question

If you plan on putting a GX device (cerbo, venus gx, color control) then you don't need and can't use ve.smart networking as you should be using DVCC. The only benifit I can see for getting the smart when you have a gx device is you can still connect with bluetooth with the mobile app. I do this in my camper van at times.

I believe one reason could be synchronizing multiple Bluesolar MPPT charge controllers. Without the ve.smart networking feature (smartsolar only) one mppt charger may switch to absorption state while the other one is still in bulk etc leading to less efficient charging.

Hi @georg_cz it is worth considering both the Bluetooth connectivity and the VE.Smart networking that are pre-packaged with the smart devices. At this point in time VE.Smart networking cannot be used in tandem with VEDirect and the Venos cannot talk to V.Smart. Additionally new smarts in VenusOS and Victron Connect give you the same connectivity with the end device that that were previously only achieved using a Bluetooth (or laptop) connection. That said having the Bluetooth can be beneficial for troubleshooting should a device fail. So I don’t think Bluetooth, and by inference VE.Smart networking is a must, but it does come in handy when things go awry. Perhaps an in between bet would be to use the ‘standard’ devices and purchase a Bluetooth dongle for those rare occasions. For what it’s worth all my devices are the Bluetooth enabled smart models. I hope this helps.

It really depends on what you re trying to achieve. You an do a lot with VE.Direct, using the Cerbo to mediate information between the devices as needed. This means that the VE.Smart network is not needed, but the Smart devices also allow you to monitor, configure and firmeware update the device over bluetooth using Victron Connect. This can also all be done remotely through Victron Connect when connected to the Cerbo.

I use the Bluetooth when on board my yacht (my deployment) to do some configuration and monitoring. I use the Cerbo when on board to monitor teh overall system. I use Victron Connect and VRM to do remote monitoring and configuration. At times Victron Connect is just easier.

Comes down to what do you ant to do or need the system to do.