09/24/2013
Jack Herndon
I bought the SunnyBoy to replace my Xantrex when it failed after 6 years.I checked the web site and thought I could continue monitoring and logging production like I had on my Xantrex with the addition of the Bluetooth piggy back board. I was sadly surprised that the data logging only works for the hours the unit produces power, then the program SMA supplies looses communication with the inverter and has to be closed and restarted. I had to make repeated calls and spend a lot of time talking to SMA technical people to discover the only way to log data to your own computer is to pay about $1,000 for their network communication box. I ended up buying a home energy monitor that also records alternative energy inputs for $250. Had I known with SMA it was that expensive to log data, I would have spent more time looking at what other manufacturers offer. I feel the web advertising for their monitoring capabilities is misleading as to what it will do.