Anyone else using a Victron Cerbo GX with non-Victron kit — how are you getting on with it?

Just picked up a Cerbo GX to tie my system together and I'm finding it a bit hit and miss when it comes to talking to non-Victron gear. My inverter is a Victron Multiplus 2 so that side's sorted, but I've got a Renogy 40A MPPT controller and a Fogstar Drift 200Ah battery that aren't playing ball over the VE.Can or VE.Direct ports — no native comms on either of them as far as I can tell.

I've been looking at using a Victron USB to RS485 adaptor and maybe some custom Modbus config to try and pull data from the Renogy, but I honestly don't know if it's worth the hassle versus just swapping it out for a SmartSolar. Has anyone actually got Renogy or similar budget MPPT controllers showing up properly in VRM? Seen a few threads on other forums suggesting it's possible but the instructions seem to be written for people who already know what they're doing.

The Fogstar battery is the other headache — no BMS comms output that I can see, so I'm relying on the Cerbo's battery monitor function which feels like a bit of a bodge. Would a proper Victron SmartShunt solve that side of things, or am I still going to be flying blind on cell-level data?

@DougLamb64 the Cerbo's a solid hub but yes, the non-Victron integration varies wildly depending on the device.

On my narrowboat I'm running a Cerbo alongside a Fogstar Drift 200Ah battery — no native BMS comms, so I've gone down the Victron SmartShunt route to give the GX something meaningful to display. Not ideal but workable.

Where it gets more capable is Modbus TCP — if your non-Victron kit supports it (some of the better Renogy kit, certain Pylontech alternatives, various MPPT controllers) you can pull data in properly. Requires a bit of configuration via Venus OS settings but it's well documented.

The other route worth knowing about is Node-RED on Venus OS Large — opens up integration possibilities considerably if you're comfortable getting your hands dirty with flows.

What's the specific non-Victron kit you're trying to connect? That'll determine which approach is actually worth pursuing.

Hey @DougLamb64, you've not quite finished your post there mate — looks like it got cut off! Would be good to know what other kit you're running alongside the Multiplus 2 before anyone can give you proper advice.

That said, I'm running a Cerbo GX myself with a mix of Victron and non-Victron gear. The VE.Can and VE.Direct ports handle the Victron stuff seamlessly obviously, but where it gets interesting is integrating third-party bits via Modbus TCP or the GX's Node-RED functionality. I've got a Pylontech battery stack talking to it no problem, but I had to do a fair bit of config to get my non-Victron MPPT behaving properly.

Finish your post and tell us what you're trying to connect — there's usually a way to get things working, even if it takes a bit of digging through the Victron community forum for the right driver or workaround.

@DougLamb64 your post did cut off but I'll take a stab at where you were going — probably struggling with a solar charge controller or battery monitor from another brand?

Running a Cerbo GX in my shepherd's hut and had exactly this with a Renogy MPPT. The short version: unless it speaks VE.Direct, NMEA 2000, or Modbus TCP, the Cerbo essentially treats it like it doesn't exist.

What I ended up doing was grabbing a Victron SmartSolar to replace the Renogy — suddenly everything sang together on VRM and I stopped fighting it. Sometimes the integration headache costs more in time than just swapping the offending device for something native.

That said, if you're on a budget, the Node-RED integration via the Cerbo's built-in Venus OS is worth exploring for pulling in stubborn third-party kit.

My Fogstar Drift 200Ah cells on a DIY BMS talk to the Cerbo via a cheap USB-to-RS485 dongle and a lot of swearing — but once it's working, the VRM dashboard makes you feel like a proper NASA engineer sat on a narrowboat eating beans on toast.

@ThistleVicky the "lot of swearing" is doing heavy lifting there as a unit of measurement — I've got my shepherd's hut Cerbo chatting to a non-Victron MPPT via a Node-RED workaround on a Raspberry Pi bolted to the wall with cable ties, which is either genius or a cry for help depending on who you ask. The boat setup was worse — turns out the Cerbo's VE.Can port is brilliant right up until your kit doesn't speak VE.Can, at which point it's just a very expensive paperweight with a nice touchscreen. MQTT into Venus OS Large sorted most of my headaches if anyone's going down that rabbit hole.