The SwitchDin droplet connection to a device varies depending on the brand, model, type of device. 
The droplet can connect through serial/RS485 or Ethernet/TCP.

Please refer to this article if you need to identify each port available on your droplet.

Serial connection

 All SwitchDin droplet models (ONE, PLUS) have multiple USB ports available. 
The Droplet ONE series comes with 4 USB ports.
The Droplet PLUS series comes with 3 USB ports.
Since June 2024, our latest Droplet PLUS models (V2.0.1 and above) also include two native RS485 ports.
Important: If you use a USB port for a serial connection, you must ensure you have a RS485/USB adapter for your installation.

The RS485 is an industrial specification that defines the electrical interface and physical layer for point-to-point communication of electrical devices. You need two wires to establish this bit per bit connection. The exact PINs to connect at each end will depend on the device model. Please refer to our table below to check the exact configuration you need. 

Many installers will use a CAT 6 cable and select a pair of wires to establish the RS485 connection.

In case you daisy chain devices together, the droplet will need to be wired to the master device.

Ethernet connection

All SwitchDin droplet models (ONE, PLUS) come with at least one Ethernet port accepting the standard  RJ45 jack. 
The Droplet ONE series comes with 1 ETH port.
The Droplet PLUS series comes with 2 ETH ports.
Depending on your local network topology and distance to the router,  you can either:
- directly connect the device with the droplet and avoid the consequence of losing internet connection.
- or, connect the droplet to a data switch or a router. The droplet will still be able to recognise all the devices on the network the droplet is compatible with.
Another option is to use an ETH/USB adapter to connect to any USB port on the droplet.

Important:
a) All devices must be on the exact same subnet. 
b) If you have a secured local network with firewall rules, please follow this article to open up the right ports and services on your router configuration. 
c) If you wish the droplet to act a gateway and provide internet to an inverter for example, please contact our support team if you use the USB/ETH option as we will need to reconfigure DHCP settings on that port.

WiFi connection

SwitchDin droplet models (ONE,  and PLUS v2.0.1 only) can communicate through WiFi to the local network hosting the devices. The connection to the WiFi network is managed through the Installer section of Stormcloud application. 

Wiring options per model/brand

Please ensure you always check your manufacturer manual for additional connection details. If in doubt, please consult their support team.
As an indication, here are some of the most popular brands we integrate with and the connection to establish: