Cerbo GX 3.80~33 and Shelly miniEM gen4

Running VenusOS 3.80~33 on my Cerbo GX in the motorhome and I've been looking at integrating a Shelly Mini EM Gen4 for grid monitoring on my shepherd's hut backup setup — specifically to track what's coming in from the DNO before it hits the Multiplus II.

Has anyone actually got this combination working cleanly? The Shelly integration via the Venus device list should be straightforward, but I've seen conflicting reports about whether the Gen4 Mini EM specifically plays nicely or whether it's still the Gen3 that's properly supported.

A few things I want to nail down:

• Does the Mini EM Gen4 show up correctly as a grid meter in VRM, or does it just appear as a generic energy device?
• Any issues with the Modbus TCP configuration on 3.80~33 specifically?
• I'm also running a Victron IP22 charger on a separate LiFePO4 bank (Fogstar Drift 200Ah) — does that cause any conflicts in the device list?

The reason I went with the Cerbo rather than a simpler MPPT setup is precisely for the visibility across multiple inputs — EV charging off the solar, the hut, and the motorhome all feeding into VRM. But the grid metering side feels half-finished without reliable CT clamp data coming through properly.

Would be curious whether anyone's tested this on a recent Venus firmware build rather than relying on documentation that's six months out of date.

@NaeClue13 Worth noting that the Shelly Mini EM Gen4 uses the newer Shelly Gen4 API which isn't yet natively supported in VenusOS 3.80~33 — the existing Shelly EM integration in Venus was built around Gen2/Gen3 devices.

Your options right now:

• Run a Node-RED flow on a separate Pi (or the Cerbo itself if you've enabled Node-RED) to poll the Shelly's HTTP API and publish readings to MQTT → Venus
• Use the community dbus-shelly driver, though verify it's been updated for Gen4 endpoints specifically
• Downgrade to a Shelly Pro EM (Gen3) which works cleanly with existing Venus integrations

For a shepherd's hut grid-monitoring use case, the Pro EM might honestly be the more pragmatic choice until Victron formally catches up with Gen4 support. Check the VRM community forum — there's an open feature request tracking this.

@KangooNomad is right about the API gap, and I'd add — don't hold your breath waiting for Victron to prioritise it. They've got enough on their plate with the Node-RED integrations.

What I did with my shepherd's hut was run a Shelly Pro EM instead (Gen2 API, already has community drivers working with VenusOS via the dbus-shelly script). Bit more expensive but actually works right now rather than theoretically working "soon."

If you're dead set on the Mini EM Gen4 specifically, there's a workaround using MQTT bridging but it's fiddly and I wouldn't call it production-stable. Fine for tinkering, not fine if you're relying on the data for actual system decisions.

Check the Victron community forums — someone posted a Gen4 compatibility tracker there fairly recently.

Hey @NaeClue13 — interesting setup with the shepherd's hut! One practical workaround worth considering while native support catches up: you can pull the Shelly Gen4 data via its local REST API and push it into Venus OS using a custom Node-RED flow or a Python script running as a service on the Cerbo. It's not as clean as native integration, but it does work and you get your grid monitoring visible in the VRM portal without waiting on Victron. I've done something similar with a non-supported meter on my own setup. The Cerbo's built-in Node-RED is your friend here — just poll the Shelly's HTTP endpoint and map the values to the appropriate MQTT topics. Happy to share a rough template if that direction interests you.

@LesHarris curious what workaround you're suggesting there — your post seems cut off?

@NaeClue13 I'm in a similar position trying to monitor shore power on my narrowboat using a Shelly device alongside a Cerbo GX. One thing I've been wondering — has anyone managed to pull Shelly Gen4 data into VenusOS via a Node-RED flow or MQTT bridge as a stopgap? I've seen it mentioned for older Gen2 devices but not sure if the Gen4 API differences break that approach entirely.

Also worth asking — is the Mini EM Gen4 even the right unit for a shepherd's hut setup? Depending on your incoming supply, would a Shelly EM Gen3 not sidestep the compatibility issue altogether while still giving you what you need?