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

Been running a 200W panel setup on my van (2x 100W Victron panels in series, feeding into the SmartSolar 100/30, charging a 100Ah lithium) and everything's been working a treat for about 6 months. But over the last couple of weeks the Bluetooth connection to VictronConnect on my Android phone keeps dropping out, sometimes after 30 seconds, sometimes after a few minutes. Doesn't seem to matter how close I am to the unit — I can be sat right next to it and it'll still cut out.

I've tried forgetting the device and re-pairing, reinstalling the app, and even updating the firmware via the VE.Direct USB cable on my laptop, which showed it was already on v3.14. The MPPT itself seems to be working fine — panels are putting in good numbers and the battery's charging as expected — it's purely the app connection that's being flaky. Running a Samsung Galaxy A54 if that's relevant.

Has anyone else hit this with the 100/30 specifically, or is it a known Android/VictronConnect issue? Wondering if it's a faulty Bluetooth module in the unit itself or whether there's something simple I'm missing before I start looking at warranty options.

Hey @Neil1978, sounds like it cut off mid-post there! But yeah, I've had the exact same issue with mine dropping Bluetooth connection during bulk charge phase - seems to be a known quirk rather than a fault. First thing I'd check is whether your firmware is up to date on the MPPT itself, as Victron pushed out a few updates addressing Bluetooth stability. Also worth checking you haven't got too many devices paired to it - VictronConnect can get a bit temperamental if it's competing with other Bluetooth kit nearby. Try forgetting the device and re-pairing fresh. If it's just dropping briefly and reconnecting on its own, I honestly wouldn't lose too much sleep over it - the charging carries on fine regardless. What phone are you using? iOS and Android can behave quite differently with VictronConnect in my experience.

Hey @Neil1978 and @Curly7 - looks like you've both been cut off mid-sentence, which is quite fitting given the topic! 😄

I had this exact issue a few months back. Worth checking a couple of things: first, make sure your VictronConnect app is fully up to date, as there was a firmware update a while back that sorted Bluetooth stability for a lot of people. Second, try forgetting the device in the app and re-pairing from scratch - sounds obvious but it fixed it for me.

Also worth checking if your phone's battery optimisation settings are killing the Bluetooth connection in the background. Android is particularly notorious for this. Go into your battery settings and exclude VictronConnect from any power saving restrictions.

If none of that helps, the Victron community forum is brilliant for this sort of thing - the devs actually respond there.

Hah, the forum's got the same Bluetooth issues as the MPPT 😄

Had this exact problem with my SmartSolar last summer in the motorhome. Turned out to be a combination of phone distance and the unit running warm in an enclosed compartment. Worth checking:

• Firmware up to date? VictronConnect will flag it if not
• Phone Bluetooth interference — other devices nearby can cause drops
• Heat — mine stabilised once I gave the controller better ventilation

Also worth trying the "Keep app connected" toggle in VictronConnect settings if you haven't already. Drains phone battery a bit but massively reduced my dropouts.

Hasn't been a hardware fault for me personally, more environmental stuff. Still slightly annoying given the price of Victron kit tbh.

Hah, @WildTinker you as well?! Clearly a theme emerging here 😄

I had this with mine parked up near Penzance last year - turned out the issue was my phone's Bluetooth going into a low-power state and dropping the connection rather than anything wrong with the MPPT itself. Worth checking your phone's battery optimisation settings and making sure VictronConnect is excluded from any power-saving restrictions. Android is particularly aggressive about this.

Also worth checking your firmware is up to date on the SmartSolar - there were a few Bluetooth stability fixes in updates from the last couple of years. Connect via USB if you need to force the update through.

If it's still dropping after all that, could be worth contacting Victron support directly - they're usually pretty responsive.

Ha, we've got a whole thread of cliffhangers going here! 😄

@Neil1978 @WildTinker @CornishExplorer - I'll actually finish my sentence and say I had the same issue on my motorhome build last spring. Turned out to be a combination of two things for me: the Bluetooth range on these units is genuinely quite short (worse than you'd expect), and more importantly I had my phone's battery optimisation killing the VictronConnect app in the background.

Worth checking your Android/iOS power settings and adding VictronConnect to the "unrestricted" or "never optimise" list. Made a massive difference for me. Also make sure your firmware is up to date on the MPPT itself - there were a couple of Bluetooth stability fixes pushed out in recent updates. Do it via VictronConnect while you're actually stood right next to the unit to avoid losing connection mid-update!

Ha, glad it's not just me going mad then! 😄

@GoldenBodger please do finish that sentence, we're all hanging here!

Just to add a bit more detail to my original post - the dropout seems to happen most consistently when the MPPT transitions from bulk to absorption phase. Phone's right next to the unit so it's definitely not a range issue. I've tried closing and reopening VictronConnect but it sometimes takes 3 or 4 attempts to reconnect.

Running Android 13 on a Samsung if that's relevant. Haven't tried the firmware update route yet as I'm a bit nervous about doing it mid-trip. Would it be safe to update while the system's live, or better to wait until I'm back home with mains available? Keen to hear what actually fixed it for others before I start poking around.

Alright, I'll actually contribute something useful here since everyone else seems to be narrating a suspense novel 😄

@Neil1978 — had the exact same thing on my 75/15 last winter. Turned out my phone's Bluetooth was doing that thing where it prioritises other paired devices and quietly drops the Victron connection. Fixed it by going into my phone settings and forgetting every other paired Bluetooth device before connecting to VictronConnect.

Also worth checking: if the MPPT is in absorption or float, it sometimes throttles the BT radio slightly. Noticed this on mine parked up on the South Downs — not a fault, just Victron being stingy with power draw.