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panamman avatar image
panamman asked

Trying to decide between a Color Control or Venus GX for RV control

We love the Bluetooth control app for our 712 battery monitor so much we basically just use the LCD battery indicator to give us a rough idea of how much battery is left without picking up our smartphones. All the real power planning and debugging gets done using the 712's wonderful voltage and amperage smartphone app displays that allow us to see exactly how our AC and RV alternator chargers and loads are impacting the remaining battery ampacity.


Now that we are planning to upgrade our Zantrex inverter with a Victron Multiplus 3000 we are looking for a solution that is just as easy to install and use. Our choice is between a venus GX and a Color Display. Eventually, a few small solar panels but no fancy monitoring or grid back feeding needed there. Solar generates what it generates and the only thing you have control of is which way the RV is pointed... LOL ;-)


Our biggest concern with the Venus is the availability of a simple intuitive SmartPhone interface that works w/o the internet when boondocking while also letting us keep track of the RV and its systems when we are miles away when our cellular hot spot has access to the internet. And yes we want to be able to monitor all our battery, tank levels, and temperatures and maybe even integrate automatic and or remote Genset starting.

Our biggest concern with the Color display is again the availability of a simple intuitive interface that works w/o internet when boondocking as well as a higher cost to get that and remote VRM capability.

As always we want to make a practical choice with practical compromises on capabilities, installability, reliability and $$$.

Knowing ahead of time what other addons are required to actually get the above features to work is a very big concern as we have often experienced that what looks simple in a marketing flyer can become an expensive raging hairy golfball of required add ons that could have been avoided by choosing a simpler solution at the expense of one or two lower priority capabilities.

Any comments on which unit would better serve our cost and simplicity needs would be greatly appreciated.


Thanks In Advance

Tom & Kat

Multiplus-IICCGX Color ControlVenus GX - VGX
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4 Answers
Murray van Graan avatar image
Murray van Graan answered ·

Hi @PanAmMan. First, whether you choose a color control or a Venus, you need a RJ45 cable to connect the Multiplus to the GX device and a ve.direct cable to connect the BMV. You’ll need a third cable (either ve.direct or RJ45 to connect your MPPT charge controller in future)

As for which GX device, the Venus can be viewed on your smartphone without having to be connected to the internet. The color control on the other hand, has a nice big display which means you won’t need to connect to it to see what is happening.

You could also view both of them in VictronConnect, but then the GX device needs to be connected to a local network via Ethernet port or WiFi- and the device you’re viewing it from should be connected on the same network. The network itself doesn’t have to have an internet connection for this feature to work.


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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ commented ·

Hi Murray. Re the 'VictronConnect' access to GX, I don't think you can do that, nor does the literature suggest so either. But you just prompted me to go test (who knows, the way how fast things happen nowadays), and I can't make it work from a Win lappy with ethernet cable.

But sure, with just a browser tab, the CCGX screen is (still) visible/functional on ethernet lan.

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elvistherv avatar image elvistherv JohnC ♦ commented ·

You can see the CCGX in Victronconnect app (provided you connect it with a VE.direct cable to the BVM-712) but all it does is give links to the VRM portal and the (local) remote console.




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panamman avatar image panamman elvistherv commented ·

@ElvisTheRV

So the BM712 Bluetooth Victron Connect App just gives you a link to the Local/Remote CCGX WiFi console and remote VRM?

I thought I read that the Venus GX let you control them locally on both Bluetooth and Wifi as well as remotely via Wifi and VRM portal.

These are the very issues I am trying to get nailed down before making a poor choice between the very simular but different CCGX and Venus GX.

Our preference is to use Bluetooth Victron connect app via the BM712 locally and Wifi Remote console & or VRM over wifi / internet.

Any additional information or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Murray van Graan avatar image Murray van Graan JohnC ♦ commented ·

Hi @JohnC

I can connect to my color control when I’m on the same WiFi network as the CCGX, using VictronConnect. As Elvis said, it has links to VRM and remote console, see screenshots

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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ Murray van Graan commented ·

Ta Murray. Maybe a phone thing, won't work for me on Win10 lappy/ethernet cable. Found that feature listed on YouTube, and for me just duplicates what my browser does anyway.

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elvistherv avatar image elvistherv Murray van Graan commented ·

The CCGX looks exactly the same in the VictronConnect (except a different picture).

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elvistherv avatar image
elvistherv answered ·

I have almost exactly the same setup just installed in my RV: Quattro + 712 + CCGX + 3rd party Solar Controller.

