Eco Eye SmartPV

• SmartPV leaflet
• SmartPV Manual
• SmartPV installation leaflet
• SmartPV additional instructions
• B. Eco-eye.zip - Configuration files for Mac installation
• C. Trax_card installation file for Mac
• D. Trax_usb installation file for Mac
• Mac driver for USB cable
• Trax- updating from version 2
• Trax operating guide
• A. Installing Trax READ FIRST and follow exactly!

• Steve Rickaby

  I have been looking for something like the SmartPV for a long time. There were a few products a while ago, but they sensed usage using a photo pickup to count the flashes on the main meter, and could be quite costly. This didn`t work for me, as my meter LED flashes irrespective of which direction the power is travelling! The development of directional clamp-on current probes that`s fixed this. Eventually I ended up with two Owl monitors, one of the mains supply and one on the PV feed. However, they were very fiddly and quite short lived (although I think I killed one by using lithium AA cells).
  
  The SmartPV goes well beyond what I`d expected, particularly with its logging and analysis features. After I`d corrected my few stupid mistakes, it all seems to be working correctly. Very pleased so far. However, I am in a queue for a solar battery: that might cause an issue, but I`ll cross that bridge when I come to it.

  Chris Kennedy-Sloane

  This arrived the next day after I ordered it - I fitted and installed it in approximately 10 minutes. It instantly works, displaying electricity usage, solar PV generation, or the net of the two. `Does exactly what it says on the tin`. Five stars, I couldn`t find a solution online that did this easily without subscriptions or unnecessary complexity. I would happily recommend to anyone!

  Geoff

  Easy to set up but does not perform sufficiently well in my situation.
  
  With a brand new solar PV and battery system, I purchased the Eco Eye monitor to independently check inverter readings, and as an easy to use visual display of grid import/export. With a direct feed to the solar/battery system from the meter box, I fully understood that I could only monitor the grid power (in/out) and the excess PV power flowing back to support the house load (ie PV less battery charging).
  
  Setup was OK, and it all appears to work. However the display figure fluctuates rapidly, widely, and is often a good 100 watts different to both my smart meter and the Modbus grid meter. This is particularly so when the grid current is low or zero, which happens a lot as my inverter is set up to divert excess solar to the battery. The inverter clearly uses a feed-back loop from the Modbus meter, continually adjusting the battery charging to keep the grid current at zero, and I suspect that this generates noise that the Eco Eye picks up but that the Modbus meter and smart meter manage to avoid or integrate out. This was not unexpected, and the monitor route was by far the easiest and cheapest option for displaying solar performance in the house. However it does regrettably mean the unit is effectively unusable in my situation. I have now, finally and with considerable effort, managed to get the inverter data directly to a Raspberry Pi and Node-Red dashboard that I can view on my PC, but not as yet as a free standing, always on display. You win some, you lose some...

  Neil

  Needed something to replace my old Wattson which had given up the ghost and this was the ideal replacement. Have not experienced any issues with it but have two comments. One, it would be good to have it backlit as the display is not easy to see from a distance. Secondly, supporting software needs a revamp. The windows UI is a bit dated and clunky but operates fine. However, as a user of the the most recent Mac OS, I was unable to get the Mac version of the software to install no matter how hard I tried. Other than that vey pleased over all.

  Geoff MacFarlan

  I am very pleased with the monitor. It shows exactly what I had hoped it would. Simple to install, having called to clarify minor hitch-up questions. I would fully recommend it to anyone who might be thinking of buying it!

  Mike Fordham

  The eco eye and associated software is really great for monitoring energy usage, PV output, energy imported and exported. The charts show energy consumption and pv production very clearly and allow me to get a good handle on how to avoid exporting surplus PV. I will be using this to help me size a battery that will allow me to use all pv and also how much to load the battery overnight with cheap electricity.
  My first eco eye kept locking up. I tried moving it to various locations in the house to try and ensure comms with transmitter were ok but to no avail. A measure of a company is how they react when something goes wrong. Eco eye were first class and readily replaced the device. Initially still had an occasional problem. Eventually I placed it in a room closer to the transmitter and it has worked perfectly ever since ie for over a year now. So I am more than happy with my eco eye.

