pros:
– Not expensive
– Simple to use
– Informative display
Cons:
– 1-year warranty
– Mounting bracket is not ideal for the mobile application due to vibrations
– Not ideal for the low temperature conditions
Conclusion
Since the solar off-grid industry has gained momentum in recent years, a solar battery monitor has become an inevitable piece of any renewable system puzzle. All the appliances rely on the juice of your expensive battery. No one wants its essential loads to go off due to the low battery capacity in the middle of the night. Therefore, buying one of the battery monitors explained above is somewhat necessary. Based on the facts reflected in the solar battery monitor review article, here are our best picks depending on the application:
- Aili 500A battery monitor or Renogy battery monitor can be a good choice for a tight budget. Renogy’s 3-year warranty makes it a better way to go.
- For sizeable solar grid-tie or off-grid systems, it is crucial to consider the max amperage value going via the main negative wire and through the shunt. Victron shunt comes in 500A,1000, and 2000A sizes, making it a safe bet.
- SmartShunt is ideal for remote installations, even in the extreme environments.