I am actually more concerned about my refrigerator... It has been talking to the dishwasher. They won't talk to me. They only share knowing glances with each other when I am in the room...😮
I don't connect any of my equipment to wifi, but I am also skeptical of this article and who stands to benefit from spreading the fear and suppress solar technology. Last one I would trust is some power company to 'keep me safe' by essentially discouraging me from not buying my power from them. I've been in tech since the 1990's and this is just fearmongering propaganda type stuff imo. Their GRID is what is under threat FAR MORE than some off-grid solar dude powering a single home with a little inverter. I see no realy need for wifi in a solar setup anyway unless you REALLY needed remote monitoring for some reason, like a weekend cabin or something like that where a person isn't actually living there.
Unfortunately, my power company requires remote access to your invertor. Not crazy about this and feel it is not needed and only creates an unneeded security risk. If they want to turn it off there is a disconnect located on the premise.
The inverter is functioning perfectly; there's no need to replace it. Simply avoid injecting more than 60V into it to prevent shutdowns. Lower the charge voltage to 54V.
@@ItsEverythingElse First off.. Read it again. 2nd: nope, epsecially from an UNTRUSTED WEBSITE\SOURCE like that. Too much SPAM and crap being created to mislead the peeps. i'm pretty sure Bob said it well enough. I'm good with that.
There is IoT network always on and all around us completely soft. They reason they probably didn't give details is it gives the aggressor information on how much the USG knows. The answer is not to be in fear but think ahead; if our solar systems went down, what appropriate technology would we each have on hand or at least planned out to make up for it? No, unfortunately, I think the advisory is spot on but we will have to wait for people like white hats to help harden small solar systems.
We are meddling in others affairs. They will reciprocate. I find if we take care of our own family, house, vehicles, have integrity it’s a much better world.
Bob, crazy world around us my friend… An all in on inverter will not connect to your or anyone else’s internet unless you run through the process of connecting it …. You can use it freely if you do not connect the wi fi module… I believe you can still use the blue tooth end of it. I have used mine without the module.
In Australia, your inverter must be connected to internet so that grid operators can moni sand switch it off if too much solar power, all servers of Chinese inverter are in China.
That article is straight up fear-mongering. If you only remember one basic principle of cybersecurity, it is to always use strong passwords. If your inverter has any type of web interface, change the default password to a passphrase. If you do have any device that connects to the Internet, make sure you always keep the firmware up to date, especially if those updates contain security patches. The most likely avenues for an attacker to gain access to your systems is by exploiting a vulnerability in your home router or by guessing weak or default passwords that should’ve been changed first thing, and you have the power to control both of those.
@@darthvader1648 Not fear my friend… knowing is making an informed decision. In one of my former lives I worked for Pentagon cyber security… it’s completely possible.
@@jimbor2279 I am giving advice on how to mitigate or prevent such activity. So, I clearly also think it is possible. APT groups and nation states aren’t going after the average Joe with solar components connected to the internet. There are bigger fish in the sea.
Hi Bob, check your firmware on the unit and then check the manufacturers website to see if you need an update, if not don't connect to internet.. not required for normal operation. I would start hooking it up and testing..
I've got victron gear and only plug it into my modem after i get notification that there is a software update then unplug it. I dont need to monitor it while im away. Thats one of the reasons that you get quality equipment, piece of mind.
If you are truly worried about this.. then you better throw away your.. smart tv.. your home google speakers... your computer you are uploading this video on.. your phones.. any smart light switches.. home security systems.. you get the picture.. just about anything we plug into the wall these days.
I think the security issue is not related specifically to the solar equipment. From what I know, if a hacker gets into a camera, charge controller or kettle etc it SEEMS harmless but... if they use this connection to get into your LAN then it's risky because they'll see everything in the house. Your suggestion is good regarding setting up guest WiFi and using it, because the main LAN can't be seen from it. Personally I use openvpn on the home router and my phone for outside access and never forward any ports. For victron I'm running venus OS on a raspberry pi which can be logged into using the victron connect mobile app.
The problem is with people who want full remote access to all their solar equipment and all of it's data when they are away from home, so everything is web accessible, then others can find passwords and get access to everything. The bigger the system the more likely it is that bad actors will be interested. Shutting off one house is boring, malevently adjusting a solar farm in the megawatt level could well kill people.