  Chris Pollock

  It`s a good product. I had to replace a monitor installed with the Solar PV system, as the data collection function was being discontinued, and the Eco-eye more than replaces it. It was easy to set up and seems (so far) completely trouble-free. My only disappointment is that the software (a) doesn`t work under Linux, and (b) doesn`t seem to be able to dump the history data from the card via the USB connection -- otherwise fine.

  Eric Dudley

  We have found the EcoEye monitor to be an excellent product. It was straightforward for an amateur to install and it is easy to use. The fact that it is wireless means I do not have to go to the solar inverter to check on output. Switching between the different views - PV, consumption, PV minus consumption - is easy and useful. I would certainly recommend it to others.

  George Guthrie Gibson

  No problems, works well.

  Nick Beach

  It was fairly easy to set up once I had worked out which of our old cables was which. The display is really clear and I`m sure it has saved us money as we are much more careful about when we turn appliances on to make best use of the solar panels. I have never managed to make the memory card work - I had imagined that I would have some great spreadsheets showing our use over time, different times of day, solar vs grid, etc. But I don`t have any of that. The spreadsheet I managed to get out was fairly meaningless and the instructions didn`t really help. I should have asked for help from Eco-eye but never quite got round to it.

  Brian Allen

  I was struggling with my Smart 3 PA monitor, so I contacted echo I and left a message on the web form, within hours of the message I had a friendly call back from Robert who not only answered all my queries but went the extra mile to fully talk me through all the different functions. He was truly knowledgeable and obviously knew his stuff. He told me and explained all the functions in detail which for me was a bonus, I really feel he is a credit to the company, which is so refreshing these days. I would like to endorse this company for their customer service which is second to none. Thank you, Robert, and thank you team at Eco-Eye for your great products.

  John E

  My solar pv monitor works very well. I use the usb and post the data to PVOutput.org.
  The support is very good if you need advice. Always check the batteries are good, if you have a problem. If they are marginal in the transmitter, it causes problems.

  David

  Great product - really does work, and I was very impressed with the trouble the team took in answering a couple of extra questions about set up, for my unusual installation.

  Mr Keith Dungworth

  Brilliant product, does exactly as described, but wish it would give solar production and power usage at same time.

  Damian Coutts

  I purchased this product a few weeks ago, and although my PV meter is a long way from my supply meter, Eco Eye were more that happy to extend the cable for the CT clamp to 10 metres free of charge.
  Setup was really simple and after only a week, I was getting excellent information on my electricity usage. I have quickly discovered that battery storage is not viable for me (I have had companies in giving quotes), so will be increasing the size of my solar array instead.
  
  I would highly recommend this for anyone who is thinking of buying add ons to their PV system, as will help you make the right decisions.
  On top of all this, their customer service is fantastic.

  Christopher

  I found this product very easy to set up and within minutes it was providing me with the net production/consumption figure I wanted to see. I also have a second display in my office connected to my home-grown home automation system via a cable.
  
  Thanks to the data being fed from the eco-eye, my home system is now able to divert excess power to electric radiators dynamically. The system monitors the house power situation along with things like room temperatures and makes decisions about switching on and off individual radiators. If the kettle is turned on, it switches off the heating immediately but if a cloud passes over it waits a minute before reacting. I am very pleased with the eco-eye products. They are doing exactly what I wanted; providing easy to read displays for me along with real time data to maximise my solar power and reduce my central heating costs.

  Sharon

  I bought a eco-eye SmartPV moniota along with an additional display so I could see both generation and consumption at the same time. I was slightly puzzled when they both said exactly the same thing. But a quick call to the eco eye Tech team quickly sorted that out. I`ve got a Solar boost diverter (to heat hot water when I`m generating more electricity than I`m consuming) and it had kicked in. Which explained why both reading were the same.
  
  Very impressed with the the technical support (from Peter I think) - it`s a rare pleasure when you call a company these days and speak to someone who knows exactly what going on!
  Also impressed with the devices themselves. Easy to use and read. And now getting slightly obsessed with how much electricity we`re using.
  