One thing to note is that being able to connect the Venus or CCGX to the internet is useful if you want to monitor it remotely or update the settings on the Quattro with the VE Configure tool, either ethernet wired directly to your Mobile Broadband router or the USB WiFi adaptor plugged into the back of the CCGX/Venus.

Also if you have the Venus or CCGX there is less need for the Multi-Control.

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panamman avatar image panamman commented ·

@ElvisTheRV I have also been told that cellular hotspots with decent sized built-in batteries are best for remote systems where you might need or want to turn off the power system being updated to prevent unexpected & unwanted damaging surges or control behaviors during the update.

It seems obvious to also pick a cellular hotspot that lets you remotely see its battery condition before starting an update to minimize the likelihood that your hotspot will fail before the remote update can complete ;-)

Some more paranoid persons go as far as a connecting hotspot and updatable modules like the Venus directly to a dumb solar controller in parallel with their networked MPPT so they can plan updates for times when those devices can be powered by solar in case they take longer than expected. Oh that never happens ;-)

A friend told me that you see that a lot on thoughtfully designed Yachts but it does not look expensive or difficult to implement in any size RV or boat.

A small $20 solar controller with a battery input connected directly to your house batteries should get the job done and still provide power when the main batteries are safely disconnected from your smart power system during an update.

At that price, there is no reason it should not work on any size RV or boat.

Its currently part of our solar wish list, and will probably get implemented using a small battery maintenance <20W solar panel before we spring for the Victron Smart MPPT & larger solar array.

As always, your comments and suggestions would be highly appreciated.

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elvistherv avatar image elvistherv panamman commented ·

I use Netgear LB2120 mobile routers into a proper (SoHo but domestic would do) WiFi AP* both are powered directly from the RV 12v system (no AC adaptors) via DROK® DC-DC Buck Boost voltage regulators (from Amazon), The CCGX uses the Victron USB WiFI dongle to connect. If an update takes so long that these manage to drain the batteries I've got bigger problems,


* My network setup is a little more complicated with an additional Mobile Routers and a WiFi CPE all through a load balancing router but this is the basics.

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panamman avatar image panamman elvistherv commented ·

Sounds like a well thought through install...

Are your dc to dc converters that power your ccgx , network and wifi cellular hotspot connected direct to batteries or after main battery disconnect?



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elvistherv avatar image elvistherv panamman commented ·

After the main battery disconnect: there is a 12v socket in the cupboards above the windscreen that (used to) power the (now old and obsolete) Satellite dish receiver, I wired a cheap fuse box up to it and gave each device its own fuse.

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panamman avatar image
panamman answered ·

Thx for the great responses :-) !!!

@Murraynated

@ElvisTheRV

@JohnC

We had planned to connect the BM712 via ve direct cable for local bluetooth and attach a usb wifi for longer range and remote access.

So we are VERY interested in whether connecting the BM712 to the Venus will provide local bluetooth access and control via the victron conect app we already love.

This is one of our primary integration choice issues.

Thanks again in advance to everyone :-)



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Murray van Graan avatar image Murray van Graan commented ·

Hi @PanAmMan

As per above screenshots, you would be able to view both devices using VictronConnect. I should point out however, that my color control is connected to my network using WiFi, and my phone is connected to the same WiFi network. To view the Venus I am therefore using my WiFi connection, not Bluetooth. Of course, if you open the remote console of the Venus, you would have all the info from the BMV there, together with all other connected equipment.

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elvistherv avatar image elvistherv Murray van Graan commented ·

You can access 90% of the settings you would want to change via Venus/CCGX and the Remote Console (which is essentially a screen share of the CCGX panel) either on the local WiFi or over the internet (if available)*.

The rest (which are essentially setup stuff, rather than what you want to change on the fly), you would need a computer and the VE Configure application then connect to either the Venus/CCGX via the internet portal (VRM) or directly to the Charger/Invertor via the VE. Bus to USB dongle.


* The Multi-control panel has 3 things: LEDs to show what the charger/invertor is doing, a switch to change it from Charger Only - Off - On and a dial to set the AC in current limit. If this is installed then the ability to change the current limit or the Chareger only - Off - On is disabled in the CCGX and therefore to change it over the internet. The LEDs are replicated on the display in the CCGX so at this point I would say save your money and don't bother with the Multi Control if you are getting a CCGX/Venus.

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panamman avatar image
panamman answered ·

Ps...

We intend to use the router buit into the cellular Hotspot to mimimize failure points and parasite power loads when the rv is not in use.

Anyone have experiance doing that?

Thanks in advance...

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JohnC avatar image JohnC ♦ commented ·

Yeh, it's just standard networking procedure. The router becomes one of the parasites, but at least you can monitor/control via VRM from anywhere.

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