# Solar Manager

The station has a built-in Solar Manager client. You turn it on with one
click in the station's web portal; the station then connects to Solar
Manager by itself. You do not need a separate gateway, Modbus settings or
port forwarding. After you have added the station to your Solar Manager
account, it appears in the Solar Manager app and portal and can be
controlled from there.

The whole setup takes about 10 minutes, most of which is waiting.

## How it fits together

![System overview: the eCharge station with its built-in Solar Manager client connects through your router to the Solar Manager cloud; the Solar Manager app talks to the cloud; a browser in your home network is used once to turn the client on and show the QR code, which the app scans](/images/solar-manager/solar-manager-overview-en.svg)

* The **eCharge station** has the Solar Manager client built in. Once it is
  turned on, the station connects through your router to the **Solar
  Manager cloud**. The connection is outgoing only; you do not need to open
  any ports.
* **Solar Manager** comes as an **app** for your smartphone and as a **web
  portal** for your browser. Both talk to the cloud; that is where you see
  and control the station later. To add the station, scan the QR code with
  the app, or enter the ID in the web portal.
* The **browser** (on a PC, tablet or phone in your home network) is only
  needed once for the setup: to turn the client on and to show the ID or QR
  code that links the station to your account.

## What you need

* **Station firmware 2.5.0 or later.** The current version is shown in the
  eCharge app and in the station's web portal. If it is older, update first
  through the [firmware download portal](/firmware/download-portal).
* **Internet access for the station.** The station connects out to Solar
  Manager; it does not need to be reachable from outside.
* **A Solar Manager account** and the Solar Manager app on your phone (or
  access to the Solar Manager portal).
* **The login for the station's web portal** (user `user` and its password).
* A computer, tablet or phone **in the same network** as the station.

## Step 1: Open the station's web portal

1. Find the station's IP address:
   * in the **eCharge app**: open the wallbox, go to its details and tap
     **Show more details**; the IP address is listed there, or
   * in your **router**: open the list of network devices (often called
     "Home network" or "Connected devices") and look for a device with
     `Salia` in its name.
2. Type the IP address into the address bar of your browser, for example
   `http://192.168.178.50`, and log in.
3. Open the **Configuration** tab.
4. Find the **Solar Manager** block. It sits in the same column as the
   network options.

If there is no Solar Manager block, the station's firmware is too old.
Update it first (see [What you need](#what-you-need)).

## Step 2: Turn Solar Manager on

![Solar Manager block with status Off and the Turn on button](/images/solar-manager/solar-manager-01-off.png)

The block shows the status **Off**: nothing runs and the station does not
connect to Solar Manager yet.

Click **Turn on**. The click takes effect immediately. You do **not** need to
click *Save and restart* at the bottom of the page, and the station does not
restart.

## Step 3: Wait until the station has set itself up

![Solar Manager block with status Setting up](/images/solar-manager/solar-manager-02-setting-up.png)

The status changes to **Setting up** (orange) and step 1 is ticked off. The
first time this takes a few minutes. The page updates itself; you can also
close it and come back later, the setup continues in the background.

## Step 4: Add the station to your Solar Manager account

![Solar Manager block with status Running, the Solar Manager ID and the buttons Copy ID and Show QR code](/images/solar-manager/solar-manager-03-running.png)

As soon as the status shows **Running** (green), steps 1 and 2 are ticked
off and the block shows the station's **Solar Manager ID**, a 16-character
code. Now add the station to your account, in one of two ways:

**With the Solar Manager app (easiest)**

1. In the station's web portal, click **Show QR code**. The QR code appears
   below the buttons, and the button changes to **Hide QR code**:

   ![Solar Manager block with status Running and the QR code shown](/images/solar-manager/solar-manager-04-qr-code.png)

2. In the Solar Manager app, add a new device and point the phone's camera
   at the QR code on the screen.

The QR code in this picture is an example and cannot be scanned into an
account. Your station shows its own code.

**With the Solar Manager portal**

1. In the station's web portal, click **Copy ID**.
2. In the Solar Manager portal, add a new device and paste the ID.

## Step 5: Check that it worked

Reload the station's web portal. When the station has been added, step 3 is
ticked off as well and the block reads **"Station added to a Solar Manager
account"**. The station now shows up in the Solar Manager app and portal.

That's it. Solar Manager stays on after a restart or power cut of the
station; you only have to do this once.

## Keep the ID private

Until the station has been added to an account, the Solar Manager ID is all
it takes to add the station to **any** account. Treat the ID like a
password until then: do not post it, and do not share screenshots that show
the ID or the QR code. The ID in the pictures on this page is hidden for
that reason.

## What the status means

| Status | Meaning | What to do |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Off | Solar Manager is off. Nothing runs and nothing connects. | Click **Turn on**. |
| Setting up | The station is preparing Solar Manager. | Wait a few minutes. |
| Running | Solar Manager is running. | Add the station with the ID or QR code, unless step 3 is already ticked off. |
| Stopping | Solar Manager is being switched off. | Wait up to a minute. |
| Problem | Solar Manager could not be started. | See below. |

## Something doesn't work?

* **There is no Solar Manager block on the Configuration tab.** The firmware
  is older than 2.5.0. Update the station first.
* **"The station could not fetch its Solar Manager ID yet."** The station
  tries again every 15 minutes. Check that the station is online. If the
  message is still there after an hour, contact support.
* **"This gateway is already registered with Solar Manager, but the station
  no longer holds its access data."** This happens for example after a
  factory reset. Solar Manager cannot start in this state. Contact support.
* **The status shows Problem.** Click **Turn off**, wait until the status is
  *Off*, then click **Turn on** again. If the problem remains, contact
  support and give the client version shown at the bottom of the block.
* **"Copy ID" does not work.** Some browsers block copying. Select the ID
  with the mouse and copy it by hand.

## Turning Solar Manager off

Click **Turn off** in the same block. The status changes to *Stopping* and
then to *Off*. The station then no longer connects to Solar Manager.
