Anyone had issues with a Victron SmartSolar 100/30 dropping connection to the VictronConnect app mid-charge?

Been pulling my hair out with this one. My 100/30 MPPT keeps dropping the Bluetooth connection to VictronConnect on my Android phone (Samsung S22, latest app version) after about 30–40 seconds. It'll reconnect if I force-close the app and go back in, but then drops again within a minute. Started happening about three weeks ago — haven't changed anything in the setup as far as I can tell.

My system is a pair of 200W panels wired in series feeding the controller, charging a 200Ah lithium (Fogstar Drift). Running 12V throughout. The controller firmware is on v3.14 and the VictronConnect app is v5.94. I've tried forgetting the device and re-pairing, turning Bluetooth off and back on, and even a full factory reset on the MPPT itself — no joy.

Worth noting it does this whether the panels are generating or not, so I don't think it's a voltage spike or anything like that causing interference. Signal strength looks fine too — I'm standing right next to the unit when it drops.

Has anyone seen this before, or got any ideas what might be causing it? Wondering if it's a dodgy firmware update or something specific to the S22. Cheers.

Hey @RhysLee78, classic one this! A few things worth trying:

First, check your phone's battery optimisation settings — Android (especially Samsung's OneUI) is notorious for killing Bluetooth connections to save power. Go into Settings > Apps > VictronConnect and set it to "Unrestricted" battery usage. Also disable adaptive battery if you haven't already.

Second, make sure you're within about 10 metres with no major obstructions — the 100/30's Bluetooth isn't the strongest.

Also worth checking the firmware on the MPPT itself via the app when it is connected. Older firmware had some known BT stability issues.

Mine did exactly this on my Land Rover setup until I sorted the battery optimisation — rock solid ever since. Let us know how you get on!

@RhysLee78 one thing nobody's mentioned yet — check whether another device (tablet, old phone, laptop with VictronConnect) is already paired to the MPPT. The 100/30 only maintains one active BT session at a time, and if something else has claimed the connection in the background it'll boot your S22 off consistently at that ~30 second keepalive timeout.

Had exactly this in my shepherd's hut build — turned out an old Kindle Fire I'd used during commissioning was silently reconnecting every time I walked in range.

Go into VictronConnect on the other device and explicitly disconnect, or just forget the device in Bluetooth settings entirely. Firmware on the MPPT worth checking too — anything below v1.61 had known BT stability issues. Update via VictronConnect > Device > Update.

Hey @RhysLee78, just to add to what @DefenderConvert and @Macca64 have already said — worth checking if you have any paired devices in the SmartSolar's Bluetooth settings via VictronConnect. There's a limit to how many devices can be paired, and sometimes old pairings cause instability. Go into the product settings and clear the paired devices list, then re-pair fresh with just your S22.

Also, I had something similar on my 75/15 and it turned out the unit's firmware was a version behind. Updating via VictronConnect sorted it completely. Make sure you're on the latest firmware for the 100/30 whilst you're in there.

If it's still dropping after all that, it could be interference from an inverter nearby — mine was sat right next to a cheap inverter and it caused all sorts of Bluetooth grief. Hope you get it sorted! 🤞