RBgrid

Web app FAQ

Opening the app

Where do I open the app? Two ways: at webapp.rbgrid.io (Chrome or Edge, connect to the hub's address), or at the hub's own address once you've installed the app on it. → Opening the app

The hub's address opens, but there's no app (only a minimal page). The web app isn't part of the firmware file. Install rbgrid-ui_<version>.zip from the release onto the hub once, or open the app at webapp.rbgrid.io instead. → Opening the app

webapp.rbgrid.io says no hub answers.

  • Your computer must be on the same network as the hub.
  • Check the address: it's the hub's address on your home network, not 192.168.4.1.
  • When Chrome or Edge asked whether the site may access devices on your local network, you had to allow it. If you didn't, allow it in the browser's site settings (Local network access) and connect again.
  • Firefox and Safari haven't been tested yet: use Chrome or Edge.

Do I need internet for the app? At webapp.rbgrid.io, only to load the page. The app installed on the hub works on your home network alone. The hub uses internet only to set its clock; without internet, set the clock from your browser (Use this device's time). → Time

Does my data go through RobotDyn's servers? No. In both ways the app talks to the hub directly on your network. At webapp.rbgrid.io only the page itself loads from our site.

What is demo.rbgrid.io? A demo with sample sites, so you can look around without a hub. It can't connect to your hub.

Setup

Can I leave the wizard half-way? Yes. Nothing is blocked: skip optional steps and come back later from System → Setup wizard. Done lists what's left. → Setup wizard

The wizard says "Almost done". What's missing? The Done step lists it: a site name (not "Default"), a synchronized clock, your own tariff and at least one point. Each row has a Fix button.

The time says "not synchronized". The hub sets its clock over the internet (NTP). Check that the hub is on your home Wi-Fi with internet and choose Sync with NTP. Without internet, choose Use this device's time. → Time

Why do "today" and the tariff zones look shifted? The hub's time zone differs from where you are. Set it in Settings → Time. The Overview shows a note when the hub's zone and your browser's differ by 30 minutes or more.

I changed a setting, but nothing happened. Settings has a bar at the top: Unsaved changes: n. Choose Apply. Some settings apply only after a restart: then the button reads Save and restart. A few panels (Security, Browser access, Hub access point, MQTT broker) save with their own button. → Settings

I changed my home Wi-Fi. How do I move the hub? In Settings, the Connection card: scan, choose the network, enter its password, Save and reboot. If the hub gets a new address, open the app at the new one.

Tariff and money

Why does money show "factory example"? No tariff has been set yet. Set yours in the wizard (new hub) or in Tariffs. → Tariffs

I used the wizard's tariff step and my taxes and zones are gone. The wizard's quick tariff always rebuilds the whole plan. When the hub has a fuller plan of your own, it asks Replace the hub's tariff? first. Use it on a new hub; to change an existing plan, use Tariffs.

Are standing (monthly) charges counted? No. Costs and forecasts are energy-based: per-kWh prices, per-kWh taxes and fees, and VAT.

What does "≈" mean next to an amount? It's the app's own estimate at your current rates, for example the cost per hour of the power right now, or a month forecast. → The Overview

If I change the tariff, do past costs change? No. The hub stores the cost of each period at the rates in force then. A new tariff applies from the moment you save it.

Points and modules

What's a "point"? One measured line with a name and a role: the grid input, a circuit, an appliance, solar. Points come from the current channels of your rbAmp modules. → Points

How many modules and points can the hub take? Up to 8 rbAmp modules (hub firmware v1.1.2 and later). The hub keeps history for up to 12 points; more points show live values only.

Can I rename a point? Yes, on hub firmware v1.1.4. On v1.1.3 and earlier, on ESP32 chip revisions before v3, a renamed point could disappear after the next restart, together with its history: update the hub to v1.1.4 first. → Points

I added a point, but it has no history. Restart the hub: a newly bound point starts keeping history after a restart. If all 12 history slots are used, the point shows live values only.

How do I add a second module? Points → Add a module, then follow the dialog. New modules all arrive at the same factory address, so the app first moves a module off it for you. Connect one new module at a time, with the hub off. → Sensors and modules

What happens when I unbind or delete a point? Both do the same: the point stops being metered and leaves the overview, and its stored history on the hub is erased for good. Download it first in History (CSV) if you may need it. The sensor channel stays free and can be bound as a new point.

The scan doesn't find my new module.

  • Connect new modules one at a time, with the hub switched off: every new module arrives at the same factory address, 0x50.
  • If a module already sits at 0x50, the dialog first moves it to a free address. Do that before you connect the new one.
  • A bus line is held low or the module bus is stuck: a module may be without power, set to another mode, or wired wrong. When you remove a module, unplug its whole cable, not only the power. → Sensors and modules

What does "Unmetered" mean? The difference between what the grid input measures and the sum of your metered lines. It isn't one device: it's everything no point measures.

The input shows export, but I have no solar. A current sensor on the input most likely faces the wrong way. Switch off the supply and turn the sensor round on the conductor (arrow towards the home).

A point says "sensor reversed — not metered". A Basic module counts consumption in one direction only. Its sensor faces the wrong way, so the load isn't counted. Turn the sensor round (arrow towards the load).

What do "clipping" and "sensor limit" mean? The current is at, or near, the top of the sensor's range. Above it, readings are cut off and the point counts less than it uses. Fit a sensor with a higher rating.

Can I measure three phases? Yes, with an rbAmp STD-U3I3 on the input: set Settings → Mains to Three phase, then Points → Use as the three-phase input, and restart. → Scenario: one main meter

Home Assistant and MQTT

How do I get the data into Home Assistant? Connect the hub to an MQTT broker in Settings → Home Assistant. Home Assistant finds the hub's sensors by itself (MQTT discovery). → MQTT broker

Which sensors go into the Energy dashboard? The points' energy sensors ("Energy In", "Energy Out"). Settings → Home Assistant shows a table of what to pick.

I deleted a point, but Home Assistant still shows it. Its discovery messages stay on the broker. Remove the entities in Home Assistant.

Is the MQTT connection encrypted? Not yet: use a broker on your own network, with its own users and access rules. → MQTT broker

Security

Do I need an API token? It's optional, but recommended. Without it, anyone on your network who opens the app can change the hub's settings and tariff. → Settings

I set a token, and another browser can't save anything. The token is kept per browser. Enter it once in the other browser (Settings → Security).

The app warns about the hub's access point or the API token. The hub's own Wi-Fi still uses the setup password, or no API token is set, or both. The warning's buttons lead to Access-point password and API token. It goes away only when both are done: without a token, the hub doesn't tell the app whether its password was changed.

I forgot the token. There's no way to reset it from the app: every change, factory reset included, needs the token. The only way back is a clean flash over USB: erase the flash and write the four release files again (the "start clean" steps in the release notes). That erases Wi-Fi, settings, points, tariff and tokens; expect the history to be lost too. Keep your API token somewhere safe.

Updates

How do I update the app? At webapp.rbgrid.io it's always the latest; nothing to do. For the app installed on the hub, install the new rbgrid-ui_<version>.zip from the release the same way as the first time. Your settings and history are on the hub and stay. → Opening the app

How do I update the hub's firmware? In Settings → Hub firmware, upload main_release.bin from the new release (the other three files are for USB flashing only). Wi-Fi, settings, points, tariff, tokens and history are kept, and the modules keep counting during the update. If the new firmware doesn't start, the hub goes back to the previous one by itself. Then install the release's matching rbgrid-ui_<version>.zip. → Settings