Lithium Aux Battery Upgrade, chasing advice Victron vs Redarc

[Adam-Oz]

Sorry forgot to post the final install of the Victron Aux battery and Multiplus 240v inverter system integrated with a Switch Pro system. There are also 2 roof top storage boxes that have an integrated 80w solar panel to charge the system. I was very happy with the quality and design of the installation from my local auto electrician. The list of Victron equipment is in a previous post.

 

[Adam-Oz]

I should also reintegrate that my system is very much a clone of the Victron system that John from Agile Offroad developed. For anyone is the US this is much easier because I believe that Agile will work with local installers in other parts of the US. I found that I had to reverse engineer some aspects such as the brackets etc and as such ended up with a slightly different implementation and this also reflects perhaps my own preferences in a few areas. The best part of the system IMHO is that if you also have starlink you can provide remote access to anyone to diagnose your system for any faults from any location through the VRM portal. I personally had to rely on this feature to confirm a component needed to be replaced saving my hours and hours of trying to figure out the issue for myself.

 

[anand]

I should also reintegrate that my system is very much a clone of the Victron system that John from Agile Offroad developed. For anyone is the US this is much easier because I believe that Agile will work with local installers in other parts of the US. I found that I had to reverse engineer some aspects such as the brackets etc and as such ended up with a slightly different implementation and this also reflects perhaps my own preferences in a few areas. The best part of the system IMHO is that if you also have starlink you can provide remote access to anyone to diagnose your system for any faults from any location through the VRM portal. I personally had to rely on this feature to confirm a component needed to be replaced saving my hours and hours of trying to figure out the issue for myself.

VRM is fantastic and puts complex or semi-complex electrical systems that use Victron gear in a whole different world

 

[Adam-Oz]

VRM is fantastic and puts complex or semi-complex electrical systems that use Victron gear in a whole different world

VRM is why I think Victron stands out to me. There is no doubt Redarc produce a better DC charger for instance but despite this the whole Victron integrated system makes up for any slight disadvantages in one particular piece of kit. I am a big fan of their new NG range of batteries which I think are the phenomenally good batteries.

 

[TheDocAUS]

VRM is why I think Victron stands out to me. There is no doubt Redarc produce a better DC charger for instance but despite this the whole Victron integrated system makes up for any slight disadvantages in one particular piece of kit. I am a big fan of their new NG range of batteries which I think are the phenomenally good batteries.

What makes Victron better than the integrated REDARC Redvision system in your opinion?

 

[anand]

What makes Victron better than the integrated REDARC Redvision system in your opinion?

Assuming you're using a CerboGX (or similar), the VRM portal allows for virtually complete system control and monitoring of all Victron devices from anywhere with an internet connection. Thousands of miles away I can use the exact same touch screen interface that is physically in our Sprinter and monitor everything in real time as well as continuously updated graphs of tons of different data points from each individual piece of Victron gear.

While Victron doesn't do the switching that Redvision does, I think they have placed themselves at the top of the mountain for monitoring and integration. My latest build (the GX, or Prado for RoW) uses the Renogy competitor to Victron's VRM (Renogy One) and it pales in comparison, for not a massive financial difference.

 

[Adam-Oz]

What makes Victron better than the integrated REDARC Redvision system in your opinion?

I don’t believe either system is better or worse and I think the choice depends on your particular needs: IMHO Victron VRM is better for deep remote monitoring and flexibility of configuration and system design, and better suited to high-performance setups, while Redarc Redvision is often preferred for its rugged, integrated, and user-friendly all-in-one design (having said that I have not had any issues with Victron on my Cape York trip either). Victron offers more control and efficiency, especially for remote access and multiple solar array options, but requires more components to assemble. Redarc's system is more streamlined, simple and rugged design. I think the choices as always is down to user preferences which is why I felt Victron was the choice for my setup. This is a good breakdown of the comparisons between the two systems. https://mullerenergy.com.au/redarc-...OMaGMp2LEQGq9OcYtUxJj3wE2L9fD08QjHvG9geYpsucB

 

[Rok_Dr]

I don’t believe either system is better or worse and I think the choice depends on your particular needs: IMHO Victron VRM is better for deep remote monitoring and flexibility of configuration and system design, and better suited to high-performance setups, while Redarc Redvision is often preferred for its rugged, integrated, and user-friendly all-in-one design (having said that I have not had any issues with Victron on my Cape York trip either). Victron offers more control and efficiency, especially for remote access and multiple solar array options, but requires more components to assemble. Redarc's system is more streamlined, simple and rugged design. I think the choices as always is down to user preferences which is why I felt Victron was the choice for my setup. This is a good breakdown of the comparisons between the two systems. https://mullerenergy.com.au/redarc-...OMaGMp2LEQGq9OcYtUxJj3wE2L9fD08QjHvG9geYpsucB

I agree totally.

 

[Logsplitter]

Victron VRM is fantastic. We have a lot of Victron equipment at work and we had problems the other day. I’m in India and we were able to help people onsite to sort the the problem using the VRM system. Turns out no one had been monitoring our off grid solar system and lithium batteries were completely flat, due to very cloudy grey days with no solar. More to it than that but you get the idea.

 

[Clark Kent]

If you don't wear a tinfoil hat (often) and are aware of the limitations and potential for errors, this is a really good example for doing a comparison using an AI tool like ChatGPT. It will summarise the points of difference between products and present them in a table, and do it far quicker. I am using this approach more often as a first-pass tool.

For you guys that know these two products, how accurate is this report and summary?

