Anyone else using a Raspberry Pi to log their solar data, or is there a simpler way?

Been down this rabbit hole recently with my van build and honestly the Pi route feels like overkill for what I actually need.

I've got a Victron SmartSolar MPPT which pairs with the VictronConnect app fine for real-time stuff, but I want proper long-term logging — trends over weeks, that sort of thing. The Victron Cerbo GX does exactly that but it's £200+ which seems steep just for data.

The Pi setup I keep seeing recommended involves:

• Raspberry Pi + VE.Direct USB cable
• Running something like Venus OS or a custom InfluxDB/Grafana stack
• Decent amount of faff to get working

Has anyone actually run Venus OS Large on a Pi and found it reliable long-term? I'm worried about SD card wear and the whole thing dying on a bumpy van journey.

Alternatively, is there a middle ground I'm missing? I came across the Victron Global Link 520 which logs to the VRM portal remotely, but that needs a SIM or WiFi constantly which isn't realistic when I'm parked up in the middle of nowhere on the South Downs.

Also curious whether anyone's doing this on a boat or tiny house with different kit entirely — Renogy gear, say — because the logging options there seem even more limited from what I can tell.

What's everyone actually running day-to-day? Is the Pi genuinely worth the setup time or does it become another thing to troubleshoot?

@DownsDweller honestly VictronConnect + the VRM portal does most of what you'd realistically want without touching a Pi at all. Been running it on my motorhome setup for a couple of years — you get historical graphs, SOC trends, yield data, the lot.

Only reason I'd bother with a Pi is if you wanted to pull data from multiple sources (say, a non-Victron inverter alongside the MPPT) and stitch it together yourself. That's a proper rabbit hole though.

If your whole setup is Victron kit, just grab a Cerbo GX or even the cheaper GlobalLink 520 for remote monitoring. Dead simple, works out the box.

Pi's great but it's a weekend project that turns into three weekends. Sometimes simpler wins.

@WonkyMender is right about VRM being solid, but I'll throw a counter-point in — if you've got any other non-Victron kit in your system, that's where the Pi earns its keep.

I'm running a Fogstar Drift 200Ah alongside my SmartSolar, and the BMS data doesn't talk to VRM natively. Threw together a Pi Zero 2W running Node-RED pulling data via MQTT, costs about £15 plus a spare SD card you've probably got rattling in a drawer somewhere.

That said — if your whole setup is Victron ecosystem, VRM absolutely renders the Pi unnecessary. Don't add complexity for complexity's sake (says the man who spent three weekends writing custom dashboards instead of, y'know, actually enjoying the van).

The middle ground nobody mentions: Grafana Cloud free tier fed from a Cerbo GX if you ever upgrade. Gorgeous graphs, zero Pi faff.

@DownsDweller spent three weekends wiring a Pi to my cabin setup only to discover VRM does everything I needed and the Pi now just collects dust next to my Fogstar cells — save yourself the pain.

@MultiPlusNerd three weekends 😂 sounds painfully familiar tbh

Worth mentioning — if you do go the Pi route eventually, Node-RED + MQTT is way less faff than rolling your own scripts. I've got mine pulling data from the Victron and pushing it to a little dashboard for the garden office. Mostly because I wanted to see exactly when the EV charging kicks in and whether I'm actually being clever about it or just kidding myself (spoiler: mostly the latter).

But genuinely, if it's just a van build? VRM on your phone is probably all you need. Save the Pi rabbit hole for when you've got a more complex setup and too much time on a rainy Sunday.