Grizzl-E

[Slate]

Wondering if anyone else has the same problem, but every once in a while my Grizzl-E EVSE won't synch up with the Jeep and just flash blue at me. I unplug, wait a beat, and try again. Sometimes I have to try it three or four times before it synchs up and turns green to charge. I have the Wi-Fi version, thought it would be nice to track some metrics, but now I wonder if I should have just gotten the dumb version.

Any thoughts? And yes, it is connected to the Wi-Fi network as it blinks the appropriate color. When I use the normal 120V wall charger, it works fine every time, so pretty sure it isn't the Jeep.

Sponsored

 

[Zoopy123]

I only have the dumb version of the Grizzl-E but I could have sworn I read other people having similar issues as you with the WiFi version when I was researching which model to buy a few years ago...

 

[Slate]

Yeah, I thought it had to do with the Grizzl-E not having wifi connectivity, but that doesn't seem to be the issue. I have an extender over the garage to account for that. It's weird for sure. Sometimes it works on the first go, other times I am doing the hokey-pokey to get it so synch up and charge.

 

[Steemax]

Must be an issue with the Wifi version. My dumb version has been great for a year now daily charging my Mach E and 4XE.

I’ve heard they have great customer service, might be worth reaching out to them.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

Just flip the switches to "WiFi Reset" and you can even leave them there, then it runs in "dumb mode"

We've had the smart model since May '21, it's mostly been pretty fantastic, but there was a period where they were changing backend services, it got a little janky, I just ran it "offline" for a month, worked perfectly fine (we use it on both a 4xe and a Tesla).

 

[Slate]

Just flip the switches to "WiFi Reset" and you can even leave them there, then it runs in "dumb mode"

We've had the smart model since May '21, it's mostly been pretty fantastic, but there was a period where they were changing backend services, it got a little janky, I just ran it "offline" for a month, worked perfectly fine (we use it on both a 4xe and a Tesla).

That is a good idea, I wonder if I should change it to another Wi-Fi network, my garage can see two of mine. I like being able to track how much I charged, and therefore how much I spent, but honestly, I don't have the limitations that some others do in terms of peak hours and rates, etc. Plus, the app isn't all that impressive either.

To be fair, I think I paid like $30 more for the wifi version, so it wasn't a huge outlay in the beginning.

I think to change Wi-Fi networks, I have to do that reset anyway.

 

[MaskedRacerX]

That is a good idea, I wonder if I should change it to another Wi-Fi network, my garage can see two of mine. I like being able to track how much I charged, and therefore how much I spent, but honestly, I don't have the limitations that some others do in terms of peak hours and rates, etc. Plus, the app isn't all that impressive either.

To be fair, I think I paid like $30 more for the wifi version, so it wasn't a huge outlay in the beginning.

I think to change Wi-Fi networks, I have to do that reset anyway.

Did you get that last update from several months ago? It was provisioned from the old portal system, then you were supposed to connect to ChargeLab - sounds like that's probably the case if you're getting usage reports. I've been wondering about new firmware, is that going to be the same process of having to re-connect to the old portal (is that even running now?), or some new method?

As far as your issue: I'm pretty convinced that WiFi issues that cause an issue with charging, like there's some kind of ready state that's part of the network communication, and without that, the charger goes into a sort of "standby" mode.

BTW, I see a Sept 6th news item where they've released their own app. No idea, if it's just a branded front end for ChargeLab, their own thing, low rating but there's really not any quantity of ratings. Wonder if this will provide a firmware update mechanism? Downloading now

iOS
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/grizzl-e-connect/id6452802607?platform=iphone

Android
https://play.google.com/store/apps/...argers.connectapp&pcampaignid=web_share&pli=1

 

[Slate]

Yikes, the reviews on the app are not kind.

I did eventually switch to a different WiFi network, one that I think is stronger. I think part of the problem was that while the Grizzl-E was connecting to the extender, and showing the blue/green lights as connected, the extender wasn't connected to the base and therefore not to the actual internet.

I swapped to another network, one that was strong enough to not use the extender and so far it seems to be OK. I plugged it in last night, started fine, but then turned blue after a few minutes. I unplugged it, waited a few, and then plugged it back in. Not sure what that was all about, but it finished the charge cycle.

I did have one instance where it charged to 20% and then stopped, and I didn't notice till the next day. The app will send an email, sometimes, to let me know if it stopped or when it finishes, but that isn't consistent.

Like I mentioned above, the wifi version was only a little bit more, and I thought I would do more tracking than I am, but if I was to do it again, I would just get a dumb charger, not mess with the wifi and go from there.

I will see how this holds up on the new network, but if it still flakes out, then I will just make it dumb and go from there.

 

[ormandj]

Yikes, the reviews on the app are not kind.

I did eventually switch to a different WiFi network, one that I think is stronger. I think part of the problem was that while the Grizzl-E was connecting to the extender, and showing the blue/green lights as connected, the extender wasn't connected to the base and therefore not to the actual internet.

I swapped to another network, one that was strong enough to not use the extender and so far it seems to be OK. I plugged it in last night, started fine, but then turned blue after a few minutes. I unplugged it, waited a few, and then plugged it back in. Not sure what that was all about, but it finished the charge cycle.

I did have one instance where it charged to 20% and then stopped, and I didn't notice till the next day. The app will send an email, sometimes, to let me know if it stopped or when it finishes, but that isn't consistent.

Like I mentioned above, the wifi version was only a little bit more, and I thought I would do more tracking than I am, but if I was to do it again, I would just get a dumb charger, not mess with the wifi and go from there.

I will see how this holds up on the new network, but if it still flakes out, then I will just make it dumb and go from there.

How did it end up going?

 

[Slate]

First, let me say that the Grizzl-E customer service has been great. They sent me a chart showing the wifi strength. I kind of wish I could get that kind of info off my charger myself.

I did end up getting a network pod thing from my internet provider. These are different from the extenders - this will boost the wifi using the same SSID and credentials.

So far, so good. It did stop charging at 40% the day before yesterday, but I think that is when I got the pod and plugged it in. The Grizzl-E is very sensitive to network connectivity - too sensitive really. I mean, I ain't using it to charge people for money, not sure why it has such a hard time when it loses internet access.

The Grizzl-E customer service did recommend I flip a dip switch and make it dumb to avoid the wifi signal entirely, but I will see how this new pod thing works out first.

 

[ormandj]

Yeah, they need to release an update that removes whatever WiFi functionality from the charging path in residential use. Just buffer if connectivity is lost and stream on reconnect (or drop after a certain amount of time). I agree, it doesn’t make sense for the network to be tied to the charge directly.

It sounds like they need a much better radio, too, only supporting 2.4GHz is a telltale sign of a cheap radio in 2023. Finally, they should add an Ethernet port. I wire everything I can for exactly this reason.

Glad you at least have an option to disable it if it’s a problem.

Sponsored