Inflammatory headlines are the tip of the iceberg. There are a lot of "cybersecurity" researchers and professionals that are out trying to make a name for themselves. I think it is becoming a problem. I spent years responding to cybersecurity issues, and the last two years experienced a sudden and drastic increase in reports along with a commensurate decline in the actual severity (impact) and probability of the issue being encountered. In other words, to signal to noise ratio has become dramatically worse (more noise, less useful signal) in cybersecurity reports. Numerous reports are being created and then people with actual knowledge and skill must spend time and effort to understand and fix the issue, only to find a very exaggerated severity. Then those experts must spend more time fighting to get it correctly graded and communicated and some issue reporting systems will never update. Many of the more recent issues I had to deal with, actually had low severity and no known way to exploit, yet originally had come thru graded as highest severity and remotely exploitable based on claims by the researcher. Compound this data quality problem with tools used by large customers to analyze their systems and compare with public security issue databases. These tools are intended to keep the operator safe, and when a problem is thought to exist will do all but sound air raid sirens. This becomes a recipe for tremendous time wasted by everyone involved at customers, vendors, service providers, etc. I don't know where it goes from here. I quit.
Very well said brother, and I concur 100% That article ruffled my feathers because the headline was completely fear based clickbait.Aloha!...we not worried here🤙
Interesting article seemingly written by people who don't understand the subject. I believe the real intention was to alert the grid operators more but point is taken. Just be careful in RV parks, as I love to reset VE controller settings using my blue tooth......lol
Also quite a few micro inverters are vulnerable. Your new inverter seems to use a solar man dongle. A much better ( and unhackable as it is fully local) would be a solar assistant on a local micro computer that uses about 5 watts
Be careful they might find out your chicken feeding pattern…My internet tv already listens to me and knows everything…maybe you should make tin foil hats for you and all the cats ??? Have fun stay safe.
Well, it doesn't apply here, none of your equipment is on the internet. All your victron stuff is just on bluetooth (range limited local wireless). Victron does have internet connectivity features through (I think) their Cerbo product. But none of the base equipment has wifi capability. Only bluetooth (wireless to your phone when in range). You can just leave the wifi connectivity turned off for anything that has it. My home fridge has wifi capability... I left it unconfigured. My NEST thermostat has wifi connectivity... I connect it temporarily if I want to update it, then I disconnect it from the wifi.
For that reason when I started solar I went with string inverters with no connection to the internet. Micro inverter s can be controlled and/ or shut down by the manufacturer company or not work at all without the connection to internet. So that being said old school string inverters like what I have , the magnum pae spit phase 120/240 inverters are un hack able since they are not connected or need the internet to work . No one shuts my system down but my two hands and of course the Sun 😂
I would not buy anything that you have to connect to the internet to use. If you do not have to then you should be safe even if it has internet capabilities. Just never connect it and it should never be able to connect itself unless someone comes close enough to connect to their wifi internet and somehow take control of it. I would think they would have to be within 500 feet of your home to do that. To me bluetooth is okay, not entirely safe from some sort of cyber attack, most bluetooth has to be within 100 feet that I know of, but I really prefer not having to use apps at all.
There is no need to connect you solar system to the internet. Not a very bright idea. And none of my household appliances will ever be connected either. Or my thermostat. People better start smartening up.
If there is no actual information within the first two paragraphs, then it's useless information to me. 100% alarmist, 0% informational. Basically all I heard was "inverters are connected to the internet and therefor MIGHT be vulnerable". Yeah well no poop sherlock, every device connected to the internet is potentially vulnerable. Just buy decent inverters which don't require internet to function in the first place. This advice basically applies to every device. If it needs internet to function, then don't. You already have victron in your house, then go and upgrade to a full victron system. Which you can connect to home assistant if you so desire.
Like some of the other commenters this sounds like propaganda from owners of stranded assets like fossil fuel companies and shiny shoes parasites in power companies. When we,don’t need their products they’ll have to get a real job. My solar power system is kept dumb on purpose. Entropy is working its magic on me at 71 years old and I don’t want anything smarter than me in my house. I find the virtual power plant technology very interesting and think it would be good for small co-op style isolated grids. If there is only one connection point to national grid,then cellular systems like these are less vulnerable to cyberattacks. I personally don’t want to have grid tied solar because you have to sing in tune with a bigger network. A better analogy might be it’s like dancing with a very drunk fat lady. Lot of interesting possibilities but you have to look out for your feet.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #30 ДВА В ОДНОМ [Один человек]• Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nrXy15orKhY/mqdefault.jpg)
I am actually more concerned about my refrigerator... It has been talking to the dishwasher. They won't talk to me. They only share knowing glances with each other when I am in the room...😮
🤣🤙
Maybe it's a sign to start going easy on the cheese there buddy.
