BMV comparison: Victron 712, Victron 700-02, v. Ali Battery Monitor

[JeffofCT]

I have a 22' Sport FB and not convinced that I will go rooftop solar but can see myself upgrading to lithium. Right now, I'm using a single 110ah AGM, 120 portable Zamp and have a 2000w honda.

I know Victron is a popular brand and based upon my reading, many members here have the Victron BMV 712. It's the newest Victron offering, draws lower amperage to operate and has two additional ports (wifi dongle, temperature monitor) for expand ability. $200

The Victron 702 draws a bit more amps and has just one accessory port. $170

The Victron 700 draws a bit more amps than the 712 and has no accessory ports. $135

The Ali Express battery monitor (350a version) (I see at least one member is using it) seems most comparable to the Victron 700 for just $35.

I suppose if one is already using a Victron charge controller for rooftop solar and spending $2,000+ on lithium...Victron is the safe bet for a very little price difference given the total cost of a system.

Question: Who is using the victron 700-02's? Do you regret not having wifi dongle compatibility? I like gadgets but question how much time I'll be looking at my phone when the in-camper display is just a few steps away. The 02 has one open port for an accessory. Not sure a temperature monitor is necessary since batteries such as battleborn have high/low temp shutoff.

Question: Who is using the Ali battery monitor? Probably adequate.

Thoughts?

[jrwayne]

Hi, I'm hanging around to see the answers.

[JeffofCT]

Based upon my research, the 702 or the 712 will allow monitoring of a second system battery/bank. Ptech had advocated the use of and automatic transfer switch and dumb batteries for house systems and a goal zero for high energy needs.

[Khale]

I use an Ali, seems accurate, don’t know how I lived without it. Has an annoying flashing light when charging, but you can disable it. It is so nice to see what is happening with dc power that I purchased a similar monitor for shore power. You know those nights at a campground and every one is running their AC and voltage is low.

[JeffofCT]

I installed the Victron 712 in the bathroom of my 2011 22' Sport FB. I ran the communications line from shunt (installed on the front/curbside) through the kitchen cabinet clear back until the inside bathroom wall. Removing the microwave was helpful. I was also unable to completely remove the inside bathroom wall, but was able to make an opening wide enough to run the communications wire and install the display ring. The process was not difficult but a little frustrating due to the contortions needed to access various parts of the electrical system.

[daleyocum]

If you think solar with Lithium is in your future, the Victron BMV-712 is the one to get. It communicates with the Victron solar charge controller over bluetooth and both show up on your phone. Plus I don't think I would trust my entire electrical system and $2000 worth of lithium batteries to a $35 battery monitor but that's just me.

[JeffofCT]

Originally Posted by JeffofCT

I installed the Victron 712 in the bathroom of my 2011 22' Sport FB. I ran the communications line from shunt (installed on the front/curbside) through the kitchen cabinet clear back until the inside bathroom wall. Removing the microwave was helpful. I was also unable to completely remove the inside bathroom wall, but was able to make an opening wide enough to run the communications wire and install the display ring. The process was not difficult but a little frustrating due to the contortions needed to access various parts of the electrical system.

An unexpected benefit of this mod is that I found the factory solar pre-wire (green and yellow wires can be seen if you look closely). Other end in the Sport should be in the Fantastic Fan housing. I'm still not made up my mind on solar but it's great to learn more about my AS and it's capabilities.

[waninae39]

We have many victory products. They all talk to each other

bmv712,
Solar mppt controller
Battery monitor
Tv as isolator
Multiples converter inverter
Color monitor

P,us battle born lion batter
350 watts of solar, 2x100 on the roof, 150w hinged over the back window

All can be monitored from phone or web portal
I don't work for them or get kick back
Just happy with their products

[CarterKraft]

You can't go wrong with the Victron BMV, end of story but I would caution anyone expecting perfection in regards to Ah counting. There are many ways for that to get out of sync so some knowledge of SOC voltage chart might be handy vs blindly trusting a % of capacity.

I opted for the Juntek VAT monitor, same $35 price tag (pre covid) but has a wireless display that can be 12v or USB powered which made it very handy for me to have the display in the living area vs in the bedroom near the power center.

It has a ton of features I will never use but counts Ah and amps and provides voltage to two decimal places which is very important for accurate SOC readings.

I too added a AC panel meter after getting the DC meter and have found that meter to be equally as useful for both boon docking and camping on grid power. Only having a 30 amp trailer the AC meter makes it easy to see what is going on.

[waninae39]

This is the panel in our as
Bmv712,mutiplus ctrl panel,colour display