Best way to monitor SMA SunnyBoy inverters?

[Mb190e]

I have the SMA Sonnyboy SB5000TL-US and SB3000TL-US I can't speak to the monitoring that SMA offers the only things I didn't like was the cost and third-party portal to access all my data. I personally use the Ted 5000 to monitor my production and my usage. The Ted works very well for me. I can see exactly what I'm using, and what I make. It outputs automatically to PVOutput. I use the PVOutput app on my phone to see what I make and what I'm using remotely. I have 30 panels in 3 strings 8.1 kW

[macholini]

Hi, I am about to sign a contract on a 9.9 kW system:

33 LG 300N1C-B3 panels
SMA SB5000TL-US-22 + SB4000TL-US-22 inverters

I am now trying to figure out the best monitoring option for the above and can use advice from the gurus here. Ideally, I'd like to monitor 2 inverters with 2 strings each independently (as well as the combined output) so I can try to spot discrepancies in production. Also, I'd like to be able to export the data to PVoutput so I can combine it with consumption data (e.g., from a zigbee smart meter, which I should be able to get from PG&E).

Here are some of the options I am considering:

1) Use the built-in bluetooth in the inverters along with free SunnyExplorer Windows app and free / open-source tools for auto-uploading to PVoutput (e.g. PV Bean Counter, SMA Spot, android applications, etc.). This is free but it seems bluetooth connection can be flakey and I am not sure how well it would support 2 separate inverters with 2 independently tracked strings each. My main concern with this option is how reliable this setup would be and how much time I'd need to spend debugging connection issues... Any first hand experience here would be very welcome.

2) Use SMA Webconnect -- this is perhaps the simplest approach and would auto-upload to SunnyPortal but I may have issues auto-uploading to PVoutput (I would still need to use one of the above open-source tools for that and they may or may not work reliably with Webconnect but at least I should have the SunnyPortal option). Also, since I'll have 2 inverts, I would need 2 Webconnect adapters + a wi-fi extender so the cost would be $600...

3) Use SMA Webbox -- this is likely even more expensive but unlocks more data and custom pages on SunnyPortal (voltages, power, etc.) and makes the auto-upload to PVoutput more reliable.

4) Use a vendor-independent solution like TED (www.theenergydetective.com) or eGauge (www.egauge.net). These can monitor not only production but also consumption so I can get an integrated view of energy production, total consumption, and net consumption. These systems measure current through the breakers and would not be as accurate as the other options, which read out the data straight from the inverters.

I am not sure if there are other options I should consider. Would appreciate input on any of the above, esp. w.r.t. monitoring multiple inverters / strings, reliability, and ability to export to PVoutput.

If you have an SMA inverter, what monitoring system do you use, and are you happy with it?

Thanks in advance!