🤣👍👍
I don't connect any of my equipment to wifi, but I am also skeptical of this article and who stands to benefit from spreading the fear and suppress solar technology. Last one I would trust is some power company to 'keep me safe' by essentially discouraging me from not buying my power from them. I've been in tech since the 1990's and this is just fearmongering propaganda type stuff imo. Their GRID is what is under threat FAR MORE than some off-grid solar dude powering a single home with a little inverter. I see no realy need for wifi in a solar setup anyway unless you REALLY needed remote monitoring for some reason, like a weekend cabin or something like that where a person isn't actually living there.
You got that right my brother! I feel the same🤙
Unfortunately, my power company requires remote access to your invertor. Not crazy about this and feel it is not needed and only creates an unneeded security risk. If they want to turn it off there is a disconnect located on the premise.
The inverter is functioning perfectly; there's no need to replace it. Simply avoid injecting more than 60V into it to prevent shutdowns. Lower the charge voltage to 54V.
Wow.. kinda not surprised by an entity of our government. STUPIDITY AT AN ALL TIME LOW.
Ain't that the truth! Aloha!🤙
What are you even talking about? Did you read the statement? s3.documentcloud.org/documents/24788637/fbiwarning.pdf
@@ItsEverythingElse First off.. Read it again. 2nd: nope, epsecially from an UNTRUSTED WEBSITE\SOURCE like that. Too much SPAM and crap being created to mislead the peeps. i'm pretty sure Bob said it well enough. I'm good with that.
Better to remind people than say nothing at all. Solar Generators have WIFI through Bluetooth apps firmware updates and such. Good reminder.
@@Off-gridPA I agree, which is why I gave his video a thumbs up..
I've painted my roof blue
Make sure your firewall is up to date
🤙
There is IoT network always on and all around us completely soft. They reason they probably didn't give details is it gives the aggressor information on how much the USG knows. The answer is not to be in fear but think ahead; if our solar systems went down, what appropriate technology would we each have on hand or at least planned out to make up for it?
No, unfortunately, I think the advisory is spot on but we will have to wait for people like white hats to help harden small solar systems.
Your furry solar panel security team were asleep at the switch!
Don't admonish them just yet, they're too cute!
They run the show out here! 🤣 Aloha brother!🤙
We are meddling in others affairs. They will reciprocate. I find if we take care of our own family, house, vehicles, have integrity it’s a much better world.
That is why my invertor is not hooked to the internet.
Sounds like the show about the crockpot fire episode. Then everyone threw away their crockpot
🤣🤙
Bob, crazy world around us my friend… An all in on inverter will not connect to your or anyone else’s internet unless you run through the process of connecting it …. You can use it freely if you do not connect the wi fi module… I believe you can still use the blue tooth end of it. I have used mine without the module.
I'm gonna hook it up today...not skeered in the least🤣🤙
@@ProjectsinParadise808Sweet 👍
In Australia, your inverter must be connected to internet so that grid operators can moni sand switch it off if too much solar power, all servers of Chinese inverter are in China.
@@pr5991 that may be mate … bob’s system , i believe is completely off grid. It is a completely stand alone and autonomous system .
That article is straight up fear-mongering. If you only remember one basic principle of cybersecurity, it is to always use strong passwords. If your inverter has any type of web interface, change the default password to a passphrase. If you do have any device that connects to the Internet, make sure you always keep the firmware up to date, especially if those updates contain security patches. The most likely avenues for an attacker to gain access to your systems is by exploiting a vulnerability in your home router or by guessing weak or default passwords that should’ve been changed first thing, and you have the power to control both of those.
@@darthvader1648 Not fear my friend… knowing is making an informed decision. In one of my former lives I worked for Pentagon cyber security… it’s completely possible.
@@jimbor2279 I am giving advice on how to mitigate or prevent such activity. So, I clearly also think it is possible. APT groups and nation states aren’t going after the average Joe with solar components connected to the internet. There are bigger fish in the sea.
good stuff🤙
🤙
Hi Bob, check your firmware on the unit and then check the manufacturers website to see if you need an update, if not don't connect to internet.. not required for normal operation.
I would start hooking it up and testing..
