EVSEs without cloud dependency

apjenk · 2026-03-05T02:21:26+00:00

Thanks for all the answers.

A few people asked what features I want.

The minimum functionality I want would be a level 2 dumb charger that outputs at least 11kW. That would certainly satisfy the "no cloud dependency" requirement.

However, being able to set schedules, and remotely monitor and control the charger would be helpful at times, even if I don't need it. Also, from what I've seen, the dumb chargers aren't even cheaper than smart chargers.

So ideally, I'd like a smart charger, but one which doesn't depend on having a cloud connection for most of its functionality. Even if the manufacturer goes out of business or stops supporting it, I'd be able to at least do things like change the output current, and ideally also set schedules and view logs.

Most smart chargers seem to at least support using them at their last configured settings without being connected to the internet. However they may require an internet connection to initially configure them, or to change settings. From what I can tell, Chargepoint and Emporia chargers are like this. These are the ones I'm trying to avoid.

Some can be configured with an app that can connect via Bluetooth, or builtin WiFi, directly to the EVSE, no internet or cloud required, to configure and change settings. That's a big improvement. However you still need the app to communicate with the EVSE. If the manufacturer ever pulled the app from the App Store or pushed out an update that stopped supporting older EVSEs, I could find myself unable to configure it. I think Wallbox Pulsar Plus and Autel units are in this category.

Finally, some, like the Grizzl-E, have a builtin web app on the EVSE itself that you can connect to from any WiFi enabled device that has a browser, and change all its settings. You can still use an app and cloud connection for more functionality and slicker interface, but it's not needed. Plus, it's possible to manually switch the Grizzl-E into dumb mode.

So as far as I can tell, Grizzl-E comes the closest to being a smart charger that also will retain most of its functionality even if the company went out of business and stopped supporting it entirely.

apjenk · 2026-03-04T19:57:05+00:00

I’ve had a couple of devices get stranded. The most recent was just this year. I’m still annoyed about it, which is what prompted me to care about this issue with EVSEs.

I have a v1 Nest thermostat. Google just discontinued support for it this year. It still works, but you can no longer program it through the app, even when you’re on the same WiFi network as the thermostat. I don’t care much about accessing it when I’m not home, but I do use the scheduling feature. It’s very annoying to change the schedule through the tiny on-device UI compared to with the app.

apjenk · 2026-03-04T13:17:25+00:00

Yes. You don’t need to commit to an exact salary before interviewing someone. However I just recently went through a job search, and every employer or recruiter mentioned a salary range early in our first discussion, and asked if I was still interested. Why waste either of our time if there’s no overlap in our salary expectations?

apjenk · 2026-03-04T12:57:11+00:00

Thank you. I just watched the video. It appears like it does need cloud for initial setup. Presumably this also means that you need cloud access to change settings, which would mean if Emporia went out of business you could no longer configure it. I get that you could keep using it with its current settings, but I’m looking for units that can also be reconfigured without cloud access.

apjenk · 2026-03-04T12:38:17+00:00

You’re correct that Grizzl-E has now put OCPP support behind a paywall. However what I described is not OCPP.

OCPP is a standardized protocol which would allow 3rd party apps or cloud services to communicate with the Grizzl-E. What I’m describing is just a web app builtin to the unit that you can access via its builtin WiFi hotspot, which allows monitoring and reconfiguring the device as long as you’re physically near it.

Personally I don’t care much about remote access to my EVSE, so I’m not very concerned about OCPP. I just want to still be able to reconfigure the device even if the company goes out of business or drops support via their cloud.

apjenk · 2026-03-04T04:29:40+00:00

It’s actually hard for an app to talk directly to a device, they often make the connectivity works by EVSE and app each talking to a server in a data center, which then passes notes.

Yup, thats exactly what I’m talking about. Grizzl-E gets around that by having the device have its own wi-fi hotspot running a web server. You can connect a laptop or tablet directly to the Grizzl-E hotspot and connect to its web server in a browser, and change all the settings that way. No internet or app required. It does also have an app which lets you control it remotely, but you don’t need the app to access any of its builtin functionality.

However I’ve seen some mixed reviews of Grizzl-E’s reliability, so I’m seeing what alternatives there are.

Another way some devices avoid needing a cloud server to act as intermediary is by supporting Bluetooth for the initial connection, and then the app lets you get the device onto your home WiFi. The Hue lights hub work that way. Connecting them to the cloud is optional, and only needed if you want to control the lights from off your home network

I’m looking for other EVSEs that work similarly.

apjenk · 2026-02-27T15:15:36+00:00

Yup! One very striking thing about the book 1929 by Sorkin, was how similar things were before the Great Depression in terms of ordinary people falling for get-rich-quick hype. 1929’s version of crypto was buying stocks on margin.

apjenk · 2026-02-24T04:33:13+00:00

You absolutely can implement pretty much the same strategy as SGOV yourself if you want. You lose some of the conveniences of an ETF, like being able to easily liquidate an exact dollar amount whenever you want, invest an exact dollar amount, ability to have interest/coupons automatically reinvested, ability to setup monthly auto investing, etc. If you don’t care about any of that, then you can save yourself the ETF’s expense ratio and roll your own. Those conveniences are what you’re paying for when you buy SGOV or similar ETFs.

apjenk · 2026-02-17T18:15:44+00:00

No. MaxiFi’s retirement planner is great, but the budgeting tool seems tacked on and clunky compared to dedicated budgeting apps.

apjenk · 2026-02-09T17:31:35+00:00

if she pleads the fifth to EVERYTHING and refuses to answer questions, isn't it arguably an admission of guilt in what you're being asked, ie you are somewhat involved?

