Wattson display

**SolarCity** · 09-10-2011

Does anyone use these? They look like a good solution for monitoring a PV system and household power usage.

I've bought one, tried to install it and it doesn't work. Unfortunately, Wattson doesn't appear to have a technical hotline so I had to email support. The suggested solution to my problem didn't particularly impress me, it has to be said: "Leave it switched on but unplugged for 3 days and then try again".

Tried it, and it still doesn't work.

So far I have bought one and it appears to be faulty. This doesn't exactly fill me with confidence that it is going to be a good solution if I start installing it on many homes.

Maybe I've just been unlucky?

**BruceB** · 09-10-2011

I do not think they are quite as 'polished' as some of the other solutions but the customers quite like them and they are relatively inexpensive. I have bought x3 now. Two worked OK and one had a dodgy usb lead so would not connect to a computer to download data. If it does not work just give it back to your supplier rather than struggling with technical support. It might be quicker to buy a second one to prove the first one is knackered rather than argue with wholesaler technical or kyoto technical.

Edited to add the advantage compared to sunny beam or aurora desktop is that if set up correctly they also measure house consumption as well as PV generation.

Regards
Bruce

**Graeme Harrold** · 09-10-2011

There was a couple of reviews on here a couple of months back, and Ive stayed clear....

**DomB** · 09-10-2011

We quite like them. It's one of the few things that tells the customer when & how much they're exporting so they know when to tell the wife to put the dishwasher on (ha!).

We've sold half a dozen and had no problems

**andyemms** · 09-10-2011

I've installed 2 and they don't seem very accurate....

**SRE** · 09-10-2011

Bought 2 neither worked, helpline crap wouldn't touch them with a barge pole - had to get refund.

**series530** · 10-10-2011

I think it depends what you want them to do. I bought one about a year ago (long before thinking about PV). The intention was to monitor (approximately) household energy usage and to try and cut it down. Their USP is the fact that they look a lot nicer than many of the equivalent units and, most importantly, they have a big LED display that is far more visual than the LCD offerings by many other suppliers. I stuck it right under the TV in the lounge where everyone could see it and, slowly but surely, people changed their habits.

While on holiday we had an RCD trip and the house was without power for the best part of two weeks. Aside from freezer food decay, many of the network connectivity in our house went south and took a fair bit of resetting. The Wattson also went AWOL. I also turned it off and fully discharged the internal battery for 4 days (3 days was the suggestion). The unit came up again as right as rain and has continued to behave ever since.

As far as I am aware, like all similar instruments, the measurement is resistive and doesn't take into account power factor. It will never be the most accurate instrument but, for me, that isn't the point. What I want it to do is to act as an indicator. I have purchased a second probe and fully intend to monitor regeneration once the inverters arrive. It will act as an indicator to tell us when there is enough generation to turn on the washing machine and dishwasher.

I think that, provided people use them in this way and don't expect too much, they are fit for purpose (as long as they don't go wrong). As an accurate energy monitor, probably too much to ask.