The four options
1. The inverter's cloud
Most inverters have an app. It works from anywhere — but usually shows only the state of charge and power. Cells, State of Health, per-battery detail and BMS alarms are rarely there.
2. A VPN to your home network
If you already have a local tool (a laptop program, Home Assistant), a VPN (WireGuard, Tailscale…) lets you reach it from outside. Powerful, but it needs setup, a device always on at home, and keeping it all updated.
3. Port forwarding
Opening a port on your router to reach a device at home is the option to avoid: every open port is exposed to the whole internet, and small devices are rarely built for that.
4. A box that pushes to the cloud (outbound only)
The device at home opens an outbound connection to a cloud service, like a phone opening a website, and the cloud shows the data to you anywhere. Nothing is opened on your router. This is how PylonCheck works.
How PylonCheck does it
- The box reads the BMS through the CONSOLE port of the master battery.
- Every two minutes it sends a full snapshot over your WiFi to the PylonCheck cloud, identified by its own 128-bit key.
- You open your cloud dashboard from any browser: live values, each battery of the stack, cells, temperatures, and up to three years of history.
- If the box goes silent for 6 hours, the cloud emails you — the one alert a battery can never raise on its own.
Side by side
| Cells, SOH, per battery | Router changes | Always-on device at home | History | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inverter cloud | Rarely | No | No | Charge and power |
| VPN | If your local tool shows it | Sometimes | Yes | If your tool keeps it |
| Port forwarding | If your local tool shows it | Yes (risky) | Yes | If your tool keeps it |
| PylonCheck | Yes | No | The box itself (≈ 1 W) | 3 years |
What about privacy?
The data sent is battery telemetry — charge, voltages, temperatures — not anything about your home. It is stored on our servers in France, never sold, and you can switch the cloud off at any time; the local features keep working.