Rolec Homestart EV Charger

[AllanO]

I had a Rolec Homestart EV charger installed 2 years ago when I bought my HS PHEV as part of the deal between MG and Rolec that was available then. I live in a rural location and when installer was fitting the charger he told me that my mobile signal was not good enough to guarantee reliable working of the SMART function of the charger. He said that the mobile network signal was constantly improving and that function should improve over time. The charger worked reasonably well for the first 18 months albeit requiring rebooting fairly regularly but latterly the device will sometimes need 4-5 attempts to reboot successfully or lose network connection whilst plugged in. I usually charge on an off peak Economy 7 tariff and this means that sometimes charging occurs on peak rate. The EV technicians have tried to improve things by blocking certain mobile networks but this made things worse. For those who don't know the Homesmart Sim works on the 2G network and tries to connect to one of three networks. It currently connects to EE which is the best signal locally. It has been suggested that a mobile signal booster might improve things. EV couldn't help on this saying they only deal with software and suggested I contact the original installer or ROLEC for hardware issues. I don't know whether a commercially available mobile signal booster would suffice or whether a specific Rolec component , if available , would be needed. Rolec have yet to reply. There are several dual/tri-band static indoor repeaters available for between £300-400. Installing a new charger would cost around £1000 so a booster may be a cheaper option if it works. I note that the latest Rolec homechargers now run on 4G and also have a WiFi option. My charger is fixed some distance from my Internet hub and I don't know how reliable a Wi FI connected charger would be. Has anyone out there had similar issues and if so how have you been able to correct things?

 

[emmrecs]

Coming rather late to this, sorry.

I have a Rolec charger, also connecting via 2G (at least until the 2G service is turned off!) and when first installed it quite frequently lost connection with the ev.energy app.

Although the following change, suggested to the installer by Rolec themselves, was ultimately not the solution - it eventually transpired that my DNO was supplying voltage above their mandated maximum and thus the PEN was activating - a larger (boost) antenna for the mobile phone signal was fitted. It looks rather like a small, flattened mushroom attached to the top of the charger.

My understanding is that this is manufactured by Rolec. I have no idea of the cost since the charger was brand new and so still under warranty.

Did you contact your installer as Rolec suggested? With what outcome?

 

[AllanO]

Thanks for letting me know your experiences.
I have tried to contact Rolec but with no success so far. They have a reputation for bad customer services and my experience confirms this.
The installer couldn't tell me whether a third party signal booster would work. He did however mention the Rolec aerial which is presumably what you have. It is supposed to give a 30% increase in signal and costs £36 with £50 to install. As the signal strength inside my garage is very poor I did not feel that an internal aerial system like this would be good enough.
The installer also gave me info on the modem in the Homesmart charger. This included the frequency bands on which it worked and with this info I discussed with the suppliers of an external booster system whether their products would work. They were very confident so I purchased a Nikrans BD-300GDW booster with a Yagi external aerial. This was effective in boosting my cellular signal strength from around -105 dBm classed as poor to -75/80dBm, in the good range and enough for the charger to connect. However there is an issue with the link between the booster systems internal and external aerials and this increased signal is not reaching the charger. The booster company is offering an exchange for an alternative model which they think should work. I am awaiting delivery.
All very complicated and I think I should have gone down the Wi-Fi route. If you live in a rural environment, as I do, the change to electrification is full of potential difficulties.
Incidentally it has been suggested that I may be able to change the 2G Sim in the charger for a 4G one. If I can ever get through to Rolec I will discuss this
I will keep you posted.

 

[emmrecs]

Re: contacting Rolec. Have you tried their phone number, 01205 724754?

 

[AllanO]

Tried it once with no reply. It was a Friday before a bank holiday and they may have taken an early break. Two other times via email using the contact page on their website. Notified the messages had been sent but no reply. If the replacement booster does not work I will try them again by phone before I get rid of the Rolec charger and look for a Wi-Fi system. To be fair to Rolec they do specifically state that they cannot be responsible for poor function of their chargers in areas with a bad mobile signal.

 

[Gadget Geek]

To be fair to Rolec they do specifically state that they cannot be responsible for poor function of their chargers in areas with a bad mobile signal.

They still have a duty of care to make sure that what they are selling you is fit for purpose. That disclaimer means nothing as they should have asked the installer to test the 2G reception before installing.

 

[Gadget Geek]

Was your Rolec fitted under the OLEV grant scheme? If so, it is covered by a 3 year warranty and they have to remedy the problem, replace it, or refund you. I would get on to them and don't let up until you've got a response.

An effective method I used for my house battery when the company ignored me was to get a template complaint letter off Martin Lewis's website and send it by recorded delivery with a time scale for them to reply by. Worked a treat for me.