Copy that, and will do brother! I plan on being OFF the Grid here!🤙
I've got victron gear and only plug it into my modem after i get notification that there is a software update then unplug it. I dont need to monitor it while im away. Thats one of the reasons that you get quality equipment, piece of mind.
🤙
If you are truly worried about this.. then you better throw away your.. smart tv.. your home google speakers... your computer you are uploading this video on.. your phones.. any smart light switches.. home security systems.. you get the picture.. just about anything we plug into the wall these days.
I think the security issue is not related specifically to the solar equipment. From what I know, if a hacker gets into a camera, charge controller or kettle etc it SEEMS harmless but... if they use this connection to get into your LAN then it's risky because they'll see everything in the house. Your suggestion is good regarding setting up guest WiFi and using it, because the main LAN can't be seen from it. Personally I use openvpn on the home router and my phone for outside access and never forward any ports. For victron I'm running venus OS on a raspberry pi which can be logged into using the victron connect mobile app.
Cats do they worry . Food .. all they think. .. what. Do I know . More work for FBI ..
The problem is with people who want full remote access to all their solar equipment and all of it's data when they are away from home, so everything is web accessible, then others can find passwords and get access to everything. The bigger the system the more likely it is that bad actors will be interested. Shutting off one house is boring, malevently adjusting a solar farm in the megawatt level could well kill people.
True🤙
EG4 are safe. You have the option to connect thru a dongle to connect or not.
The only smart i want in stuff i buy is it to work.
Yes sir🤙
I think this might apply to grid tie inverters.
🤙
Inflammatory headlines are the tip of the iceberg.
There are a lot of "cybersecurity" researchers and professionals that are out trying to make a name for themselves. I think it is becoming a problem. I spent years responding to cybersecurity issues, and the last two years experienced a sudden and drastic increase in reports along with a commensurate decline in the actual severity (impact) and probability of the issue being encountered. In other words, to signal to noise ratio has become dramatically worse (more noise, less useful signal) in cybersecurity reports.
Numerous reports are being created and then people with actual knowledge and skill must spend time and effort to understand and fix the issue, only to find a very exaggerated severity. Then those experts must spend more time fighting to get it correctly graded and communicated and some issue reporting systems will never update. Many of the more recent issues I had to deal with, actually had low severity and no known way to exploit, yet originally had come thru graded as highest severity and remotely exploitable based on claims by the researcher.
Compound this data quality problem with tools used by large customers to analyze their systems and compare with public security issue databases. These tools are intended to keep the operator safe, and when a problem is thought to exist will do all but sound air raid sirens. This becomes a recipe for tremendous time wasted by everyone involved at customers, vendors, service providers, etc. I don't know where it goes from here. I quit.
Very well said brother, and I concur 100% That article ruffled my feathers because the headline was completely fear based clickbait.Aloha!...we not worried here🤙
Thanks. ✌
Aloha!🤙
No matter how you connect to the web you risk being hacked that's just the reality of it.
They need you to need them!!
Right!?!🤙
They depend on your dependency
Micro inverters would be accessing the internet I guess.
I live 💯 off grid and my system is not connected to the Internet .
Nor is mine!🤙
Interesting article seemingly written by people who don't understand the subject. I believe the real intention was to alert the grid operators more but point is taken. Just be careful in RV parks, as I love to reset VE controller settings using my blue tooth......lol
Yeah, I thought it was interesting as well, although kinda click baity, but it did grab my attention. Aloha brother🤙
I never hooked up the wifi dongle. No wifi controls on my power stations either.
LMFAO, just use a strong password and change it at least every 60 days.
Yea I have a Dumb solar system. 😂
I gonna keep mine dumb af🤙
I don't think the kitties are too worried about anything. Aloha Bob.
🤣They don't get too rattled about such nonsense! Aloha von!🤙
Don't worry Hawaii 50 is on the job. Book him Dan-o.
🤙
Unless there is an official CVE logged, this is just fearmongering.
This is actually happening..
Especially inverters that utilize the solarman platform have been a target
Also quite a few micro inverters are vulnerable.
Your new inverter seems to use a solar man dongle.
A much better ( and unhackable as it is fully local) would be a solar assistant on a local micro computer that uses about 5 watts
🤙
😉🤙
Be careful they might find out your chicken feeding pattern…My internet tv already listens to me and knows everything…maybe you should make tin foil hats for you and all the cats ??? Have fun stay safe.
