Powersensor Advanced Solar Monitoring Solution

Perfect monitoring app for solar power generation and monitoring – Have had solar rooftop panels for a couple of years and was looking for a simple and effective monitoring system to show solar power generation / grid usage / export back to grid and a full analysis of my power costing throughout the day based on usage from the grid (at std tariff), how much from solar power (free) and how much was being put back… Read more ·  1

into the grid (for credit). There are various after market units available, some requiring electrician support, and some inverters already come with WIFI enabled apps. My inverter had an option to add WIFI sender unit etc. but by the time I did that and paid for all the bits to make it work it was pretty unviable. Found this Australian designed monitoring kit and app for a reasonable cost and it seemed to do everything I needed and didn't require an electrician to install - simple installation and absolutely brilliant instructions using the downloadable app developed by the Manufacturer / seller and available through Android / Apple. The kit comes with 2 sensors (1 to be clipped to the solar inverter output cable and 1 to be attached to your switchboard next to the very large fuse from the power line infeed to the switchboard) which transmit when "activated" via WIFI / Bluetooth to a plug in receiver which you simply plug into a power point within 10-20 metres of the solar inverter and the meter box. The plug in receiver also has 3 pin plug outlet that you plug appliances into for the system to "learn" about your appliances and their power profile and consumption so it can then detect and highlight various appliances and power consumption to be display on the performance and cost graphs. So you charge up both sensor units (about 3-4 hours) and then download the app from the Play stores and get started - I have to say that in all my years of following instructions and setting up appliances etc. requiring calibration and set up on the Wi-Fi / Bluetooth network, that this app and the very detailed (and yet simple) set up instructions, are the most comprehensive and easiest to use that I have ever encountered - 5 starts for this alone! So you calibrate each sensor following the app instruction steps, which adds them to the app via the Wi-Fi and attach them where the app tells you (move the sensor around whilst talking to the app until you get full colour green on the sensor) - the meter box sensor simply sticks on the board next to the large fuse with sticky Velcro provided - the solar side sensor attaches to the inverter AC output cable with silicone strap provided. Once everything is set up, let it run - we put the sensor receiver on the kettle, plugged it in and used that for a while, then moved the plug to the toaster and so on so the system can learn to appliances. It takes about 48 hours for all the analysis of the solar power output to be configured in the app to start reporting all the detail - it reports the meter box (grid) power immediately but after a day or two it blends in the solar output and export etc. - the app allows you to input your std. tariff rate ($cents per kw hour), your fixed charges (worked back as $cents per hour) and your rebate for the solar input to the grid ($cente per kw hr) and from there shows very useful detail on your power sources and consumption and the daily cost in consideration of power pulled from the grid (and cost), used by solar (free) minus credit to the grid (for solar production) This monitoring system is exactly what I have been looking for - 5 star system!

Update Feb 2022. When i installed the sensors i added the main board sensor next to the main fuse but also close to the solar main switch and another circuit breaker which unbeknown to me appears to have caused interference and put the accuracy of the calculations out by about 10% (the app was reading about 10% higher than actual)..i contacted The supplier (Reduction Revolution) and the manufacturer (Powersensor) for assistance..the support from both was outstanding and following their advice i relocated the sensor on the main board and recalibrated, and now the readings are within 1-2% accuracy which is great..the app process instructions to do this are very clear and easy to follow, and the customer support from supplier and manufacturer was first class. If you follow the set up and install instructions to the letter you shouldnt have any problems, but if you do there is very good on line help guides available from the supplier and manufacturer, and on line support if further help needed.

Pros: Cost effective compared to other systems on the market (and no electrician required) Good quality parts and sensors, well constructed Battery in sensor rechargeable (should last 2 years, app tells to you battery level) Simple to install (just follow the prompts, no big technical knowledge required) App is very good - very clear and easy to follow Setup and operating instructions are as good as I have ever seen

Cons: Haven't found any cons to speak of

The device to have if you have Solar – I am surprised I am the first to review Powersensor. This will not only be a review of my Powersensor but a bit of a comparison to a similar product called Powerpal (also reviewed on this site) Powersensor is a well designed & built device. The installation is simple but taxing at the same time. The website provides no ability to download an… Read more ·  1

installation manual to research before purchase. The installation is entirely controlled by the APP. The instructions are complete and easy to understand, but do not make a critical issue clear enough. That being. Once the sensors are installed they cannot be moved by even the slightest amount for 48 hours. During this time the measurements of energy consumed are totally inaccurate giving the user a feeling that powersensor is faulty. It must be said this is sophisticated technology and once calibrated (48-72 hours) it is very accurate..

The APP is easy to use and understand but takes a while to master and get the best info out of and understand what its telling you. The built in help is there but lacking. Has no dark mode which most modern apps have these days. The app seems to work better and faster on Android than iphone and there is clearly a bug or two in the iphone version. Support responses are excellent and detailed but a little slow. The App is lacking some obvious features that if implemented could inform you when would be a good time to turn on a heavy drain appliance. The powerpal app is much better.

The mains/solar version involves 3 devices at a cost of $299, about $50 to $100 more expensive than I expected.

The opposition to Powersensor is Powerpal (see my review on the site). If you don't have solar, Powerpal is the superior product, however if you do have solar then Powerpal won't work. This is because of the way the Australian energy suppliers have the meter configured.

Powersensor is a great product, accurate and can help a lot with reducing your power consumption. The app is great but the developers could do so much more with it.