Over the past nine months, undocumented communication devices, including cellular radios, have also been found in some batteries from multiple Chinese suppliers, one of them said.
The two people declined to name the Chinese manufacturers of the inverters and batteries with extra communication devices, nor say how many they had found in total.
They’re very light on details. Sometimes it’s cheaper to make one PCB in huge numbers and only enable the cellular modem on the higher priced models or when a subscription fee is paid. Their mere existence without any additional information shouldn’t be particularly alarming.
Sometimes it’s cheaper to make one PCB in huge numbers
That works if you leave the pads unpopulated. You don’t save money by shipping with unused nontrivial components soldered onto the PCB (except perhaps in very small quantities).
and only enable the cellular modem on the higher priced models or when a subscription fee is paid.
In that case, its presence damn well better be clearly documented. Otherwise, it’s a spying device.
Inverters and solar battery storage generally have some combination of wired and wireless communication. You need to communicate with the grid for real-time pricing and forecasts so the system knows when to charge and discharge. Also you want the system status of all the panels and batteries. If somebody slices through the wrong fiber line near your site, it’s important to still be able to get that information.
If you get a home PV system, they’ll often have the option of a cellular modem. The controller on my home system has Wi-Fi and Ethernet with the option of a cellular modem. It wouldn’t surprise me if the board comes populated with some of the components necessary for cellular functionality even if you don’t opt for it.
I’m just saying they need to divulge more details before one can conclude this is nefarious.
With how everyone is obsessed with smart homes, control everything remotely or harvest usage data for ads it wouldn’t surprise me if it was all of them.
Well in some cases it makes sense to do this with solar. The state I live in allows us to sell renewable energy credits for all the electricity our panels generate. It’s all managed by a third party, and just requires that my inverter tells them exactly how much was generated.
They’re very light on details. Sometimes it’s cheaper to make one PCB in huge numbers and only enable the cellular modem on the higher priced models or when a subscription fee is paid. Their mere existence without any additional information shouldn’t be particularly alarming.
That works if you leave the pads unpopulated. You don’t save money by shipping with unused nontrivial components soldered onto the PCB (except perhaps in very small quantities).
In that case, its presence damn well better be clearly documented. Otherwise, it’s a spying device.
I’m curious, what kind of battery circuitry has a cellular radio in it?
Inverters and solar battery storage generally have some combination of wired and wireless communication. You need to communicate with the grid for real-time pricing and forecasts so the system knows when to charge and discharge. Also you want the system status of all the panels and batteries. If somebody slices through the wrong fiber line near your site, it’s important to still be able to get that information.
If you get a home PV system, they’ll often have the option of a cellular modem. The controller on my home system has Wi-Fi and Ethernet with the option of a cellular modem. It wouldn’t surprise me if the board comes populated with some of the components necessary for cellular functionality even if you don’t opt for it.
I’m just saying they need to divulge more details before one can conclude this is nefarious.
With how everyone is obsessed with smart homes, control everything remotely or harvest usage data for ads it wouldn’t surprise me if it was all of them.
Well in some cases it makes sense to do this with solar. The state I live in allows us to sell renewable energy credits for all the electricity our panels generate. It’s all managed by a third party, and just requires that my inverter tells them exactly how much was generated.
One that’s in a remote location.
Like… a solar array out in a field?
Exactly. We have one on a pump house in a field.