ChatGPT:

 

[TCMColorado]

The KISS principle should be kept in mind here and Redarc definitely wins in this regard. Basically Victron allows for remote monitoring while Redarc does not. This makes sense for a remote setup at a cabin or other installation that might require diagnostic troubleshooting from a distance. It makes less sense for a vehicle that is right in front of you. Also note that testing by various parties has demonstrated that the Redarc DC/DC charging has less fall off at higher ambient temperatures. The Victron throttles back it's output in high temps well before the Redarc does. I will take higher charging performance over remote monitoring.

 

[TheDocAUS]

I don’t believe either system is better or worse and I think the choice depends on your particular needs: IMHO Victron VRM is better for deep remote monitoring and flexibility of configuration and system design, and better suited to high-performance setups, while Redarc Redvision is often preferred for its rugged, integrated, and user-friendly all-in-one design (having said that I have not had any issues with Victron on my Cape York trip either). Victron offers more control and efficiency, especially for remote access and multiple solar array options, but requires more components to assemble. Redarc's system is more streamlined, simple and rugged design. I think the choices as always is down to user preferences which is why I felt Victron was the choice for my setup. This is a good breakdown of the comparisons between the two systems. https://mullerenergy.com.au/redarc-...OMaGMp2LEQGq9OcYtUxJj3wE2L9fD08QjHvG9geYpsucB

I like Muller advice site and his gear, but I am not sure I agree with his comment that Redarc has limited expandability.

The NORWELD power systems for their canopies shows otherwise, Sorry I cannot access Youtube with my low bandwidth at the moment.

The other option is Enerdrive, now owned by Dometic.

 

[TheDocAUS]

I don’t believe either system is better or worse and I think the choice depends on your particular needs: IMHO Victron VRM is better for deep remote monitoring and flexibility of configuration and system design, and better suited to high-performance setups, while Redarc Redvision is often preferred for its rugged, integrated, and user-friendly all-in-one design (having said that I have not had any issues with Victron on my Cape York trip either). Victron offers more control and efficiency, especially for remote access and multiple solar array options, but requires more components to assemble. Redarc's system is more streamlined, simple and rugged design. I think the choices as always is down to user preferences which is why I felt Victron was the choice for my setup. This is a good breakdown of the comparisons between the two systems. https://mullerenergy.com.au/redarc-...OMaGMp2LEQGq9OcYtUxJj3wE2L9fD08QjHvG9geYpsucB

I like Muller's advice and his gear, but I am not sure I agree with his comment that Redarc has limited expandability.

The NORWELD power systems for their canopies shows otherwise:

View: https://youtu.be/v2wQw8oanHE

The other option is Enerdrive, now owned by Dometic. Making REDARC, Victron and Enerdive at the higher end, None of which I have on my Grenaider!

 

[parb]

A bit of a rant...

I spent some time on victrons website but it's a real time sink to figure out how to build a system of you're unfamiliar with the company and their offerings.

One would think they would have a simple reference diagram for a system but no such luck, much less a system builder. Redarc isnt much better.

These companies really need to step out up a notch in making their products much more accessible for folks who have limited working experience with them.

At the end of the day as people on this thread has pointed out. The systems you all end up installing mostly look very similar. How hard is it to put up a system diagram that highlights what each component does, what is required and what can be upgraded later?

 

[anand]

At the end of the day as people on this thread has pointed out. The systems you all end up installing mostly look very similar. How hard is it to put up a system diagram that highlights what each component does, what is required and what can be upgraded later?

Victron is really big on education about their products, this can be found at any of the Overland Expos and many of the similar RV or boating shows across the country. Look for a giant blue trailer that folds open.

But, to address your point, yes, there is a good bit of research that can go into it because they have a lot of products that do similar but different tasks (like the fairly small differences between MultiPlus, Multiplus II, and Quattro inverter/chargers, or the wide array of solar chargers they offer). Victron is also not generally direct to customer (although plenty of their distributors sell the product without any necessary Q&A or communication), most likely for the same reason.

Their help videos are pretty good, and their web forum is quite responsive as well.

If you go do any of their products that you're interested in (on their site), then to Downloads, then System Schematics, that may give you what you want. Before I built my first system that used Victron gear (almost 5 years ago with my first Tundra) I probably spent 20+ hours scouring through their system schematics and sketching out wiring designs before anything went into the vehicle (I had also been doing mock-wiring diagrams and system configurations with their gear on paper for several years for fun). That build was simply using Victron's Smart shunt, SmartSolar, and Phoenix Inverter. After that their systems are like second nature. When wiring up @TWExplor 's Redarc system it was much of the same in terms of looking through how-to's and schematics, and again with the Renogy ONE system in my GX. To me the research and pouring over diagrams is one of the most enjoyable aspects of the process

 

[TheDocAUS]

A bit of a rant...

I spent some time on victrons website but it's a real time sink to figure out how to build a system of you're unfamiliar with the company and their offerings.

One would think they would have a simple reference diagram for a system but no such luck, much less a system builder. Redarc isnt much better.

These companies really need to step out up a notch in making their products much more accessible for folks who have limited working experience with them.

At the end of the day as people on this thread has pointed out. The systems you all end up installing mostly look very similar. How hard is it to put up a system diagram that highlights what each component does, what is required and what can be upgraded later?

REDARC has lots of resources on their website, with full copy of manuals with diagrams etc. Plus their tech help is first class, before and after buying.

I found Redvision a bit hard to follow until I watched this video. I now have it on my caravan and it is really simple to use if set up well, mine was.

View: https://youtu.be/v2wQw8oanHE