Add a device
Add a meter, inverter, battery, EV charger or heat pump in two steps, test the connection and hand it to the energy manager.
→ Overview
Every meter, inverter, battery, EV charger and heat pump the controller reads or controls is a device in the Configurator. Adding a device is a two-step wizard: in Basic settings you choose the category and the model and decide which strategy uses it; in Communication channel you tell the controller how to reach it. Before you finish, you test the connection.
As soon as you click Done, the controller starts communicating with the device. If you added it to a strategy, the strategy starts measuring or controlling it within seconds.
→ Before you start
- The device is installed, powered and connected to the controller: on the same Ethernet or Wi-Fi network, or wired to an RS-485 port of the controller.
- The device's communication interface (for example Modbus TCP or Modbus RTU) is enabled in the device's own settings.
- You know its IP address and port, or the serial settings (baud rate, data bits, stop bits, parity), and its Modbus unit ID.
- Your controller licence allows one more device. See Identifier and license.
Reserve a fixed IP address for every TCP/IP device in the site router. Then the controller always finds the device, even after a router or device restart. Extended IP recovery helps when the address changes anyway, but it needs extra network scanning.
1 Add a device
The wizard asks only for what the controller needs to start communicating. Optional settings such as read-only mode, power limits, battery SOC limits or phase mapping are on the device's Details tab once the device exists. See Device settings, edit and delete.
2 Step 1: Basic settings
| Field / button | What it does | Unit / default |
|---|---|---|
| Device type | The category of the device. It decides which models are offered in Type, which circle on Home the device feeds and which box in Include to strategy is ticked for you. Options: Battery, EV charger, Emulator, Energy meter, HVAC, Hybrid inverter, Other, Solar power plant. See What each device type shows and controls. | required |
| Type | The device model, for example Eastron SDM630 or SolarEdge. The list shows only models of the chosen Device type. Type to search. The model decides which measurements are read, what can be controlled and which connections are offered in step 2. | required |
| Name | Your name for the device, shown in the menu, the device list, strategies and charts. You can change it later on the Details tab. | text · default = model name |
| Include to strategy | One row per strategy. Tick boxes to add the new device to that strategy when you click Done. | — |
| Strategy (column) | Name of the strategy, for example Energy manager. | — |
| Measurement devices (column) | The strategy uses this device to measure the grid connection. Ticked by default for devices in the Grid category (energy meters, hybrid inverters with a grid meter). | checkbox |
| Regulated devices (column) | The strategy controls this device. Ticked by default for EV chargers, PV, batteries and HVAC. | checkbox |
| Back | Returns to the previous page without saving. | — |
| Next | Goes to step 2. Nothing is saved yet. | — |
The strategy adds up all its Measurement devices to one grid point. Tick Measurement devices only for meters that measure the site's grid connection. A sub-meter (for example one that measures only the heat pump) added as a measurement device makes the strategy see too much import and limit the site wrongly.
You can always add, move or remove the device in the strategy's Included items tab. See Included items: what the strategy measures and controls.
3 Step 2: Communication channel
The fields in this step depend on the model you chose. Most devices use Modbus over TCP/IP or a serial RS-485 line; some models use a gateway, Solarman V5, MQTT or a vendor cloud. Each model comes with its own defaults, for example the usual port and unit ID.
Connection
| Field / button | What it does | Unit / default |
|---|---|---|
| Connection | How the controller reaches the device. Only the options supported by the model are offered: TCP/IP (Modbus TCP and similar over Ethernet or Wi-Fi), UDP, Local serial port (an RS-485 port of the controller), Gateway (old), Gateway (a Reduxi gateway that bridges a serial line to the network), Solarman V5 (Solarman Wi-Fi data loggers) and MQTT. | required · model default |
| IP | IP address or host name of the device (or of the gateway or data logger). | required for network connections |
| Scan for IP | Searches the controller's local networks for devices and lists them with IP address, Vendor and Already used as (the name of a configured device that already uses that address). Click Select IP in a row to copy the address into IP. Extended scan for IP below the list also pings the whole network and takes longer, but finds devices that do not announce themselves. | — |
| Port | Network port of the device. For a gateway, the serial port of the gateway. | required · model default, for example 502 for Modbus TCP |
| Test port | Shown when IP and Port are filled in. Opens a TCP connection to the address and shows Port is opened. or Port is closed. It checks the network path only, not the device protocol. | — |
| Extended IP recovery | If the device's IP address changes (for example after a router restart), the controller looks for the device's new address by its network hardware address, scans the subnet, and reconnects on its own. See Extended IP recovery below. | Yes / No · default Yes (No on Reduxi Industrial controllers) |
For Local serial port (and for gateways) the serial settings appear instead of IP:
| Field | What it does | Unit / default |
|---|---|---|
| Port | The RS-485 port of the controller, for example RS-485 port 1. | required |
| Baud rate | Speed of the serial line. Must match the device. | 300 to 115200 bits/s · model default |
| Data bits | Number of data bits per character. | 5, 6, 7, 8 · usually 8 |
| Stop bits | Number of stop bits. | 1, 1.5, 2 · usually 1 |
| Parity | Parity check. | None, Even, Odd · usually None |
All devices on one RS-485 line must use the same baud rate, data bits, stop bits and parity, and each needs its own Modbus unit ID. A device with a different setting or a duplicate unit ID disturbs the communication of every other device on the line.
