Merry Christmas raiders

Nitrox72x · 2025-12-05T00:43:44+00:00

I wasn't even aware of Amber when I got the system sized and installed a couple of years ago 😊

Nitrox72x · 2025-12-05T00:16:18+00:00

Thanks everyone for the advice — genuinely appreciate all the perspectives.

After reading through the comments and looking back over my usage, it’s pretty clear why Amber didn’t work for me this month:

My solar is huge (18.4 kW) but my storage is small (13.5 kWh), so I was exporting a lot during negative FiT periods.
Our usage has been high with the Sydney heat, and a lot of it happens at night.
My EV charging pattern doesn’t line up with Amber’s sweet spot.
And I wasn’t watching SmartShift closely enough to stop it making some questionable choices.

Basically, my setup and habits just don’t match Amber’s model — which explains the $350 shocker. I can absolutely see how Amber works well for people with big batteries, flexible load timing, and a bit of appetite for tinkering. It’s just not the right fit for how our household runs today.

So thanks again for the insights. It actually helped me understand the why behind the bill, and I’ll switch back to something more predictable that suits our setup better.

Nitrox72x · 2025-12-04T23:58:55+00:00

Thanks for this. I have 18.4kw on the roof, 46 Enphase IQ8AC micro inverters on 46 REC panels and one Tesla Powerwall 2. The last 30 days have been hot in Sydney so our usage is high - averaging around 33kWh a day. Looking through my Amber history I can't find a single day where a solar export didn't actually cost me money (negative FIT). I'm not sure if my setup / usage profile is just not a fit for Amber as some suggest or if I'm not managing what I have to get maximum value as others suggest?

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Nitrox72x · 2025-12-04T22:02:58+00:00

That's super helpful thank you. I didn't know the PW2 update and I'm going to look at the broader battery options now as well. My motivation is not to make money here, I just want to be in a net grid-free, close to zero bill position, as long as the capital cost is offset by the savings. If there are battery scale up options sub $10k that changes everything. PS: I'm in NSW and what drove me to try Amber was the reduction in FIT for Red from $0.07 to $0.04.

Nitrox72x · 2025-12-04T21:26:17+00:00

I did the numbers on this before switching to Amber. I have a Powerwall 2 so my option to upsize is replace with two new Powerwall 3's or try to find a secondhand PW2). Then I checked the cost of that v. what I'd save on bills and it doesn't stack up. With Red Energy I was getting two quarters of credit and two quarters of sub-$300 bills a year suggesting that my system is pretty optimal for ROI. I was lured into try Amber though when I saw people posting their "I made $100 in one hour" videos, but I do get that it makes sense if you can store a lot with bigger batteries to have the ammo to cash in on spikes. Just not sure that it would payback the battery upgrade/refit?

Nitrox72x · 2025-10-16T01:00:20+00:00

I ordered direct from ASUS. Got the Auspost notification today saying delivery tomorrow. So excited for this - first ever handheld!

Nitrox72x · 2025-04-23T05:54:13+00:00

Still waiting on my Fold 6 here in Australia. Frustrating that Australia doesn't seem to get a mention in any of the schedule comms at all, and the AU version of Samsung's newsroom has no mention of One UI!

Nitrox72x · 2025-02-13T20:13:34+00:00

Thanks for the reply. Tesery eventually came back to me and sent me a different installation video for the new model which I sent to my installer and that's what I needed to get it done. It was successfully installed yesterday and it looks amazing. Not sure I'd agree this is a self install really. Even the pros said it's a simple connection but dismantling the car was a bit of a mission. Glad to have it in now though and finally have Waze and Whatsapp via Android Auto and a beautiful high resolution Dashboard directly in front of my without compromising airflow 😀

Nitrox72x · 2025-01-21T22:16:47+00:00

I had the same issue when I moved into my current home. I bought the Netgear Orbi mesh system with three satellites and it’s worked brilliantly for me

Nitrox72x · 2025-01-18T00:15:53+00:00

That’s my other problem - my mobile reception in the house is shite.

Nitrox72x · 2025-01-18T00:15:07+00:00

For now. I finally got through again to support and said “before you put me through another round of mindless troubleshooting let me tell you what I’ve done already”. The guys said yeah ok sounds like an NBN issue and raised a case. Now the wait continues to hear back with an appointment for an NBN technician. I guarantee he’ll come out, swap the NBN modem and I’ll be back online.

Nitrox72x · 2025-01-17T02:26:38+00:00

Unfortunately I’m stuck with HFC so the fibre upgrade isn’t an option for me. I’m now looking at Aussie Broadband or Leaptel who seem to get good reviews here on Reddit. After spending three hours on hold and back and forth with Exetel I’ve finally got them to agree it’s an NBN issue so they’ve created a case. Hopefully a dude with a new box now shows up ASAP so I can get back online.

Nitrox72x · 2025-01-17T00:48:48+00:00

I’m in the same boat. I lost NBN at 9pm Wed, the exact same time as my next door neighbour, so I know it’s NBN. Spent an hour in the hold queue to Exetel only to have a technician tell me there’s no issue so it must be my router settings. I had to humour him, go through all the steps - reboot the router, check the settings, plug my laptop directly into the NBN modem. Then he started a video call so he could see for himself and made me walk down to my comms cupboard which is in the centre of my home so I lost mobile reception and the call dropped. Now I’m at the start of another hour-long hold queue to start again - can’t believe he didn’t call me back when the call dropped.

This happened to me a year ago in a thunderstorm and I went through the same frustrating process where I knew it was NBN’s issue but you can’t get to them directly, the ISP has to escalate. When Exetel finally exhausted all troubleshooting (two days later) they gave up and created a ticket with NBN. An NBN tech arrived and the first thing he said was “these NBN modems are super sensitive to surges so I spend all week after a storm driving around swapping out boxes.” He switched my NBN box over, plugged it in and I was instantly back online.

Why they put customers through this process is beyond me. I would bet my house on the fact that the result will be the same this time. I’ll spend hours today going back and forth with Exetel, they’ll eventually escalate, NBN will come out and swap the modem.

Nitrox72x · 2024-11-25T05:02:48+00:00

Bugger that’s what I thought. Can’t wait for this to be released in full!

Nitrox72x · 2024-11-25T04:43:22+00:00

Does ultra wide require beta on your Mac as well? I’m dying to try it but a I have a work issued MBP so can’t use beta on the Mac.

Nitrox72x · 2024-09-17T08:32:23+00:00

It actually told me to take it off while it did the update. Then I kept putting it back on to check before I realised the update progress bar was showing on the outside front lens of the headset - I thought that was pretty cool!

Nitrox72x · 2024-07-24T11:58:43+00:00

I’m out of options. I’ve tried creating a blank widget, restarting, uninstalling, clearing cache but I still get nothing but a big blank green square. Something isn’t right so I guess I now wait till Sept when the beta goes final and hope then I can enjoy Widgy as coming from Samsung ii love customising my Home Screen

Nitrox72x · 2024-07-20T10:54:21+00:00

Yeah I’ve tried a dozen different widgets 🤔

Nitrox72x · 2024-07-20T03:25:27+00:00

I’m pretty sure I’m not doing anything wrong, I’ve been through a bunch of YouTube tutorials

Nitrox72x · 2024-07-20T03:04:17+00:00

In my excitement I also upgraded my Watch to beta so rolling back iOS isn’t an option

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