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Troubleshooting¶

Description¶

This page lists common issues with Solar Router for ESPHome and how to diagnose them. Start with the LED indicators, then check the power meter and regulation behaviour.

For installation steps, see Installation. For architecture choices, see Firmware.

Diagnostic checklist¶

  1. Is the ESP online in Home Assistant?
  2. What do the status LEDs show?
  3. Is Activate Solar Routing turned ON?
  4. Is real_power updating about once per second (not stuck / not unknown)?
  5. Is a temperature safety limit active?
  6. Are target_grid_exchange, up_reactivity, and down_reactivity sensible for your install?

Optional: enable debug sensors and check module versions.

Status LEDs¶

LED Pattern Meaning
Yellow OFF No power / board not powered
Yellow ON Connected to the network
Yellow Blink Trying to reconnect to the network
Yellow Fast blink Error reading grid exchange power (real_power is NaN)
Green OFF Automatic regulation deactivated
Green ON Regulation active, not diverting
Green Blink Currently diverting energy to the load

Full details: Engine overview — User feedback LEDs.

Common problems¶

Cause: the power meter cannot read a valid value.

Checks:

  • Network power meters (Fronius, Shelly, proxy client): device reachable on the LAN? Correct power_meter_ip_address?
  • Home Assistant power meter: entity IDs correct? Sensor updating often enough? See Home Assistant power meter.
  • Proxy: is the proxy ESP online and is power_meter_activated_at_start: "1" set on the proxy?
  • JSY-MK-194T: UART pins and baud rate correct? See JSY-MK-194T power meter.
  • Try power_sign: "-1" if the CT orientation is inverted (values look mirrored).

Router never diverts (green LED stays ON)¶

Checks:

  • Activate Solar Routing is ON.
  • Surplus is actually available: real_power should be negative (export) beyond target_grid_exchange.
  • safety_limit is not active (temperature limiter).
  • For ON/OFF engine: start level / tempos correctly set — see Engine 1 × switch.

Router oscillates ON/OFF¶

Checks:

  • Lower up_reactivity / down_reactivity (less aggressive).
  • ON/OFF engine: start level must be greater than the load power; adjust start/stop tempos.
  • Multi-channel / bypass engines: increase Bypass Tempo to reduce relay flicker.
  • Multiple routers: stagger targets and reactivity — see Multiple Solar Router configuration.

Load works in manual mode but not automatically¶

Checks:

  • Prefer adjusting router_level rather than regulator_opening alone (LEDs and energy counter follow router_level).
  • Confirm the engine package matches the regulators wired (e.g. mechanical relays need fixed relay_unique_id values for multi-channel engines).

WiFi drops or ESP does not reconnect¶

Remove ap: and captive_portal: from the ESPHome config. See Installation — Step 1.

Temperature safety will not clear / diversion stuck at 0 %¶

Checks:

  • Sensor reachable? If the temperature source is missing, safety_limit stays active.
  • Hysteresis: wait until temperature returns past the release threshold.
  • Validate carefully before leaving unattended — see Temperature limiter.

Home Assistant database grows quickly¶

real_power and energy sensors update every second. Exclude high-frequency entities from the recorder — see Recorder configuration.

Module version sensors look inconsistent¶

Different modules can have different versions; that is normal. See Module versions.

FAQ¶

Do I need Home Assistant for regulation?
No for native power meters (Fronius, Shelly, JSY, proxy). Yes if you use the Home Assistant power meter or HA temperature limiter. HA is still useful for dashboards and the Activate switch.

Standalone or proxy?
See Choosing an architecture.

Positive vs negative real_power?
By convention, positive means import from the grid, negative means export. Use power_sign to flip if your meter is inverted.

Where can I get help?
Open an issue or discussion on the GitHub repository.