TED 5002-C Monitoring System

daryllafferty
daryllafferty Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭
in Energy Use & Conservation #1
I just installed the TED 5002-C on my grid-tie solar setup. I've read some complaints here, but for me it was easy to install and works well. Here are some of the details.

This version does net metering. Each graph or display has three numbers: Consumption, Generation and Net. (Note: This is my terminology. TED just calls them MTU1, MTU2 and Net). Consumption shows how much power the house used. Generation shows how much the solar generated. And Net shows how much I bought from (or sold to) the power company.

It took me about an hour to install the hardware. I am still tweaking the software (Footprints) now, 3 days later, but it's just fine-tuning.

The instructions warn in several places to not plug the Gateway into an outlet that has electronic equipment or fluorescent bulbs. My son has moved out, so I plugged it in his room. Nothing else is plugged in anywhere in the room. There is a network cable running directly from his room to my router, so I have a good clean connection.

I connected the MTUs to the circuit that feeds that same room, so the connection is about as clean as it can be.

The Footprints software was locking up every few minutes until I upgraded to the latest firmware. It has been running for 3 days now very stably.

I was able to move the Gateway to port 8181, and forward that port on my router so I can access the gateway over the internet. The default port, 80, didn't work since my ISP blocks that port.

The 5002-C comes with a hand-held remote for viewing the data. I found it almost useless. It is only able to connect wirelessly within about 5 feet of the Gateway, and even then it is slow to respond. It seems very cheaply made. I find it much more useful to use my smartphone and connect directly with Footprints either over the LAN, or through the internet. I recommend just getting the 5002-G, without the handheld remote, then use your laptop or smart phone. Save some money.
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Comments

  • BB.
    BB. Super Moderators, Administrators Posts: 33,613 admin
    #2
    Re: TED 5002-C Monitoring System

    daryllafferty,

    Nice web post... Conservation--Alway a great place to start. ;)

    -Bill
    Near San Francisco California: 3.5kWatt Grid Tied Solar power system+small backup genset
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  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
    Re: TED 5002-C Monitoring System

    Yeah I have one up here in Glendale, AZ. see below. 4 MTUs house, solar, new building and Chevy Volt chargers.
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  • TenMile
    TenMile Solar Expert Posts: 62 ✭✭
    #4
    Re: TED 5002-C Monitoring System

    I've had the same unit running now for about 3 months. It was working great over that period of time, and then about a month ago, the readings started to look odd. First, there were periods of time where the usage was flat lined -- or very low/high and finally, the Gateway stopped sending data. I did finally open up a ticket with TED support and ended up moving the Gateway to about 6 different outlets within our home. It would work fine for a few days and then would become irregular once again.

    I figure there must be some sort of noise somewhere in the house, but couldn't pinpoint a specific cause. I finally settled on locating the Gateway in an outlet in our garage that is literally 6" away from our AC panel. That outlet is wired directly to the panel on it's own 15Amp circuit. The MTU is powered off the same circuit as well. I was able to route a Cat-5 cable back to my Internet router. Since that time, the output from the Gateway has been flawless. Something to keep in mind if you see any irregularities.

    There are a couple of excellent 3rd party analysis website tools you can link to your TED. I started out using MyEnerSave (which appears to be undergoing a name/layout change today to Bridgely). Recently, I've also linked my TED to PlotWatt. Both sites after about a month can start to give you a breakdown of energy consumption on a per appliance basis by doing some analysis of appliance energy signatures using algorithms they have developed. Pretty useful and means you don't have to spend a bunch of money on individual appliance monitoring tools.
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  • daryllafferty
    daryllafferty Registered Users Posts: 7 ✭
    #5
    Re: TED 5002-C Monitoring System

    Thanks for the third party info, TenMile. I have been trying to decide which 3rd party monitor to use, and based on your experience I registered with PlotWatt. I'll give it a try.

    Daryl
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