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> the manufacturer states that not having it connected to the internet voids their warranty I dunno about much of the rest of the world, but in Australian Cons

> the manufacturer states that not having it connected to the internet voids their warranty I dunno about much of the rest of the world, but in Australian Consumer Law such a declaration would certainly be unlawful.

bombcar 4y ago
They're very tricky about wording it, they'll say things (like the car companies do) such as "not being connected to the monitoring service MAY void your warranty" (if a fault happens and you don't detect or correct it - just like changing your own oil and replacing it with baby oil will void your warranty). And you can be hella sure they'll default to any excuse not to honor their warranty, because they know that you'll probably not bother fighting them in small claims court.
SyneRyder 4y ago
In South Australia at least, it's a legal requirement that the inverter remain connected to the internet. South Australia Power Networks requires the internet connection so they can remotely shutdown your solar system. They are added as an additional remote user to the system during installation: [PDF] https://www.fronius.com/~/downloads/Solar%20Energy/Quick%20Guides/SE_QG_SA_Gov_Smarter_Homes_SAPN_Fronius_Remote%20Disconnect%20Setup_EN_AU.pdf https://www.fronius.com/~/downloads/Solar%20Energy/Quick%20G...
- chrismorgan 4y ago
  Huh, weird. I’d have expected any signalling like that to come through the power lines that the solar system is connecting to. Using an internet connection for it seems like adding unnecessary complexity, procedural fragility, and another point of failure—and it’s not like your internet connection is more reliable than your power supply, most have no effective battery backup and go down immediately if they lose power. And not everyone even has a persistent internet connection—living out in rural western Victoria, I use a cell phone for my internet supply (it’s the best non-business service I’ve experienced, actually, though NBN fibre should be better now: clear line of sight to an Optus tower 400m away that serves under a hundred people; the only alternative is satellite—under half the speed, over twice the price, and 600ms latency). (Mind you, I would still expect this to be completely distinct from anything about voiding a manufacturer’s warranty even if it was a grid-connected system which is probably but not necessarily the case.)

bombcar 4y ago

They're very tricky about wording it, they'll say things (like the car companies do) such as "not being connected to the monitoring service MAY void your warranty" (if a fault happens and you don't detect or correct it - just like changing your own oil and replacing it with baby oil will void your warranty). And you can be hella sure they'll default to any excuse not to honor their warranty, because they know that you'll probably not bother fighting them in small claims court.

SyneRyder 4y ago

In South Australia at least, it's a legal requirement that the inverter remain connected to the internet. South Australia Power Networks requires the internet connection so they can remotely shutdown your solar system. They are added as an additional remote user to the system during installation: [PDF] https://www.fronius.com/~/downloads/Solar%20Energy/Quick%20Guides/SE_QG_SA_Gov_Smarter_Homes_SAPN_Fronius_Remote%20Disconnect%20Setup_EN_AU.pdf https://www.fronius.com/~/downloads/Solar%20Energy/Quick%20G...

chrismorgan 4y ago
Huh, weird. I’d have expected any signalling like that to come through the power lines that the solar system is connecting to. Using an internet connection for it seems like adding unnecessary complexity, procedural fragility, and another point of failure—and it’s not like your internet connection is more reliable than your power supply, most have no effective battery backup and go down immediately if they lose power. And not everyone even has a persistent internet connection—living out in rural western Victoria, I use a cell phone for my internet supply (it’s the best non-business service I’ve experienced, actually, though NBN fibre should be better now: clear line of sight to an Optus tower 400m away that serves under a hundred people; the only alternative is satellite—under half the speed, over twice the price, and 600ms latency). (Mind you, I would still expect this to be completely distinct from anything about voiding a manufacturer’s warranty even if it was a grid-connected system which is probably but not necessarily the case.)