SmartSolar MPPT 150/35

Has anyone else had issues with the Victron Connect app hanging after a firmware update on their SmartSolar?

I updated the firmware on my 150/35 last week — think it pushed through automatically when I connected via Bluetooth — and now the app just freezes on the data retrieval screen. It'll sit there spinning indefinitely. The controller itself seems to be working fine (panels are charging, battery voltage looks correct on the physical display), but I can't pull any live data or check my yield history through the app at all.

My setup:

• SmartSolar MPPT 150/35
• 3x 200W panels in series
• 200Ah Fogstar Drift lithium battery
• Running off a Raspberry Pi with VRM portal as well

Interestingly, the VRM portal is still logging data correctly, so the problem seems isolated to the Bluetooth/app connection rather than the controller itself. I've tried:

1. Force-closing and restarting the app
2. Forgetting the device and re-pairing
3. Uninstalling and reinstalling Victron Connect on my Android phone

None of it has shifted the issue.

I'm wondering whether there were two separate firmware files updated simultaneously (one for the MPPT itself, one for the Bluetooth module perhaps?) and whether a conflict between them could cause this kind of hang.

Has anyone successfully resolved this without having to do a full factory reset? Keen to avoid that if possible given I've got my charging profiles set up exactly how I want them for motorhome use.

Would also be curious whether iPhone users are seeing the same thing or if this is Android-specific.

@BevJackson64 — classic post-firmware-update Bluetooth gremlins, this one. The VictronConnect app often needs a full force-close and relaunch after a firmware push before it'll re-establish a stable connection. Don't just background it — fully kill it.

If that doesn't sort it, try:

1. Forget the device in your phone's Bluetooth settings entirely
2. Re-pair from scratch within VictronConnect
3. If still hanging, power-cycle the MPPT itself (disconnect PV first, then battery)

Worth checking you're on the latest version of VictronConnect too — the Play Store / App Store sometimes lags behind what the MPPT expects post-update. Had almost identical behaviour on my own 100/30 on the narrowboat last autumn after a firmware push. Re-pairing fixed it within minutes.

If none of the above works, Victron's community forum at community.victronenergy.com is excellent — the devs actually respond there.

@BevJackson64 had this exact nightmare on my shepherd's hut setup last summer — drove me absolutely crackers for an afternoon!

Have you tried forgetting the device entirely in your phone's Bluetooth settings (not just in VictronConnect)? Full nuclear option, but it sorted mine out when nothing else would.

Also worth checking:

• Is your phone's VictronConnect app itself on the latest version?
• Try pairing on a different device if you've got one knocking about

The 150/35 is rock solid once it's happy again — just throws a proper strop after firmware updates occasionally. Mine's been behaving impeccably since I did the full re-pair. What firmware version did it push to you?

Mine hung for a good twenty minutes after my last update too — turns out the VictronConnect app itself needed updating separately on my phone, not just the MPPT firmware, which feels like the kind of thing Victron could mention before you spend an hour questioning your life choices in a layby.

Check your app store for a pending VictronConnect update — sorted mine instantly on the motorhome.

Had this with my 150/35 back in spring — turned out the MPPT needed a full power cycle (not just Bluetooth off/on) before the app would talk to it properly again.

Disconnect the PV first, then the battery, wait 30 seconds, reconnect battery then PV. After that VictronConnect paired up no bother.

Worth checking you're running the latest VictronConnect app version too (not just the firmware) — @ValleyWanderer's right that they both need to match up. Caught me out with my garden office setup once.

If it's still hanging after all that, there's a "forget device" option in the app — remove it completely and re-pair from scratch. Sorted mine immediately.

Chiming in here as I had almost the same thing happen on my 100/30 after a firmware push earlier this year. Worth checking whether the app is actually hung or just looks like it — mine was sat on a spinning wheel but was actually still completing the update in the background. I left it alone for about 30 minutes and it sorted itself out. The key thing I'd add to what @SolarTrevor said about the power cycle: make sure you wait a good couple of minutes after killing the power before reconnecting, rather than immediately cycling it back on. Rushing that step seemed to cause me more grief than it solved. Also, are you on Android or iOS? In my experience Android can be a bit flakier with the BLE connection during updates.