🤣🤙
Well, it doesn't apply here, none of your equipment is on the internet. All your victron stuff is just on bluetooth (range limited local wireless). Victron does have internet connectivity features through (I think) their Cerbo product. But none of the base equipment has wifi capability. Only bluetooth (wireless to your phone when in range).
You can just leave the wifi connectivity turned off for anything that has it. My home fridge has wifi capability... I left it unconfigured. My NEST thermostat has wifi connectivity... I connect it temporarily if I want to update it, then I disconnect it from the wifi.
Copy that brother! Was disappointed in the morning Headline...misleading title to say the least! Aloha!🤙
massive solar flare or EMP is the real threat
No doubt!🤙
For that reason when I started solar I went with string inverters with no connection to the internet. Micro inverter s can be controlled and/ or shut down by the manufacturer company or not work at all without the connection to internet. So that being said old school string inverters like what I have , the magnum pae spit phase 120/240 inverters are un hack able since they are not connected or need the internet to work . No one shuts my system down but my two hands and of course the Sun 😂
👍🤙
Butiful video be careful with scammers on your channel
🌴🤙
Victron Cerbo GX would Worry Me, but Stand Alone Bluetooth Modules I would think are Safe and OK to Run at Home.
Just gonna keep my system dumb...Internet go down , I stay up and running!🤙
@@ProjectsinParadise808 Aloha 🌴 I Like the way You Think Brother 🤙
The only reason I connected to the internet is to do a software upgrade that's it otherwise it should be disconnected from the internet
The app for these things, inverters, scc and batteries are the ones connecting to the internet. Therefore, they're spyware on your mobile devices.
I would not buy anything that you have to connect to the internet to use. If you do not have to then you should be safe even if it has internet capabilities. Just never connect it and it should never be able to connect itself unless someone comes close enough to connect to their wifi internet and somehow take control of it. I would think they would have to be within 500 feet of your home to do that. To me bluetooth is okay, not entirely safe from some sort of cyber attack, most bluetooth has to be within 100 feet that I know of, but I really prefer not having to use apps at all.
Exactly! 🤙
EPEVER mppt , no internet required
I got a couple of those too! But none of my stuff is internet required, nor will it ever be! Aloha!🤙
@@ProjectsinParadise808 peace 😁
It works for me.
There is no need to connect you solar system to the internet. Not a very bright idea. And none of my household appliances will ever be connected either. Or my thermostat. People better start smartening up.
Copy that!😎🤙
You can set it up and then turn off the internet again
If there is no actual information within the first two paragraphs, then it's useless information to me. 100% alarmist, 0% informational.
Basically all I heard was "inverters are connected to the internet and therefor MIGHT be vulnerable". Yeah well no poop sherlock, every device connected to the internet is potentially vulnerable. Just buy decent inverters which don't require internet to function in the first place. This advice basically applies to every device. If it needs internet to function, then don't.
You already have victron in your house, then go and upgrade to a full victron system. Which you can connect to home assistant if you so desire.
👍🌻🆒😎👍✌️
🏄🏼🤙
wtf does this mean? is like the fbi does wants you to stop using solar panels and pay bills instead?
🤣🤙
Like some of the other commenters this sounds like propaganda from owners of stranded assets like fossil fuel companies and shiny shoes parasites in power companies. When we,don’t need their products they’ll have to get a real job.
My solar power system is kept dumb on purpose. Entropy is working its magic on me at 71 years old and I don’t want anything smarter than me in my house.
I find the virtual power plant technology very interesting and think it would be good for small co-op style isolated grids. If there is only one connection point to national grid,then cellular systems like these are less vulnerable to cyberattacks.
I personally don’t want to have grid tied solar because you have to sing in tune with a bigger network. A better analogy might be it’s like dancing with a very drunk fat lady. Lot of interesting possibilities but you have to look out for your feet.
Good video...How old is your beard, its a whopper!!!
Yeah, the article title is click bait. Shame on them. I wouldn't connect that new inverter to the net.
Shame on them for sure...and no way I tie up any of my stuff to internet...no way! I plan on being off the grid till the day I drop🤙
@@ProjectsinParadise808 Excellent! Smart man!
First you post this then the transatlantic airlines shut down because of a passenger tracking computer problem
I noticed that too!🤙
Lol
🤙
WTF
Are u kidding me?
Scary. They can remotely access through ur internet.
Why bother??
huhh Attila Seress is a hungarian name xD
Will you turn ours off of the internet
Shave