 

[AllanO]

It was fitted under the OLEV scheme but again to be fair to Rolec, as I said in my OP, my mobile signal was tested at the time of installation and I was told it was poor. CSQ 5-8 instead of the 14 that was recommended. Rolec specifically state in their terms and conditions that they cannot be responsible for poor performance if the unit is installed in an area where the signal strength does not reach their recommendations. Therefore I doubt that they are liable for replacement. The charger works fine as a manual device but with no "Smart" function most of the time. It was suggested at installation that the mobile signal was likely to improve and it was on that basis that I went ahead. Instead the signal has got worse with CSQ readings of 2-4 now being measured. That is probably why the performance of my unit has deteriorated recently. My main gripe is that I feel the installer should have offered me an alternative charger at installation, either a model that would work with a lower signal strength or a Wi-Fi model. I suspect that because the installation was part of a deal with MG and I had paid upfront for it , it was a Rolec charger or nothing.
My issue now is to see whether I can get the charger to work by boosting the mobile signal or , if not, replace it with an alternative unit probably using WI-FI. Rolec now do a unit that connects via WI-Fi but having had my fingers burnt with them I have been looking at Pod Point, Zappi and Project EV units.

 

[Zoomy]

Rolec don't run the software side, that will be ev.energy, a partner company but unrelated to Rolec.

Does it say contact [email protected] on the unit? Are you using the EV.energy app? If so by logging a ticket, they can look at signal side and potentially block a network if they identify signal instability.

 

[AllanO]

Thanks for the advice but have already been down that route. Ev.energy were very helpful in selectively blocking networks but they were unable to find a solution. Their advice was to try a signal booster.

 

[emmrecs]

@AllanO

I don't know whether this will be of any interest to or useful for you but I know the company who installed my Rolec charger also now work, for Rolec, as service agents. The installation company boss is due to come to my house tomorrow morning to carry out some servicing work on my charger - it periodically goes off-line and so loses connection to the ev.energy app, not a serious problem because it can be easily rebooted - but both Rolec and the installer want to finally resolve this and stop it happening again! (It's not a problem of the mobile phone signal dropping out, we have established that much at least!)

I notice you live in Salisbury (I'm in Lincolnshire) so it maybe that the installer wouldn't be able/willing to work so far from their base, also Lincolnshire, but I'd be happy to mention your problem to the boss and ask his advice and whether he might be able to directly help you.

If it's of interest, send me a message before tomorrow morning and I will certainly mention it to him!

 

[AllanO]

@AllanO

I don't know whether this will be of any interest to or useful for you but I know the company who installed my Rolec charger also now work, for Rolec, as service agents. The installation company boss is due to come to my house tomorrow morning to carry out some servicing work on my charger - it periodically goes off-line and so loses connection to the ev.energy app, not a serious problem because it can be easily rebooted - but both Rolec and the installer want to finally resolve this and stop it happening again! (It's not a problem of the mobile phone signal dropping out, we have established that much at least!)

I notice you live in Salisbury (I'm in Lincolnshire) so it maybe that the installer wouldn't be able/willing to work so far from their base, also Lincolnshire, but I'd be happy to mention your problem to the boss and ask his advice and whether he might be able to directly help you.

If it's of interest, send me a message before tomorrow morning and I will certainly mention it to him!

Thanks for the offer. I am willing to look at any suggestions. However, in my case, I am pretty certain that the problem lies with my poor mobile signal rather than an issue with the Rolec charger. However I am a little unsure as to why, when the charger was first installed, if it went offline it would reconnect usually with a single reboot. Now it either requires multiple reboots or will not reconnect at all. Don't know whether there is an issue with the charger or if my mobile signal is even worse than it was. I am awaiting delivery of a different mobile signal booster to see if that will work. If not I will need to look at Wi-Fi models. I know that the latest Rolec chargers work on both Wi-Fi and 4G but I don't think that my model can be upgraded.

 

[Zoomy]

This is why GPRS smart meters weren't a success and the UK needed a national communication network to run them. Good luck. My next one will be Wi-Fi.


Mine starts 4 minutes late and ends 4 minutes late, which ev.enegy allege is down to signal strength. However hitting Boost is almost instant. It is more to do with how often their systems poll my unit, so consuming data, but they won't admit to that!

 

[jamesc83]

Just come across this thread.

I’m currently in the process of trying to get a warranty replacement for my unit that kept dropping offline when charging (good signal).

They had it in for repair but it still does the same, and to add to that ignore the schedule. Will be using it as a dumb charger for now with timer on car

I’m am in contact with Ben at Rolec via email.