Fleet monitoring ensures the reliable performance of residential PV systems, but what happens when the Wi-Fi password changes or the kids unplug the solar gateway to connect their Xbox?
Enphase poses this question in a recent blog announcing its new 4G cellular solar networking solution Mobile Connect+.
“With more than 580,000 systems operating worldwide, Enphase recognizes the importance of reliable networking and the advantages of using cellular networks to transmit data without interruption,” it said in the blog.”
The company said its solution improves on traditional cable and wireless internet services in several ways.:
-Mobile Connect is easier to set up than a Wi-Fi internet connection. The modem is mounted on a wall or flat surface, then the cellular antenna is attached to the modem, which is connected to the Enphase Envoy and a USB cable. The system is preconfigured for a plug+play installation.
-Installers who provide O&M can use Mobile Connect to control access to monitoring data, which can mean the difference between monitoring and not monitoring, especially in places where a local network hasn’t already been set up.
-Cellular monitoring can be a good solution for locations with unreliable internet service, and makes monitoring ground-mount systems possible in sites that may traditionally have been too difficult or costly to do a cable connection.
Enphase now has two monitoring options:
-Mobile Connect, a 3G service with a five-year prepaid data plan
-Its new Mobile Connect+, a 4G LTE service with a 12-year prepaid data plan.
Both options come with a five-year hardware warranty, and are compatible with residential systems using up to 60 microinverters and IQ Envoy, IQ Combiner, Envoy-S Metered, AC Combiner Box or Envoy S-Standard. Cellular coverage for Mobile Connect is provided by AT&T and available to the U.S., Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands, Canada, and Mexico.
News from the Enphase blog