question

Hi, the VRM portal generates a large amount of network traffic. I discovered this when I tried to access it over the Internet and noticed that everything slowed down when VRM was connected to the Multiplus.

If you are experiencing slow WiFi network speeds, the issue may be resolved by connecting to VRM via an Ethernet cable.

Thanks for that idea. I don't know if I am experiencing slow wifi network speeds. I would have though that all the Tik Tok and YouTube vids that the kids watch (alright, me as well) would be higher traffic than the VRM but the problem persists on a school day when the network is very quiet.

Have you installed a cable and found it made a difference?

It might be overload on the VRM servers. This was the case a few months back.

I'll report it.

Yes I've read some threads about a general issue which seems to have been resolved quickly for most people but my problem has been pretty constant since the install.

Would the VRM servers still allow Remote Console to update in realtime if they were overloaded?

Is it helpful to think about the different things that are going on here? (apols if the below seems simplistic)

1. when you view the remote console in a web browser, depending on configuration, but mostly, you are seeing data which is sent over your local area network, i.e. the browser is fetching data from the Cerbo over your LAN, there's no internet involved. Hence, it's always just there.

2. When viewing the VRM, when it's showing 'realtime' data, it is fetching lots of data from the Cerbo transmitted via the internet to the VRM, i.e. it is uploading data over the internet. Your web browser then downloads the data processed by the VRM.

The (potentially) big difference with viewing the VRM and watching Youtube vids is that when viewing Youtube vids generally there is very little uploading going on (just a bit of browser activity with cookies and the like). Whereas, 'realtime' VRM viewing requires lots of uploading of the realtime data from your Cerbo. Depending on your internet connection, uploading can be a bottleneck. Sometimes, though, the problem is with Victron's data processing of uploaded data - that's what @kevgermany is referring to above.

It may be that your internet connection is the problem. For example, even with an 80-20 fibre-to-the-premises internet connection (80Mbps download - 20Mbps upload) I sometimes see delay in the VRM being able to display 'realtime' data. Now, if I had a cheapo non-fibre broadband deal, I'd expect upload to be a bit flaky.

Also, maybe your router is a bottleneck - again, if it's a cheapo broadband-deal-router it may have less uploading capability. Maybe worth checking with your ISP's recommended speed checking service and see what your upload spec is?

Thank you, very informative. Unfortunately for me all of those things are the case: no fibre available around here and a router supplied by the cheapo broadband company.

I will do some tests to see what my internet is capable of. What kind of upload speeds does the VRM need?

Is there a way to use the data that would be uploaded to VRM to feed into another VRM-type dashboard but directly over my network, no internet?

If you have node red enabled, try disable that.

I don't know what upload speed is required - probably not that much. But the issue will also be about how stable the upload connection is. Often, broadband speed checking services show you the best available speed over a period of time, but don't show how intermittent the service is.

If you had a 5g smartphone (and decent coverage), you could try connecting the Cerbo via wifi to the phone's internet connection, for the uploading of data.

Although @nickdb is correct to advise disabling node red (presume he means to disable Venus OS Large on the VRM side menu?), some people have built complex node red based dashboards, including using memory, which could be all LAN based and mimic what the VRM does. But that is a v complex, time consuming thing - example here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ceMtBo3orM

I don't have node-red, yet. I can't seem to get the firmware to update to Large. V2.92.

I am running a Cerbo which I purchased from a big supplier only 3 months ago.

I will try the suggestions of ssh and top (once I find out what they are).

So the message about installation busy, data link disabled will be because the Cerbo or VRM portal is seeing an excessive delay in data upload or something like that?

Presume you've first looked over all the suggestions in the manual (before messing with ssh and top) - e.g. Venus GX manual: 9.4. Troubleshooting data logging

"This chapter explains what to do when the GX Device cannot transmit data to the VRM Portal."

https://www.victronenergy.com/media/pg/Venus_GX/en/vrm-portal.html#UUID-c6032252-9e32-f3d3-57ea-e6978bb0f62c

@usernamepasswordbs

As I understand it, this 'Too Busy' message is internally generated by the GX, and happens when it gets preoccupied with it's own calculations and comms to the other connected devices. It deliberately stops talking to VRM until it catches up with it's own priorities. And yours can't catch up.

I'd look there for the issue. Maybe you have a lot of devices hanging off the Cerbo, and could pull them one-by-one to see which one might be causing the GX grief. Maybe also something like a missing CAN terminator?

Working now!

Thanks to everyone for taking an interest.

So, I installed the flash on a usb stick as recommended by Nickdb, unplugged everything from the Cerbo, put the stick in and reconnected the power. I waited a while then unplugged and replugged the power to reboot as per instructions, then realised I hadn't taken out the usb stick! I waited again, then unplugged, removed usb and rebooted a second time.

I spent an hour getting it back on the internet (I'm not joking, why is it so hard to get this stuff connected?)

I had connection issues and almost brought the Cerbo and a car battery into the house (like I did when I first installed the system) to plug in network cable to do the internet password and all that. I could access the Cerbo via Victron connect with my phone so I played around with a few network settings but to no avail.

After several failures to connect to a network using my phone next to the Cerbo, going back and forth to the house and trying on the laptop, then, suddenly, it did connect and I had realtime data on the dashboard.

I would like to thank Nickdb for his suggestion of a reflash which has hopefully sorted my realtime data problems.