Tesla Solar Monitoring Quickstart Guide


Tesla Solar Monitoring Quickstart Guide

If you have installed Tesla solar panels, you might already know that you can monitor your solar production through Tesla’s new app and internet interface, but are you sure how it all works? Tesla is a company full of innovations, but sometimes, it takes a little know-how to get everything working properly.

You might have a general idea about the app, but this guide will explain how to best operate the Tesla Solar Monitoring app. Therefore, keep reading to find out everything you need to know when working with Tesla Solar Monitoring.

Connecting Your Tesla Solar Monitoring App to Your Panels

After your solar panels have been installed, any solar panels installed in correspondence with Tesla will come with a Tesla Solar Inverter already installed, making it easier for you to get started. Of course, this depends on whether you got your solar panels through Tesla or if you got a third-party installation.

If you went with a third-party installation, you would need to get a Tesla Gateway, commonly provided for you when the solar panel is installed. The Tesla Gateway will connect to your solar inverter wirelessly and communicate with your monitoring app via your internet connection.

Steps to Connecting to the Tesla Solar Inverter

If you have the Tesla Solar Inverter, you need to know how to go about connecting to it. That way, you can monitor your solar panels. It can seem complicated, but it is a straightforward process that will only take between 10 to 20 minutes, depending on your Wi-Fi’s speed. Steps to connect:

  • After your Tesla Inverter has been installed, you will need to wait 15 minutes before beginning the connection process. After those 15 minutes, you will find the QR code necessary to sign in to the Tesla Inverter Wi-Fi network.
  • Once you have done this, you will need to open up a web browser of your choice and then enter “192.168.92.1” into the address field. This will bring up the login for the configuration interface.
  • Log into the interface with the email address that you used when setting up your Tesla account.
  • After you have completed the configuration steps, you can switch Wi-Fi networks back to your home network. Your Tesla Solar Inverter will then connect to your home network, and then you will begin your solar monitoring.

Steps to Connecting to the Tesla Gateway

Connecting to a Tesla Gateway is slightly more complicated than connecting to a Tesla Solar Inverter, but it will only take a little longer to set up. Steps to connect:

  • After you receive your Tesla Gateway, you will need to locate the serial number on the back of the Tesla Gateway. You will use this serial number to log into your Tesla Gateway’s Wi-Fi network.
  • After you have connected to the Gateway’s Wi-Fi network – seen as TEG-xxx (“xxx” is the last three digits of the serial number found on the back of the Network). You will need to open a web browser and then search either “192.168.91.1”, “https://teg,” or “https://teg-XXX.”
  • You may have to tell your browser that the site is safe since the SSL certificates that each Gateway comes with are not pre-registered with Google. After the page loads, you can enter the login screen.
  • When you log in, you will need to log in as a customer with the email address that you used for your Tesla account. The password will be the last five characters of your Gateway serial number.
  • Once you have connected and refreshed your Wi-Fi networks to sync them together, you will be able to monitor your solar panels from your phone now via the Tesla monitoring app.

Tesla Solar Monitoring App: My Home

When looking at your Tesla Solar Monitoring App, the main page will be where all your information regarding your solar monitoring will be found. You will typically see a graph on the screen first, which shows you how many kWh your solar panels are producing.

You can switch between different dates by clicking on the date on the screen, allowing you to choose the timeframe you wish to see. This way, you will be able to observe how your solar panels are producing over time.

Losing Connection With Your Solar Panels

A common issue that can sometimes occur with the monitoring of your solar panels is that you can lose the connection between the app and the solar panels. In the case of this happening, the first steps that you should do are:

  • Check your Wi-Fi network to see if it is down.
  • Reset your home Wi-Fi network
  • Reset the Inverter network

If you are using a Tesla Gateway, there is a good possibility that your inverter is too far away from the Tesla Gateway. Try moving your inverter and Gateway closer together to boost the signal between the two.

There may be times that you will be unable to fix the issue yourself regarding connection issues. In that case, it is recommended that you contact the support team at Tesla, as there is most likely a more complicated reason for why you have lost connection to your solar panels.

Where Can I Monitor My Solar Panels

Currently, Tesla only has given you the ability to monitor your solar panels via an app on your smartphone. Once you get your solar panels installed, you will need to go to the play store for your respective phone and download the Tesla app.

At this time, you are unable to monitor your solar panels via desktop or web. However, you can still access your Tesla account to pay bills and view documents and other information related to your account via desktop or the web.

Permission to Operate

When getting set up to monitor your solar panels’ production, you will need to contact your electric company that way; you can receive permission to operate. Once you have received permission to operate, you can see how much solar energy your panels are producing in the app.

This process could take several days depending on the electric company you are working with, so keep that in mind when planning around this. This will most likely be the longest portion of your solar panel set up after the initial installation.

Using the Power Flow in the App

There is a section called the Power Flow in the Tesla App, which is a handy tool when monitoring your solar panels. The Power Flow section shows you in real-time the amount of power that is:

  • Being generated by your solar panels
  • Being used by your home
  • Being stored/discharged in your Powerwall
  • Being exported/imported from the grid

Your App Is Showing Inconsistent Data

Sometimes, when you monitor your solar panels, you may see what appears to be inconsistent data on your Tesla app. Your app with Power Flow will show you the instantaneous flow of energy into your home each day.

Since most days, energy will be flowing into your house, refilling your backup batteries, and going through the Power Wall, leading to data that seems inconsistent at times on the app.

You will need to wait till later in the day when you see the entire overview of your home usage, the grid, and the Power Wall before you will be able to see completely accurate data for the time frame that you are observing.

Conclusion

Switching over to solar panels tends to be a big deal, and it can be challenging to get used to all the technology that goes into monitoring your solar panels. Given the time, however, you will efficiently and quickly monitor and understand your solar panel energy output and inputs.

Solar Discounts:

Greg

The articles here on ThatTeslaChannel.com are created by Greg, a Tesla vehicle and Tesla solar expert with nearly half a decade of hands-on experience. The information on this site is fact-checked and tested in-person to ensure the best possible level of accuracy.

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