Welcome to Lesson 2 in the Battery Monitoring playlist of the EXPLORIST.life Mobile, Marine, and Off-Grid Electrical Academy.
Today, we are going to cover how different batteries communicate with their apps and advanced monitoring systems, such as the Victron Ekrano GX (or Cerbo GX — these function identically for our purposes).
Our goal in this lesson is to explore how several popular batteries—Victron, Epoch, SOK, Expion360, Battle Born, and RICH SOLAR—communicate their data through their internal systems and apps, and how this information integrates into the Ekrano GX.
Smart Battery Monitoring: Bluetooth vs Hardwired – VIDEO
COMING SOON!!
Victron Battery
The Victron battery system, paired with the Victron Lynx Smart BMS (NG version), uses a built-in shunt for internal monitoring. This setup provides real-time data such as cell temperatures, voltages, and state of charge, which are all relayed through the BMS.
Monitoring occurs at the battery level and can be accessed via the VictronConnect app through Bluetooth. Within the app, you can see detailed information like battery voltage, history, state of charge, and configuration settings—all within Victron’s familiar and user-friendly ecosystem. Since Victron controls firmware across its entire lineup, the integration between devices is seamless.
When connected to the Ekrano GX through an RJ45 cable, the system displays live battery data—such as 60% state of charge, battery temperature, and power usage—on both the local touch screen and remotely through the Victron VRM Portal. Users can even toggle the BMS on and off directly from the interface.
Epoch Battery
The Epoch 460Ah Elite Series battery features a mounted gauge that provides simple, at-a-glance information like battery state of charge, voltage, and amperage.
Bluetooth connectivity is enabled through this gauge, so it must remain within range—even if hidden away.
The Epoch app provides basic but sufficient battery information, while the Ekrano GX integration offers deeper insights. When connected, you can view data such as battery temperature, health, voltage, and state of charge, as well as configure alarms and other settings. For multi-battery setups, data cables allow all units to report collectively to the GX and the VRM Portal.
SOK Battery
The SOK 12V 314Ah battery includes both Bluetooth and data cable communication options. Using the SOK app, users can view state of charge, voltage, and temperature, with access to individual cell voltages for a more granular look at performance.
When connected to the Ekrano GX, the SOK battery is automatically recognized. The GX displays real-time data including battery health, temperature, and charge status. Integration is seamless—no manual setup is needed. Multiple SOK batteries can be linked using communication cables for system-wide visibility.
Expion360 Battery
The Expion360 12V 240Ah battery provides a slim form factor and easy Bluetooth connectivity—no additional cables required. Through the Expion360 app, users can view state of charge, voltage, capacity, and heater control. The ability to toggle the internal battery heater directly from the app is a unique advantage.
When connected to the Ekrano GX, the Expion360 battery is recognized almost instantly. The display shows state of charge, battery temperature, and system status. Like the others, it supports daisy-chained data connections for multiple batteries.
Battle Born Batteries (Intelligence Line)
The Battle Born Intelligence line communicates wirelessly through the Battle Born Hub. Each battery connects to the hub via Bluetooth or mesh networking—no physical data cables required.
Setup in the Battle Born app is simple: connect the app to the hub, link your batteries, and you’re ready to monitor. While the Ekrano GX integration was in non-public beta at the time of recording, once finalized, it will use a dedicated cable connection between the hub and GX for complete system monitoring. Users who purchase through EXPLORIST.life will receive updates when public integration is available.
RICH SOLAR Battery
The RICH SOLAR 48V 100Ah batteries demonstrate a robust example of data communication in a live system.
Multiple batteries are linked together, with the final battery sending aggregated information to the Cerbo GX, which displays it on the Touch 70 screen.
On the GX display, users can view:
- State of charge
- Temperature
- Highest/lowest cell voltages
- Number of modules online
- Capacity and health
In a working setup, you can watch the system balance solar input and battery discharge in real time—seeing changes instantly as loads fluctuate.
Key Takeaways
Across all these battery brands, the communication process follows similar patterns:
- Apps provide basic to moderate visibility via Bluetooth.
- Ekrano GX or Cerbo GX offers full integration with real-time monitoring and control.
- Hardwired connections tend to be more reliable and consistent than Bluetooth alone.
When deciding which battery is right for your setup, consider your comfort with Bluetooth technology, app interfaces, and whether you prefer wired system integration.
All of the batteries featured in this lesson are available at shop.EXPLORIST.life.
If you need guidance selecting the best fit for your application, reach out at shop.EXPLORIST.life/support for personalized help.
