Victron Cerbo GX setup

Victron Cerbo GX Setup for RVs

The Cerbo GX is the brain of a Victron system. It pulls your battery monitor, solar charger, inverter/charger and tank sensors into one screen, and it lets you check on the rig from your phone. Here is how we set one up on real installs, and where people trip up.

What does a Cerbo GX do in an RV?

It collects the data from your Victron gear and shows it in one place. Battery state of charge, solar harvest, shore and inverter loads, and tank levels all land on one screen, locally and over the internet. It also lets you change some settings remotely. If you want to know what your rig is doing while you are away from it, this is the piece that does it.

What do you need to connect to it?

  • Battery monitor (for example a SmartShunt or BMV) for state of charge
  • Solar charge controller (MPPT)
  • Inverter/charger (for example a MultiPlus-II)
  • Tank level sensors, such as Mopeka (Mopeka guide)
  • Temperature sensors, such as Ruuvi (Ruuvi guide)
  • An Orion XS DC-DC charger (Orion XS guide)

How do you set it up, step by step?

  1. Mount it somewhere you can reach the ports and see it.
  2. Power it from the DC system with the included fuse.
  3. Plug in each device and confirm it shows up in the device list.
  4. Connect it to the internet (Wi-Fi, Ethernet, or a cellular router).
  5. Set the system up: battery capacity, and which devices are what.
  6. Create your VRM portal account and add the Cerbo so you can watch it remotely.
  7. Test: unplug shore power or cover a panel and watch the numbers change.

How do you see it on your phone?

There are two ways, local and remote. Locally you connect near the rig via BlueTooth. Remotely you use the Victron VRM portal and app over the internet.

Common mistakes we see on installs

  • Battery capacity or shunt settings entered wrong, so state of charge drifts
  • Devices plugged in but not set up in the system
  • Weak Wi-Fi at the Cerbo spot, so remote monitoring drops out
  • Unfused or undersized power feed

When should you call an installer?

If you are working on the battery bank, inverter or main DC wiring, bring in someone who does this daily. We set up Cerbo GX systems as part of full installs. Call Chris at Tucson RV Solar, 520-910-1237, or use the quote form at /contact/. For pricing, we confirm after a quick look at your rig.

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