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Initial Setup

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Zakery edited this page Oct 4, 2025 · 2 revisions

Initial Setup

This guide covers the initial configuration of your Monitor My Solar integration.

Before You Begin

Ensure you have:

  • ✅ Installed the integration via HACS or manually
  • ✅ Configured your MQTT broker
  • ✅ Your dongle connected to your network
  • ✅ Access to your dongle's web interface

Step 1: Configure Your Dongle

Access Dongle Web Interface

  1. Find your dongle's IP address (check your router's DHCP list)
  2. Open a web browser and navigate to: http://[DONGLE-IP]
  3. Default credentials (if any) are usually printed on the dongle

Enable MQTT Connection

  1. Navigate to Settings or MQTT Configuration
  2. Enable "Local MQTT Server"
  3. Configure these settings:
Setting Value
MQTT Server mqtt://[HOME-ASSISTANT-IP]:1883
Username Your MQTT username
Password Your MQTT password
Client ID Leave default or use dongle ID
Topic Prefix Leave as dongle ID
  1. Click Save
  2. Wait for status to show "Connected"

⚠️ Important: The dongle ID must be lowercase (e.g., dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ab)

Step 2: Add Integration to Home Assistant

Configuration Wizard

The Monitor My Solar integration uses a multi-step configuration wizard to guide you through setup.

  1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services
  2. Click "+ Add Integration"
  3. Search for "Monitor My Solar"
  4. Follow the configuration wizard steps:

Step 1: Basic Configuration

Field Description Example
Inverter Brand Select your inverter manufacturer LuxPower, Solis, Solax, Growatt
Update Interval How often to write to database 1 minute (default)

Step 2: Setup Type Selection

Choose your setup type:

Option Description Use Case
Single Inverter (Standard Setup) One inverter with one dongle Basic single inverter setup
Parallel Inverters Multiple inverters in parallel 2-6 inverters working together
Single GridBoss Setup One GridBoss with up to 3 slave inverters GridBoss distribution system
Dual GridBoss Setup Two GridBoss units with slaves Large GridBoss distribution system

Step 3: Dongle Configuration

Based on your setup type, you'll configure your dongles:

Single Inverter Setup

Field Description Example
Dongle ID From dongle web interface dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ab
Dongle IP IP address for firmware updates (optional) 192.168.1.150

Parallel Inverters Setup

Field Description Example
Master Dongle ID Primary dongle ID dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ab
Master Dongle IP Master dongle IP (optional) 192.168.1.150
Slave Dongle ID 1-5 Additional dongle IDs (optional) dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ac

Single GridBoss Setup

Field Description Example
GridBoss Dongle ID GridBoss dongle ID dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ab
GridBoss Dongle IP GridBoss dongle IP (optional) 192.168.1.150
Slave Dongle ID 1-3 Slave inverter dongle IDs (optional) dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ac

Dual GridBoss Setup

Field Description Example
GridBoss 1 Dongle ID First GridBoss dongle ID dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ab
GridBoss 1 Dongle IP First GridBoss dongle IP (optional) 192.168.1.150
GridBoss 1 Slave IDs Up to 3 slave dongle IDs (optional) dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ac
GridBoss 2 Dongle ID Second GridBoss dongle ID dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ad
GridBoss 2 Dongle IP Second GridBoss dongle IP (optional) 192.168.1.151
GridBoss 2 Slave IDs Up to 3 slave dongle IDs (optional) dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ae

Dongle ID Format

The integration automatically normalizes dongle IDs to the correct format:

  • Input: 12:34:56:78:90:ab or dongle-12:34:56:78:90:ab or 1234567890ab
  • Normalized: dongle-12:34:56:78:90:AB

⚠️ Important: Dongle IDs are case-insensitive and will be automatically formatted.

Step 3: Verify Setup

Check Entity Creation

After successful setup:

  1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services
  2. Click on your Monitor My Solar integration
  3. You should see:
    • 1 device per dongle
    • Multiple entities per device (sensors, switches, etc.)

