How to Monitor Your System Remotely with Victron VRM

Victron VRM — the Victron Remote Monitoring portal — lets you see your entire power system from anywhere with an internet connection. Battery state of charge, solar production, inverter load, AC input status, historical trends — all of it, live, on your phone or in a browser.

For a boat you're leaving at a marina, a cabin you visit occasionally, an RV in storage, or any system where you're not always on site, VRM is one of the most useful things in the Victron ecosystem. Here's how it works and what you need to get started.

What VRM Shows You

VRM gives you a real-time dashboard of your entire Victron system:

• Battery: State of charge (%), voltage, current in/out, time remaining at current load
• Solar: Current production (W), today's yield (kWh), historical production by day/month/year
• Inverter/charger: Operating mode (inverting, charging, passthrough), AC input voltage and frequency, AC output load
• Generator: Run status and runtime if connected
• Alarms: Any active warnings or fault conditions — low battery, high temperature, grid failure

The portal stores up to 24 months of historical data. You can chart any parameter over any time window — useful for understanding seasonal solar production patterns, diagnosing a recurring issue, or seeing how a battery bank is aging over time.

What You Need

VRM requires one piece of hardware at the system: a Cerbo GX (or another Victron GX device — the Venus GX, Ekrano GX, or Color Control GX all work). The GX device is the hub that aggregates data from all connected Victron components and sends it to the VRM portal.

Cerbo GX connectivity:

• Connects to a Victron MultiPlus-II or Quattro via VE.Bus
• Connects to MPPT charge controllers via VE.Direct cables
• Connects to a SmartShunt or BMV battery monitor via VE.Direct
• Connects to the internet via ethernet, WiFi, or a 4G/LTE cellular modem (sold separately)

The Cerbo GX sends data to VRM over the internet. If the system is on a boat in a marina or a cabin with WiFi, you connect the Cerbo GX to the local network. If it's a remote system without WiFi, a cellular modem paired to the Cerbo GX handles the connection.

Minimum hardware for VRM access:

1. A GX device (Cerbo GX is the standard choice)
2. An internet connection at the system location
3. A free Victron VRM account (victronconnect.com)

Setting It Up

Step 1: Connect the GX device to your Victron components. VE.Bus cable to the inverter/charger; VE.Direct cables to the MPPT controllers and battery monitor. The GX device auto-discovers connected components.

Step 2: Connect the Cerbo GX to the internet. Plug into a router via ethernet, or configure WiFi through the GX Touch display or the VRM portal's local access. For cellular, pair a compatible 4G modem.

Step 3: Create a VRM account at vrm.victronenergy.com. It's free. Add your installation by entering the GX device's VRM Portal ID (found in the device settings).

Step 4: Watch it come online. Within a few minutes of internet connectivity, the system begins reporting to VRM. The dashboard populates with live data, and historical logging starts immediately.

Alerts and Notifications

VRM lets you set alarm rules that send push notifications or emails when something goes outside of a defined range. Useful alerts to configure:

For a boat left at a marina or a cabin between visits, the shore power lost alert alone is worth the setup time. You'll know the moment shore power drops, rather than returning to find a depleted bank and a warm fridge.

Two-Way Control

VRM isn't read-only. From the portal, you can:

• Switch the inverter/charger between on, off, charger-only, and inverter-only modes
• Start or stop a generator (if connected via a Victron Auto Generator Start relay)
• Adjust charge current limits on the inverter/charger
• Configure grid setpoints on systems with grid-tied components

For a boat you're managing remotely, being able to switch the inverter off from your phone — or verify that shore power is charging the bank after a storm — without being physically present is genuinely useful.

VRM vs. Victron Connect

These are two different tools for two different purposes:

Victron Connect is the Bluetooth configuration app. It connects directly to individual Victron devices (MPPT controllers, SmartShunts, Blue Smart chargers) over Bluetooth when you're physically nearby. It's for setup, configuration, and local monitoring.

VRM is the remote monitoring portal. It requires a GX device and internet connection, but gives you access from anywhere and stores historical data.

For most installations, you'll use both: Victron Connect during setup and on-site maintenance; VRM for day-to-day monitoring and remote oversight.

VRM for Different Use Cases

Marina/liveaboard: Monitor shore power status, battery health, and inverter load from anywhere. Get alerted if shore power fails or battery voltage drops unexpectedly.

Seasonal cabin: Check the system from home before a visit — arrive knowing the battery is charged and the system is healthy. Review solar production to plan future visits around expected battery state.

RV in storage: Confirm your solar is maintaining the battery bank during off-season storage. Catch a problem before a spring trip finds a dead bank.

Off-grid homestead or cabin: Track daily, monthly, and yearly solar production. Identify seasonal patterns. Monitor battery aging over time as the bank accumulates cycles.

Browse the Cerbo GX and battery monitoring collection at Blue Marine — we carry the full Victron GX lineup. If you want help integrating VRM into a new build or an existing system, schedule a free consultation with our team.

Related reading:
Which Victron Inverter/Charger Is Right for You?
Victron MultiPlus-II Sizing Guide: Which Model Do You Need?
Victron SmartShunt Setup & Overview: Bluetooth Battery Monitoring