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

Just picked up a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 and I'm having a weird one. About 10-15 minutes into monitoring it on VictronConnect (Android, Samsung A54), the Bluetooth drops out and I have to close the app and reconnect. Sometimes it won't find the device at all for a few minutes. The controller itself seems to be working fine — charging my 200Ah leisure battery from a 200W panel, absorption voltage hitting 14.4V as expected — it's just the app connection that's playing up.

I've already tried the usual stuff: cleared the app cache, made sure I'm running the latest firmware on the MPPT (v3.08 I think) and the latest VictronConnect app. Phone is roughly 1.5 metres from the unit with no obvious obstructions. Battery readings and charge history all look correct on the brief windows when it does connect, so I don't think there's anything fundamentally wrong with the unit itself.

Has anyone else had this with the 100/30 specifically, or with VictronConnect on Android generally? Wondering if it's a known Bluetooth coexistence issue, a dodgy unit, or just something daft I'm missing in the settings. Any pointers would be well appreciated before I get on the phone to the supplier.

Had almost the exact same saga with my garden office setup. Turned out my Samsung was the culprit — Android's aggressive battery optimisation was strangling the Bluetooth connection in the background.

Go into Settings > Apps > VictronConnect > Battery and set it to Unrestricted. Also worth disabling Adaptive Battery globally while you're at it.

The 10-15 minute window is a classic tell — that's roughly when Android decides an app's been "idle" and starts throttling it.

If that doesn't crack it, check whether your MPPT firmware is current. Mine was two versions behind out of the box and had some BT stability quirks until I updated through the app itself.

Mine did this on the boat until I realised the SmartSolar was tucked behind a metal panel — Bluetooth and steel bulkheads are mortal enemies.

Gazza24 | 47 posts

Worth checking your Android battery optimisation settings mate — Android can be really aggressive about killing background Bluetooth connections to save power, especially on Samsung devices. Go to Settings > Battery > Battery Optimisation, find VictronConnect and set it to "Unrestricted." Made a massive difference on my S21.

Also, @WattNick is probably onto something about Android being the culprit, and @VickyWard raises a fair point about physical obstructions too — even though yours probably isn't behind steel, think about what else might be between you and the controller.

One more thing to try — make sure VictronConnect is fully up to date and also check the firmware on the SmartSolar itself. There were some Bluetooth stability fixes in recent firmware versions that sorted similar issues for a few people I know. You can update straight through the app.

DebbieEvans | 203 posts

Just to add something slightly different to what the others have covered — have you checked which firmware version your 100/30 is running? I had persistent Bluetooth dropout issues on mine until I updated to the latest firmware via VictronConnect itself (Settings > Product info). Victron have pushed several fixes specifically addressing BLE stability over the past year or so. Also worth making sure your VictronConnect app is fully up to date on the Play Store end too — mismatched versions between app and firmware can cause exactly the sort of random disconnections you're describing. Both sorted mine out completely. If you're still struggling after that, Victron's community forum at community.victronenergy.com is brilliant for this kind of thing — the developers actually respond there.

Keith1981 | 312 posts

Good shout from @Gazza24 on the battery optimisation — that catches a lot of people out. One thing nobody's mentioned yet: check your phone's Bluetooth distance. The 100/30 has a fairly modest BT antenna and if your phone's more than about 5-6 metres away, or there's a wall between you, it can cause exactly that kind of intermittent dropout rather than a clean disconnect. Also worth making sure your VictronConnect app is fully up to date — there was a patch a while back that specifically addressed connection stability on Android. Go into the app settings and check the firmware version on the device itself too while you're at it. Sometimes a firmware mismatch between the MPPT and the app version causes odd behaviour. Easy things to rule out before digging deeper!