Device Discovery
GivLocal scans your local network for GivEnergy hardware automatically when you open the Devices screen. If your device list is empty on first launch, the scan starts automatically.
What the scanner finds
Section titled “What the scanner finds”| Device type | Port |
|---|---|
| GivEnergy Hybrid and AC-coupled inverters | 8899 |
| GivEnergy EV Charger (Modbus) | 502 |
| GivEnergy EV Charger (OCPP via Home Assistant) | 8123 |
Automatic scan
Section titled “Automatic scan”Tap the scan icon in the top right of the discovery screen. GivLocal scans every address on your current subnet (e.g. 192.168.1.1–254) for GivEnergy devices. A progress bar shows how far through the scan you are.
On a typical home network the scan completes in under a minute. When your inverter is found it appears in the list immediately — you don’t need to wait for the scan to finish before connecting.
Scanning a different subnet
Section titled “Scanning a different subnet”If your inverter is on a different subnet to your phone (common with mesh systems or VLANs), tap Scan Different Subnet in the scan options menu and enter the first three octets of the target range — for example, 192.168.100. The app will then scan .1 through .254 on that range.
Manual entry
Section titled “Manual entry”If you already know your inverter’s IP address, tap Manual Connection, enter the IP or hostname, and tap Connect. This is also the method to use when connecting over Tailscale or port forwarding, where scanning isn’t available.
Managing your device list
Section titled “Managing your device list”Each entry shows the product name, IP address, firmware version, serial number, and when the device was last seen.
- Rename — long-press a device and tap Edit to give it a custom name or update its IP. You can also set a remote address here (e.g.
myinverter.example.com:18899) for port forwarding setups - Favourite — long-press and choose Set as Favourite, or swipe right. The starred device connects automatically on launch. Requires GivLocal Pro
- Delete — swipe left and tap Delete, or use the long-press menu
Connection errors
Section titled “Connection errors”If a connection fails, GivLocal shows a brief explanation:
| Message | Likely cause |
|---|---|
| Device rejected the connection | Inverter is offline or temporarily busy |
| Device did not respond in time | Phone and inverter may be on different networks; also occurs briefly after a router restart |
| Could not reach the device | No network route between your phone and the inverter |
| Device responded but isn’t a GivEnergy inverter | Something else on your network answered on port 8899 |
Tap Retry to attempt the connection again, or Devices (top right of the dashboard) to return to the device list.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”If a device isn’t found automatically:
- Check it’s powered on and connected to the network
- Make sure your phone and inverter are on the same network segment
- Try Scan Different Subnet if you have a mesh or VLAN setup
- Try Manual Connection using the inverter’s IP address