  Overall I`m very pleased to have discovered these products, and won`t hesitate to recommend.
  
  

  John

  I have an unusual situation where the PV panel feed enters the house on a separate consumer unit and 30m away from the mains power entry point. Eco-Eye were very helpful and advised that although this situation had not been tested, they felt sure it would work. In practice is works perfectly and the large transmission range of the unit means that I can have the display in any position in a very long house. With power readings recorded every 4 seconds, I now have the potential to do any analysis I want.

  Nigel Owen

  Works exactly as expected - bought as replacment for our failing Wattson unit.
  
  Excellent service from helpful staff on the phone when setting up.

  Mike Y.

  I researched the whole market for a suitable energy monitor before I bought my eco-eyePV.
  I needed a device that would give me information that I could download into a graphical format for future use. Especially, I needed some idea of my house base-load over a prolonged period, in order to help me make decisions on future home electrical installs. I also needed to see this data in relation to PV production, and PV export.
  This device fitted the bill admirably and at a very competitive cost,- some devices that did the same were over twice the price. I`ve been using the eco-eye for nearly a month now and I`m about to do my first download.
  Downloads aside, I do find the the monitor very useful. It`s in the kitchen and at a glance I can see if my PV production is good enough to put on a load or two of washing, or baking and the like. I`m very pleased, it`s an excellent product.

  Barry

  I am very pleased with the Eco Eye SmartPV, I bought it with the USB lead, but not needed that so far.
  With help from Eco Eye it is up and working ok.
  It is very handy to know when I have free electric to use, many thanks for your help.
  Barry
  

  Andy F

  I have had an Eco Eye SmartPV in place for 4 years now and find it a useful guide as to when to use our electrical appliances most effectively.
  
  What I have found however, is that the after service and support shown by the guys at Eco Eye (Rob & Rohan) has been exemplary and useful.. They take the time to help with solving any problems that may arise. I find that refreshing in the energy sector. I cannot recommend this company too highly to anyone who is considering buying their products or services.

  Phil Winfield

  Great product, but it isn't quite as accurate as it could be. The unit gives an accurate reading when the solar generation is low, say 200w, but if this increases to anything above 500w, the device suggests that the house consumption is in excess of 1kw/hr despite few appliances running.
  
  What can be done to configure the device to eliminate this bug?
  
  Happy to hear your comments
  
  Hi Paul, should not be doing that. It sounds like one of the sensors is the wrong way round or in the wrong place. Please contact us so we can sort it out for you.

  Alan

  My Eco-Eye monitor allows me to time the use of appliances to take maximum advantage of periods of power generation. Its proprietary SD card and USB cable can be used in conjunction with my PC to record performance statistics and to study them in real time. A tool to enable efficient use of free power and to detect power wastage. Would satisfy both the home-owner and the geek.
  

  Terry Mold

  I downloaded the Manual, had a good read, and then installed the Trax software on Windows 10 Pro. And when I connected the Display to my PC with the USB cable, there it all was - Everything I wanted to see about instantaneous usage.
  
  I've read some reviews about Trax saying that it wasn't very good, too basic, and other things they probably didn't understand. But it really is a great piece of software, and does exactly what I would have expected.
  
  So I'm really pleased with Eco-Eye, and Trax.

  Daniel P

  "Absolutely brilliant piece of kit!"
  
  Very easy to install and use, Shows Me & the Mrs when to switch the washing on via a Green flashing LED and tells me when and how much we are sending back to the Grid.
  Very Helpful Customer Service they highlighted a picture I sent them of my installation and showed me where to clip the sensors which made it very straight forward and also the staff were very friendly.
  Trax is very clever it can upload your data to the internet or quite simply retrieve the data from the MMC card whilst also giving you the option to leave the smart plugged into your PC and see your generation live via the USB Cable.
  all in all great piece of kit and I will Recommend this product to everyone!

  Peter Longley

  An excellent monitor that is easy to install and helps me make best use of the power I am generating

Add a review