Verify MQTT Communication

  1. Go to Developer Tools → States
  2. Filter by your dongle ID
  3. Entities should show real-time values
  4. If entities show "Unknown" or "Unavailable", check:
    • MQTT broker connection
    • Dongle MQTT settings
    • Network connectivity

Step 4: Post-Setup Configuration

Integration Options

After initial setup, you can access additional configuration options:

  1. Go to Settings → Devices & Services
  2. Click on your Monitor My Solar integration
  3. Click the "Configure" button (gear icon)
  4. Choose from these options:

Manage Dongles

  • Add new dongle: Add additional dongles to your setup
  • Remove existing dongle: Remove dongles (minimum 1 required)
  • Update dongle IPs: Change IP addresses for firmware updates

Update Settings

  • Update Interval: Change how often data is written to database
  • GridBoss Settings: Enable/disable GridBoss features

Check Status

  • Dongle Connectivity: Test if dongles are responding
  • Firmware Information: View firmware codes and versions
  • Entity Count: See total number of entities created
  • Setup Errors: Review any configuration issues

Connection Testing

The integration automatically tests dongle connections when:

  • Adding new dongles
  • Checking status
  • During initial setup

If a dongle doesn't respond:

  1. Check network connectivity
  2. Verify MQTT broker connection
  3. Confirm dongle is powered and connected
  4. Check dongle web interface shows "Connected"

Step 5: Configure Dashboard

Quick Dashboard Setup

  1. Go to your dashboard
  2. Click Edit Dashboard (three dots menu)
  3. Click "+ Add Card"
  4. Choose "Entities" card
  5. Add key entities:
type: entities
title: Solar Inverter
entities:
  - sensor.dongle_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_ppv
  - sensor.dongle_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_vbat
  - sensor.dongle_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_soc
  - sensor.dongle_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_pinv
  - sensor.dongle_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_XX_pload

Energy Dashboard Integration

  1. Go to Settings → Dashboards → Energy
  2. Configure:
    • Grid Consumption: sensor.dongle_XX_pgrid (positive values)
    • Return to Grid: sensor.dongle_XX_pgrid (negative values)
    • Solar Production: sensor.dongle_XX_ppv
    • Battery: sensor.dongle_XX_pbat

Common Setup Issues

Configuration Wizard Issues

Symptoms: Can't complete setup wizard or wrong setup type selected

Solutions:

  1. Wrong Setup Type: Use the integration options to reconfigure:
    • Go to integration settings → Configure
    • Choose "Update Settings" to change GridBoss settings
    • Use "Manage Dongles" to add/remove dongles
  2. Missing Dongle IDs: Ensure you have all dongle IDs from web interfaces
  3. Invalid Dongle Format: The integration auto-normalizes IDs, but ensure they're valid MAC addresses

No Entities Created

Symptoms: Integration added but no entities appear

Solutions:

  1. Check MQTT broker logs for connection from dongle
  2. Verify dongle ID format (integration auto-normalizes)
  3. Check firmware code is being received (logs)
  4. Use "Check Status" in integration options to test connectivity
  5. Restart Home Assistant

Entities Show "Unavailable"

Symptoms: Entities exist but show no data

Solutions:

  1. Verify MQTT messages arriving:
    • Install MQTT Explorer
    • Connect to your broker
    • Check for topics: dongle-XX:XX:XX:XX:XX:XX/#
  2. Check dongle web interface shows "Connected"
  3. Verify network connectivity
  4. Use "Check Status" to test dongle connectivity

Wrong Firmware Code

Symptoms: Missing expected entities

Solutions:

  1. Check logs for firmware code received
  2. Verify dongle firmware version (v3.0.0+)
  3. Use "Check Status" to view firmware information
  4. Contact support if firmware code unexpected

GridBoss Setup Issues

Symptoms: GridBoss features not working or missing entities

Solutions:

  1. Verify you selected the correct GridBoss setup type
  2. Check GridBoss dongle is responding (use "Check Status")
  3. Ensure slave dongles are properly configured
  4. Verify GridBoss firmware supports the features you're trying to use

Multi-Dongle Setup Issues

Symptoms: Some dongles not working in parallel/GridBoss setup

Solutions:

  1. Test each dongle individually using "Check Status"
  2. Verify all dongles are on the same network
  3. Check MQTT broker can reach all dongles
  4. Use "Manage Dongles" to add/remove problematic dongles

Next Steps

Getting Help

If you encounter issues:

  1. Check Common Issues
  2. Enable Debug Logging
  3. Search GitHub Issues
  4. Create a new issue with:
    • Home Assistant version
    • Integration version
    • Dongle firmware version
    • Debug logs

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