eml2
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For me, the change always happens between :40 to :45 on the hour. So, it depends on when I make the change.
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Does Powerwall Alert You When The Grid Goes Down?
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Bigtanuki
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I think it's different for each system. It is hourly and it seems to move ahead slightly (minutes) over a long period (months) of time. Mine used to be at about 47 minutes after the hour when the system was installed in August 2017. Now it has moved forward to about 3 minutes until the hour. When I anticipate making a change I set an alarm on my phone and input the new settings to the Tesla app. I check back after the hour to verify the power flows have changed as anticipated. Clunky but works. I'm hoping the new, promised TOU software will allow a reasonable amount of flexibility for scheduling.
IFTTT or a home automation system can do this. I built a HomeSeer plugin for the Powerwall that checks the Powerwall status via the LAN every few seconds and if the grid drops can take any action (such as turning on/off lights). I also have a HomeSeer color LED dimmer in my master bedroom which shows 7 status LEDs - the top two I have linked to the front and garage door (blinks red if either are unlocked/open) and the third is linked to the Powerwall. It changes from blue to green to yellow to red at different power consumption levels (<500w for blue and >3kw for red) but then blinks red if the grid is out.
So ultimately your Powerwall needs to be able to communicate status to your home automation system. This is by far the trickiest part because in the case of a power outage it's possible your internet connection will not work so all of the communication needs to be done on your local network. I'm only familiar with the HomeSeer plugin I wrote and Darwin's SmartThings Powerwall Manager. For other home automation platforms, such as X-10, you'd have to roll your own.
That pretty much leaves two options:
1) Build your own interface for X-10 (and possibly buy new X-10 hardware that allows for local network commands). On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is the most difficult this is probably a 7 or an 8 due to the programming needed to build the connection.
2) Get HomeSeer or SmartThings and use the plugins I shared earlier. Of course this requires buying a whole new set of home automation equipment (maybe you already want to do that
), setting it up, and configuring the Powerwall connectivity. On a difficulty scale of 1-10 this is probably a 4 or 5.
That pretty much leaves two options:
1) Build your own interface for X-10 (and possibly buy new X-10 hardware that allows for local network commands). On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is the most difficult this is probably a 7 or an 8 due to the programming needed to build the connection.
2) Get HomeSeer or SmartThings and use the plugins I shared earlier. Of course this requires buying a whole new set of home automation equipment (maybe you already want to do that
), setting it up, and configuring the Powerwall connectivity. On a difficulty scale of 1-10 this is probably a 4 or 5.
Looking at phone notification = difficulty level 0So ultimately your Powerwall needs to be able to communicate status to your home automation system. This is by far the trickiest part because in the case of a power outage it's possible your internet connection will not work so all of the communication needs to be done on your local network. I'm only familiar with the HomeSeer plugin I wrote and Darwin's SmartThings Powerwall Manager. For other home automation platforms, such as X-10, you'd have to roll your own.
That pretty much leaves two options:
1) Build your own interface for X-10 (and possibly buy new X-10 hardware that allows for local network commands). On a scale of 1-10 where 10 is the most difficult this is probably a 7 or an 8 due to the programming needed to build the connection.
2) Get HomeSeer or SmartThings and use the plugins I shared earlier. Of course this requires buying a whole new set of home automation equipment (maybe you already want to do that
@MorrisonHiker well yes of course but if you read DeBear's post he explicitly says he has no phone
I guess an answer could be "get a phone"!
Well he could check his computer or tablets then.@MorrisonHiker well yes of course but if you read DeBear's post he explicitly says he has no phone
Even if he doesn't want to, that's much less effort that buying new hardware and trying to program it to do something that can already be easily seen with existing hardware and software. The easiest option would be to just check notifications. If one doesn't want to be bothered to manually look at a mobile device, one could set up an old tablet or Chromebook or existing device to always display the gateway interface. The screen could even be set to always stay on so that no effort is required to push a button. No programming required or new hardware required and he'd get the same offline/online information by just glancing at the tablet or Chromebook on the desk or wall.Another option might be to just plug in a UPS and wait for it to beep when the frequency is too high, but it sounds like they are updating the software to address that, so it can't be depended on.
Well he could check his computer or tablets then.
Another option might be to just plug in a UPS and wait for it to beep when the frequency is too high, but it sounds like they are updating the software to address that, so it can't be depended on.
That wasn't his ask, though. His specific question was "Is there a way to turn on an Alert light or something when on Backup battery power?", which I helped answer. Honestly I find it annoying on these boards where someone asks a direct question and folks chime in to say "well why don't you just do X" where X was either already discussed or implying that X wasn't already considered is pretty insulting...
The UPS won't work as a) there is a fix: My grid outage frequency issue is resolved! and b) even if you don't apply the fix the frequency is only high during high SoC and solar production, which is not always during a grid outage.
Sometimes people make things more difficult than they really are. I've seen developers write hundreds of lines of code at work when ONE simple IF statement would've solved the problem.
Sometimes there is an easier solution. There's no need to be annoyed when someone suggests an alternative solution.
Both the gateway display and the app clearly indicate when the grid is down.
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One way to do this without any programming is to use a relay. If you have any unbacked-up circuits, or the ability to add one from your main panel, connect it to the coil of a 120V AC relay. When the utility power is on, the relay will be energized. When the utility power is off, it will be de-energized. A small light connected to the normally open contacts of this relay, powered from a backed-up circuit or a battery, will turn on when the utility power fails.
Not definitive or very TECH but I came up with a pretty good indicator of grid down. Won't help if the power company disconnects me for grid stability but hope that will not be frequent. No cell reception here but if the PowerWall uses WiFi for notifications to my tablets I should be good.
I don't know about fiber but most HFC networks go down with a grid outage. Even if the ISP has a headend backup, the inline amps along the way are generally powered by the grid.
My cable modem has incredibly bright blue lights when bonded. With a cable failure, it will be hard to not notice the missing blue glow anytime I pass my little office.
I don't know about fiber but most HFC networks go down with a grid outage. Even if the ISP has a headend backup, the inline amps along the way are generally powered by the grid.
My cable modem has incredibly bright blue lights when bonded. With a cable failure, it will be hard to not notice the missing blue glow anytime I pass my little office.
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