Page 3 - A Closer Look - Software
The BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support, where you can connect your smartphone with an app to configure the system. The app is much more intuitive to use than the onboard LCD screen, since you do not need to guess which icon represents what. The Elite 200 V2, unlike the AC50B and AC70 I previously reviewed, adds Wi-Fi support in addition to Bluetooth, so you can access and control the power station anywhere over the Internet when associated with your BLUETTI account.
If you choose to connect to the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 via Wi-Fi, you will need to create an account and associate the power station with your account. It will also need to configure your power station to connect to Wi-Fi, which requires access to your location on your phone. I do not believe this is really necessary, as you can manually the SSID name and key, but it will not let you do that without location being enabled. Furthermore, there is no option for the Elite 200 V2 to just show all the nearby Wi-Fi networks. This makes the process unnecessarily complicated, and makes me awfully suspicious why the app needs my location.
Once Wi-Fi configuration is complete, you will be greeted the main screen, shown on the above screenshot. I cannot say I am a big fan of this main screen, since it is unnecessarily cluttered with way too many tiles on every screen. The totally unrelated weather widget at the top along with an advertisement underneath it does not help its case.
Once you are connected to the portable power station, you will be brought to the power station's main page. The power station's main page is pretty well-designed in my opinion, with good use of graphics and animations for a smooth look and feel. Here, you can monitor all the inputs and outputs as well as the battery state of charge. The AC and DC outputs can be toggled as well. The Elite 200 V2 can be shut down via the app, but you will not be able to turn it back on unless you are physically at the power station.
Settings can be configured by pulling up a second screen, shown on the right screenshot. There are more configurable settings in Wi-Fi compared to Bluetooth mode, such as setting a Bluetooth connection password, sharing full device access with other accounts, and enabling/disabling the Visitor Access function. Disabling Visitor Access will still allow Bluetooth connections, but it will be read only, and settings cannot be changed. It is nice to actually get Bluetooth security on the Elite 200 V2, as this is not available on the AC-series units I tried. However, you cannot configure Bluetooth security options unless you connect the Elite 200 V2 to the Internet and associate it with your BLUETTI account. This feels forced and unnecessary in my opinion, especially if you do not want to connect your power station to the company's servers.
Common to both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can toggle features like charging mode, Power Lifting mode, AC frequency, and ECO mode, just like the onboard LCD screen. The only thing you cannot do in the app is turn Bluetooth off, which can only be done on the system itself. This is a logical design choice in my opinion.
One interesting feature the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 has is Working Mode. Configurable settings include Standard UPS, PV Priority UPS, Time Control UPS, and Customized UPS. All of them affect the way the power station is charged and discharged. Standard UPS has no configurable options. PV Priority UPS allows you to set a maximum level that is charged by the grid, where the remaining is to be charged by an optional solar panel. Time Control UPS is similar to PV Priority, except it allows you to configure a battery level range and time periods for grid and solar charging. Customized UPS is the same as Time Control UPS, except it allows you to manually toggle time of use and charging on or off. I find these settings very useful, as it allows you to use the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 to charge and discharge based on solar power availability and electricity pricing, essentially using the power station as a battery backup solution.
One feature I wish the BLUETTI Elite 200 V2 has is the option to limit the battery charge to 80% to preserve battery longevity. If you do not have a solar panel directly connected to the power station, you can configure the battery state of charge in PV Priority UPS, Time Control UPS, or Customized UPS to functionally have the 80% charge limit, but I do not see why this cannot just be an actual option otherwise.
Another issue I had with the app over Wi-Fi is it will constantly timeout and lose connection. However, it will not tell you the connection has been timed out. You can still navigate through settings and even configure them, but it will just not save. It is incredibly frustrating, because it will also not tell you the settings have not been saved. Instead, you will have to find that out yourself the next time you navigate back to that page, only to find out your changes were not applied. You will have to manually exit the app and reopen it to re-establish the connection. At the very least, the app should tell you the connection has been timed out.
Page Index
1. Introduction, Packaging, Specifications
2. A Closer Look - Hardware
3. A Closer Look - Software
4. Test Results
5. Conclusion
