Andersen A2

[Drew57]

I completely agree about the Andersen aesthetics, it looks lovely compared to everything else and I would happily have paid the extra.

However after thinking about it I was concerned about the potential hassle of having to open a door & wind the cable tightly every time before it could shut again & there are occasions where I have to nip out & interrupt a charging session so the door would probably remain open. My wife didn't like the idea of any of this.

In the end I'm glad I purchased a Zappi because the latest Octopus Agile feature is very smart (tell the charger the maximum you're prepared to pay & the charger does the rest, switching itself on and off accordingly until the set charge limit is reached but only where half hour slots are at or below the chosen £ p/kWh). It's located adjacent to a Wisteria and during the summer months the foliage obscures much of it anyway.

 

[MrBadger]

I wonder why no one else has thought of making a storage cabinet for a charge point, in the way Andersen have done?

@Jason71's solution - Charge Point Cabinet, Antidote to Ugly Charge Points?

The Anderson does have the added benefit of the retractable cable.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

@Jason71 third party solution - Charge Point Cabinet, Antidote to Ugly Charge Points?

The Anderson does have the added benefit of the retractable cable.

That's the sort of neat thing I was thinking of. Nice idea to have it include the house number as well.

The Andersen cable just wraps around the core, via the slot between the rear cabinet section and the front panel. There isn't a cable retract mechanism in there, just the charge point circuitry in a sort of oval centre that the cable winds around. There's a shot of the inside of an Andersen at about 16 minutes in on this video:

 

[Foucault]

I can only speak from personal experience but I’ve never been able to connect my A2 to the internet. I’ve given up chasing Anderson about this as it takes weeks for them to reply and never suggest anything useful (best was when they said it was because I used an iPhone until I pointed out that it didn’t work with android either). It is nice to look at but wouldn’t buy again.

 

[j1mgg]

You get the back of wrapping the cable, easiest way I have found is to look in the top hatch and make sure you are wrapping it in the spaces, and not on top of itself, probably doesn't make sense, but similar to how you go back and forth when winding in a garden hose on a reel.

You can close the tint door when charging, it doesn't have to stay open all the time, but wouldn't make any difference if it did, it isn't the huge panel on the front.

 

[MrBadger]

The Andersen cable just wraps around the core, via the slot between the rear cabinet section and the front panel. There isn't a cable retract mechanism in there, just the charge point circuitry in a sort of oval centre that the cable winds around. This video of an Anderson installation shows exactly what's inside one:

Thanks for clearing that up. When I was looking, I came away with the impression that it was retractable like on a vacuum cleaner or garden hose. I would have been a little disapointed having seen that as I thought it a great USP.

Nice looking units though. Just a bit too wide to fit on a brick and half return so didn't make the short list.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Automatic cable retract would be neat, but I'd guess the slip rings needed to handle 32 A would be bulky, plus the spring needed to operate the retract on a heavy cable might make it a bit difficult to use. As an aside, I'm impressed with the new cable that EV ChargeKing are now supplying with their made up cables. Slimmer than many charge cables and yet it is stiff enough to not kink up, unlike the awful stuff Rolec use. It seems to have a very scuff resistant outer sheath, looks a bit like shiny polyurethane, as used for industrial airlines.

 

[Zakalwe]

I can only speak from personal experience but I’ve never been able to connect my A2 to the internet. I’ve given up chasing Anderson about this as it takes weeks for them to reply and never suggest anything useful (best was when they said it was because I used an iPhone until I pointed out that it didn’t work with android either). It is nice to look at but wouldn’t buy again.

Is your WiFi signal poor at the charge point installation? I can't say that I've had any problems connecting mine to WiFi, though I do have a Ubiquiti WAP in the house to boost the signal.

The Andersens do have an Ethernet port, so if you could run a Cat 5 cable to it then that might also be a solution?

 

[Foucault]

Is your WiFi signal poor at the charge point installation? I can't say that I've had any problems connecting mine to WiFi, though I do have a Ubiquiti WAP in the house to boost the signal.

The Andersens do have an Ethernet port, so if you could run a Cat 5 cable to it then that might also be a solution?

One of my WiFi mesh routers is only about 3 feet away from the charger, although on the other side of a wall, so it isn’t a signal issue (for instance the car connects fine). I think it’s a fault as does Anderson and they did say they’d send an engineer to check but that was back in January and still waiting for them to arrange a date. As I said I stopped chasing them but not great customer service, hence why I wouldn’t buy again.

 

[M3-Mark]

That has never been an issue for me - perhaps this is because the longer cable you have (I have the standard length one).

Yes you might be right. I'll post in a few weeks time once I've had some full use of the A2 when my MP3 arrives on the 19th December!

 

[Tann_man]

People with an A2. When you lift the top flap of your A2 does the light come on? Or does it the light gradually increase? Mine used come on gradually but now just comes on as if turning on a light

 

[MadScientist]

Mine just turns full on immediately.

 

[RoadMap]

Mine just turns full on immediately.

Ditto

 

[Durzel]

+1 mine just switches on.

 

[Tann_man]

Roughly 2 minutes into the video. Looks like they changed it with a software update. Mine used to ‘dim up’ a while back.

 

[browellm]

Any of you A2 owners using it with solar? From what I can see the A2 now includes solar support and I'd like to get your experience of how well this works through the app etc.

Obviously the Zappi solar integration functionality is well documented, the A2 less so.

 

[RedUn]

Is everyone still happy with their A2s? I'm close to going for one... If you were buying again would you go the same?

Thanks all

 

[nufan]

Yep - just buy it. I have no regrets.

 

[Bootneckshuffl]

Pulled the trigger

A2 Sourhbank Grey

Jan2021

 

[RedUn]

Yep - just buy it. I have no regrets.

Consider it done! First job in the morning!!