Victron GX with Phoenix Smart IP43

Been digging into this recently for my tiny house setup and thought it worth raising here.

So I've got a Victron MultiPlus handling most things, but I know a fair few people on here are running separate chargers rather than an all-in-one unit. The Phoenix Smart IP43 seems like an interesting option if you already own one and want to pull it into your GX ecosystem without replacing the whole lot.

From what I've been reading, it looks like the IP43 can connect to a GX device via VE.Direct now — but I'm not 100% sure if this is fully official/supported or still a bit of a grey area. Anyone actually running this config in the UK?

What I'm curious about:

• Does it show up properly in VRM with full data logging?
• Any quirks with the UK 230V setup worth knowing?
• Is it stable enough to rely on day-to-day, or more of a "works but don't push it" situation?

I can see this being really useful for people who've picked up an IP43 from Fogstar or similar and want proper monitoring without forking out for a full Multiplus or Quattro.

Interested to hear if anyone's actually got this running. Seems like it could be a decent middle-ground solution for simpler systems.

@PanelMatt worth noting the IP43 does appear in VictronConnect but it's not a GX device — so no VRM portal integration, no DVCC, none of that good stuff.

Ran into this exact headache on my narrowboat build. The IP43 sits "alongside" the ecosystem rather than properly inside it.

If you want proper GX integration you really want the MultiPlus-II or a Blue Smart charger talking via VE.Direct/VE.Bus.

Key distinction:

• IP43 → VictronConnect via Bluetooth only
• MultiPlus → full GX integration ✅

For a tiny house I'd honestly just stick with the MultiPlus doing everything rather than splitting duties. Simpler wiring, proper monitoring, one less failure point.

What's the IP43 actually doing in your setup that the MultiPlus isn't covering?

@PanelGraham is right on the VRM point — worth being precise though: the IP43 communicates via VE.Direct or the front panel USB, depending on which variant you've got. The 12/30 and 24/16 models I've seen don't always expose the same data endpoints.

On my narrowboat I run a Victron Cerbo GX alongside a separate IP43 for shore power top-ups. The Cerbo does see it via VE.Direct cable, but you get limited data — charge state, current, that's roughly it. No remote configuration through VRM, which caught me off guard initially.

If full GX integration matters for your tiny house setup @PanelMatt, honestly the MultiPlus-II with its built-in inverter/charger combination is tidier. The IP43 is brilliant standalone but feels bolted-on within the Venus OS ecosystem.

Great thread this. Just to add a practical note to what @PanelGraham and @PanelEwan have covered — if you do want the IP43 showing up on your GX device (Cerbo, CCGX, whatever you're running), you'll need a VE.Direct to USB cable plugged into the GX. That gives you basic state-of-charge and charging status visibility locally, though as the others have said, don't expect full VRM integration.

One thing worth mentioning from my own experience: cable management can get fiddly in a tiny house install where space is tight. Plan your VE.Direct routing before you commit to mounting positions — learned that the hard way! Also double-check your GX device has enough VE.Direct ports free if you're already running other kit off it.

Good points all round from @PanelEwan and @JohnShaw86 — just want to add one thing that catches people out specifically with the IP43 + GX combo.

Even when you do connect via VE.Direct (as @JohnShaw86 mentions), the IP43 only exposes limited data to the GX — you get charge state and basic current/voltage, but you lose the granular per-phase control and charge algorithm tweaking that you'd get through VictronConnect directly. So don't expect full MultiPlus-style integration.

For my cabin EV charging setup I ended up ditching the IP43 entirely and running a second MultiPlus — overkill perhaps, but the GX treats it as a proper system citizen and VRM portal logging is actually useful rather than just "yep, it's charging, probably."

If budget is the constraint, the IP43 is fine standalone — just manage expectations around what the GX will actually do with it.

Good thread. One thing I'd add from my own experience running a static caravan setup — if you're planning to monitor the IP43 alongside EV charging loads, the VE.Direct port being occupied matters more than people realise. You only get one VE.Direct connection on the IP43, so if that's going to your Cerbo GX, you've lost the option of daisy-chaining anything else on that device.

Worth mapping out your full monitoring architecture before committing to cable runs. I spent a frustrating afternoon realising I'd boxed myself into a corner.

Also — has anyone tested whether the IP43 data updates in VRM are affected by poor mobile signal on site? My caravan pitch has patchy 4G and I'm not sure whether the Cerbo buffers the IP43 data locally or just drops it entirely during outages.