Extended IP recovery
When the controller first reaches a TCP/IP device, it remembers the device's network hardware address. If the device then stays offline for about twice its device timeout, the controller looks for that hardware address on the network. If it finds the device under a new IP address and the device answers on the configured port, the controller saves the new address and reconnects.
- No: the controller looks only in its own table of recently seen addresses.
- Yes: the controller also pings every address of its networks and runs a network scan.
With Extended IP recovery set to Yes, the controller scans the whole subnet whenever a device is lost. Some corporate or industrial networks treat scans as an attack and block the controller. On such networks set it to No and give the device a fixed IP address instead.
Device configuration
Below the connection, the wizard shows the fields of the chosen model. Typical fields:
| Field | What it does | Unit / default |
|---|---|---|
| Modbus unit ID | The Modbus address of the device (also called slave ID or device address). Must match the device's own setting. | 1 to 247 · model default, often 1
|
| Model-specific fields | Additional settings the model needs, for example Is meter installed? for a battery with its own grid meter, Per phase max. current for an EV charger or Command timeout for a PV inverter. They are described in Device settings, edit and delete. | model default |
Buttons
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Back | Returns to step 1. What you entered is kept. |
| Test communication | Connects to the device with the settings on the screen, reads it once and shows the result. Nothing is saved, and the device is not added. See Test communication. |
| Done | Creates the device (see What happens when you click Done). |
4 Test communication
Test communication starts a temporary copy of the device with the settings on the screen, reads it once and stops it again. Use it before Done, and on the Details tab after every change of the connection.
- Successful readout from device followed by a list of values: the connection works. Values are shown in base units (W, Wh, A, V). Compare a few of them with the device's own display.
- Warning: some values are outside the device limits…: the device answers, but some values look implausible. In normal operation such a reading would be discarded. Check the model and the wiring of the current transformers.
If the test fails, the dialog shows the reason and a hint:
| Message | Likely cause | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Unable to connect to device. | The controller cannot open a connection. | IP address, port, network cable, Wi-Fi, firewall. Use Test port or the network tools. |
| Device did not respond. | The connection is open, but the device does not answer. | Wiring (A/B on RS-485), Modbus unit ID and the serial settings. |
| Device rejected the request. | The device answers with an error. | That the correct model is selected in Type, and that Modbus is enabled on the device. |
| Device responded with unexpected data. | The answer does not match the model. | That the correct model is selected. |
| Login to device failed. | The device or its cloud refused the credentials. | User name, password or keys in the device configuration. |
| No values received from device. | The device answered but sent no values. | The device's firmware and settings. |
| No charger with this Device identifier is connected. | OCPP chargers only: the charger has not connected to the controller. | The OCPP address set in the charger and the Device identifier. |
| Unable to communicate with device. | Any other error. | All of the above. |
5 What happens when you click Done
- The controller checks the licence. If the licence allows no more devices (or no more hybrid inverters), it shows Valid license required to complete the current action and nothing is created.
- The device is saved and starts communicating straight away. Its values appear on Last measurements within a few seconds.
- The device is added to the strategies you ticked in Include to strategy.
- The change is recorded in the Audit log and reported to the Reduxi Cloud.
- For models that log in through the manufacturer's cloud, an authorisation window opens. Log in to the manufacturer's account there and grant access.
If you ticked Regulated devices, the strategy starts sending setpoints to the device within seconds of Done: a battery may start charging or discharging, a PV inverter may be curtailed, an EV charger may change its current. Make sure the strategy's grid limits are set correctly before you add a controllable device. See Grid settings.
The number of devices, and of hybrid inverters, is limited by the controller's licence. The current limits are on Settings → System → License.
6 Add an EEBUS device
Add EEBUS device in the left menu opens the EEBUS connector page, where EEBUS heat pumps, EV chargers and meters are discovered, paired and added. See EEBUS connector and EEBUS devices.
7 Troubleshooting
| Problem | What to do |
|---|---|
| The model is missing in Type | Check Device type: each model is listed under one category only, for example a hybrid inverter under Hybrid inverter. If the model is not listed anywhere, contact Reduxi support. |
| Scan for IP does not find the device | The device may not announce itself. Click Extended scan for IP, or read the address from the router or the device display. |
| Test succeeds, but values are wrong after Done | Compare signs and phases on Last measurements. Fix the current transformer direction on site or use the invert and phase settings on the Details tab. |
| Communication error is ON after Done | The device answered the test but not during normal operation. Check that no other system polls the device at the same time and that the unit ID is unique on the line. |
8 Checklist
- Device type and Type match the installed device.
- Name identifies the device clearly.
- Test communication shows Successful readout from device with plausible values.
- Only meters at the grid connection are ticked as Measurement devices.
- Controllable devices that the strategy should control are ticked as Regulated devices.
- After Done, Last measurements shows live values and Communication error is OFF.