OWL Intuition PV Solar Energy Monitor Web Based

This is a great tool for a person who has a PV installation and wants to know a little more. It is even good for the DIY software/hardware enthusiast who want to write a little software or make a display board at home.The device comes with clear instructions for fitting the clamp-on current transformers to the incoming cables. The set-up wasn't 100% as per the instruction booklet but an e-mail was quickly responded to and I was soon up and running.Once you have it set up the data is sent over the internet to the central servers at regular intervals (12 seconds) where the collected data is clearly displayed in real-time and is available both graphically and in downloadable format. Some of the graphs seem to overstate values that are rapidly changing (e.g. when the washing machine is running) but despite this they give a good indication of what has happened and the totals seem pretty accurate.The slightly disappointing thing about the product was that there wasn't a small display unit to display the current historical values in the kitchen, say. You can use an app on a tablet or mobile device but this isn't quite the same as having a cheap permanent display in the corner. OWL also don't make one yet - although it is under consideration I believe. A short mail to the support centre in Basingstoke and a very helpful man indicated that the data collector not only sent the data to their central servers but also sends it as multicast signals on the local LAN to be picked up by any computer with a bit of additional software. He supplied a piece of sample code that I could compile at home and adapt to make a display on any computer or device that I would like to chose. This could be a Raspberry PI or Ardurino with an LCD dislay, a laptop, desktop etc. This provided a perfect solution and I'm very happy with a display that shows both instantaneous and daily cumulative Load, Generated power and exported power on the same display..The last thing that is quite nice is that the dataon the server can be shared to an external social web site if required to share/compare data with others. Generaytor [...] is their default suggestion for this - thare may be others.

Setup is easy and takes only a few minutes.However, the readings for both solar generation and electricity use should be taken with a pinch of salt. They're OK for checking relative values but can't be relied on - and certainly won't allow you to check whether it's worth fitting an export meter for instance.Also, it would appear that only one session is allowed to log into the Internet web site to show your own readings. If you log in from a second device then the first is logged out. That is a real pain if you want a permanent display in the home and occasionally want to log in when out and about. It is not possible to gather data direct from the device which further reduces it's usefulness.Finally, the Android app does not support rotate (portrait only). As I wanted to mount a cheap tablet in the kitchen then it's not completely hands free as it is necessary to scroll to see all the stats.All in all, not a great buy.

NewThe decision to force a subscription model on current owners is clear rent seeking. Many others offer graphing etc for free (actually for your data, like Fbook etc.) Unacceptable. Avoid.PreviousDelivery, product quality, and ease of installation are all excellent. Problem is with accuracy. Like all current clamp meters, the is poor accuracy especially at low levels. Above c200W it is 10% but below is 'unspecified'. So, useful if you just want a guide, but if you want any level of accuracy this is not for you. Sadly, no-one seems to make what is the obvious product. At least that I have been able to find. I am talking about a photoelectric sensor that captures the LED flashes that all modern meters give. These are 100% accurate (to the meter reading, which is what is important). Yes, I could make one using a Raspberry Pi or similar, but all the hassle of one-off software does not seem worth it.Anyone know who supplies such an instrument? LightwaveRF are supposed to be 'working on it' but unlikely to include PV and they do not support graphing- or any storage even. And their products are vapourware for years...

3 Stars, as it is "OK". If there was another product, I would have gone for it, for the dislikes below.Like:It gives Generated (PV) as well as Imported electricity, which is the main reason for this unit.Has limited a graphing feature, but very useful.Has an Android App. (very nice, but see dislikes)Installed quite easily. ( drilled a hole in side of consumer unit to fit neatly.)Can download in CSV format all data. (so can do own graphs/ upload to own web space).Support from Owl is good.Dislike:Messy account registration (really messy!!).Mine actually stopped sending data, so only fix was to "factory reset", a real pain. (had to re-register)Must use Owl online server, can upload to own Web space.Android App is weak, not as good as browser version. (no graphing feature... maybe this will come)Had to pay separately for the Y lead which is expensive for what it is!For me to "love" this item (5 stars), dislikes 1,2 and 3 would need to be addressed! 1 & 2 SHOULD be easy!

My 2 year old PV system did not have the ability to provide monitoring info over the Internet. I read about the owl system and it appeared to be what I wanted. I have now bought it and had this installed for over 2 weeks, and it works well.BUT, be aware during installation, "do not try to follow the included paper manuals" they are out of day or just wrong !! (Oct2015) Go to the web site and follow the pairing instructions etc from the online information. It actually states on the web site not to follow the manuals.With the right information the Installation is easy, but again beware 2 of the clamps require to be orientated a special way. This is shown on page 5 of the online brochure but not on the manuals.Its now working well, all I need is a bit of sun.

Ciao a tutti,voglio fare questa recensione perché ho visto che più di qualcuno ha problemi e/o è impaurito per l'installazione di questo apparato che reputo un buon prodotto, devo dire che le istruzione non aiutano per nulla.Dunque sul libretto in allegato alla scatola che vi arriverà, di cui ho fatto la foto, troverete le istruzioni per l'installazione e queste sono divise in installazione "type one Henley Junction box" e "type two", la type two richiede un altro tipo di cavo venduto separatamente, cominciamo con il dire che in Italia gli impianti sono tutti di tipo 1 (one) non fatevi ingannare dalla scritta "Henley Junction" in Inghilterra "Henley Junction" corrisponde al nostro quadro elettrico di casa, praticamente è una morsettiera, quindi nulla di particolare, non avete bisogno di comprare l'altro cavo.Per l'installazione non dovete far altro che collegare (semplicemente aprire e chiudere) la pinza amperometrica (non ha verso in questo caso) al cavo che esce da sotto l'Inverter (come in foto), questo per misurare la produzione del fotovoltaico mentre per misurare i consumi dovete collegare l'altra pinza amperometrica, che nelle istruzioni è chiamata TA, non chiedetemi perché, sotto il cavo che esce dal differenziale magnetotermico, nel quadro elettrico di casa, tutto qui.L'installazione fisica è finita, poi dovete collegare il ricevitore wifi al modem tramite LAN, vi viene fornito anche il cavo ethernet, fare la registrazione sul sito e sarete online,