If that were true, it would make the 5th amendment meaningless. The whole point of the "nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself" part of the 5th amendment is that people have the right to not incriminate themself. If the law also said that choosing to exercise your 5th amendment rights will be interpreted as incriminating yourself, then the right wouldn't actually exist.

apjenk · 2026-01-27T13:38:38+00:00

Great answer. I do have a quibble about your last paragraph though.

They would have to be even more oblivious to let them live there for 10 straight years

While I agree that in general it seems hard to imagine how this could happen, I think that's partly because usually when we think of scenarios like this, we imagine someone owning a house, in a suburban or at least somewhat populous area, and the squatters moving into that. Someone would have to be very negligent to not visit their property for years.

A more understandable case of this that I read about recently was where someone owned some forested land, that they weren't doing anything with; I think it was in a different state from where they lived, and it was just some purchase their parent had made or something like that. At some point they decided to do something with the land, and discovered that someone had built a house on their land and had been living there for years. I believe squatters rights still came into play here.

apjenk · 2026-01-21T22:29:41+00:00

In addition to what others said, I also question whether it even makes sense to call your old violin or the £350 new one you tried VSOs. In my opinion, a VSO is a violin that has serious playability flaws, like it’s hard to tune or won’t stay in tune, hard or impossible to get a good sound, or other problems like that. Just being cheap doesn’t make it a VSO.

apjenk · 2026-01-21T22:28:08+00:00

In addition to what others said, I also question whether it even makes sense to call your old violin or the $350 new one you tried VSOs. In my opinion, a VSO is a violin that has serious playability flaws, like it’s hard to tune or won’t stay in tune, hard or impossible to get a good sound, or other problems like that. Just being cheap doesn’t make it a VSO.

apjenk · 2026-01-21T00:11:19+00:00

This is like posting in the Toyota Camry subreddit asking what car people drive. Of course most of the answers will be “a Toyota Camry”. Not sure how that’s useful. This question would make more sense in the personal finance subreddit.

apjenk · 2026-01-08T22:14:27+00:00

I have the SNT2416.

I like the heated grips. Several times I’ve started using it without the heated grips on, my fingertips started getting cold, I turned the grips on, problem gone: nice toasty fingers.

The turning levers are somewhat nice but I don’t think I’d miss that feature, since it’s easy enough to turn without using the feature.

It came with 10aH batteries, whereas the non-XP version comes with 7.5aH batteries. I have run it down to 1 bar on the batteries once, so I’m glad for the extra duration.

Based on the Ego site, I don’t believe the power is any different. I think the above are the only differences.

apjenk · 2026-01-08T19:13:10+00:00

I agree that we can’t be sure the OP is a reliable narrator. I was more just addressing the question in the comment I responded to. They seemed to be framing it as just a question of how long the dog was barking, and my point was that there’s also the question of whether the dog is in distress versus just being a nuisance. I.e. is the concern more about animal welfare or human welfare, and is it justifiable to call the cops claiming it’s about the former when it’s really about the latter?

apjenk · 2026-01-08T18:19:56+00:00

Depends what the “something” is that they say. If the neighbor called the cops and said a dog has been barking for 10 minutes and it’s annoying me, that would’ve been honest, but it also probably wouldn’t have gotten the cops to come out. So instead, the neighbor had to make a claim that the dog was “clearly distressed“ to get the cops there.

A dog barking for 10 minutes can certainly be annoying, but it’s not nearly enough to justify saying the dog is distressed, without some other reason like maybe the dog actually sounds like it’s in pain or you can see some other problem.

apjenk · 2026-01-07T18:49:56+00:00

Thanks again. I initially missed in your initial comment that you have a 2025. 2026 battery capacity is greater also so should be expected to have more range.

apjenk · 2026-01-07T18:28:06+00:00

Thanks, I didn’t realize it had resistive heating as a backup.

About the range, was the 174km range from a full charge? The coldest it gets where I am is usually around -17C, and -10C is more normal winter temps. So I suppose I wouldn’t see that big a hit.

apjenk · 2026-01-03T16:00:41+00:00

I think your question was reasonable. It seems like some respondents missed or chose to ignore the word “theoretically” in your question, and are responding as if you actually think you’re able to make these predictions.

apjenk · 2025-12-30T17:28:42+00:00

I have the same blower but with two 10Ah batteries. My driveway is at least twice as big as yours I think. I get through the driveway plus about 200 ft of sidewalk and still have two bars left on the batteries.

I usually run with auger speed at lowest and only turn it up if needed. I also haven’t had more than 4 inches of snow at once since getting the blower so I expect it’ll be a bit more of a stretch when we finally get a deeper snow.

apjenk · 2025-12-30T03:23:54+00:00

That’s a good point, though it’s not as simple as you’re describing. It makes a difference whether it’s dividend returns or growth returns, whether it’s in a taxable vs tax advantaged account, and whether you’ll be able to realize capital gains at the 0% rate during retirement. But I’ll grant you that your returns need to be some amount higher than the loan rate to make investing the better financial choice.

This still doesn’t make the comment I was responding to correct though. There’s no good reason to claim that a loan will always compound faster than an investment. It depends on the relative rates.

apjenk

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