Wanderer Series

I have an IRLP node with a 12V lithium battery for backup should the power go out and I needed a charge controller as the DC in I have is about 20V, which is naturally too high to simply directly connect. This controller is exactly what I needed. It will do SLA, flooded and lithium chemistries, you need to select type of battery manually, and you can dial in what charge voltage you want, in my case, according to the battery I have connected, it wants to see 14.4V. You can set up the LCD readout to display what you want for the most part and it has performed flawlessly since I have had it. The instructions are fairly clear on what you need to do to set it up and it actually is pretty easy. It has worked well during outages, switching from the input source to the battery is seamless. I am very happy with this controller and have already recommended this brand to my friends that were looking for one for their various reasons.

Without a doubt and after testing most of the PWM controllers in this realm, I'll say this one is the best. This one not only works, but you don't have to worry about it and it just works. It's also a great price for 17$ which is what I paid. If you are looking for a charge controller either for a backup or just because you have less than a 200w panel or two 100w panels in parallel this little controller will fit the bill for you. You can add the BT controller if you want but why? That costs more than this unit and this unit already has this data built in. Just press the select button to see voltage, amps, battery voltage, load, load settings and ways to maximize your small setup with a excellent PWM controller. Thank you Renogy for this controller and please keep this low price for all of us that know how to properly use this. This is seriously the best sub 20$ PWM controller out there for small panels and it just works with all the features it provides. I'm very happy with this unit and would highly recommend to anyone.

To avoid confusion, this references the Renogy 10 Amp 12V/24V PWM Negative Ground Solar Charge Controller Compact Design w/LCD Display. Renogy seems to be among the leaders in our ever-growing world of solar technology. I have two of the cheap (under $10) PWM controllers, and they work okay, but for the price, I happily upgraded to the Renogy controller. Briefly: Pros: Economical. Will connect to a Renogy BT module (sold separately) Tells me most of what I need to know in its LCD menu. They do have customer service ( but reviews of this are mixed. ) Cons: Terminals seem to be designed for wire 12 AWG and smaller. I got 10 AWG in there, but I won't trust them to stay. A reminder, PWM is not the best type of charge controller, but if your needs are modest and you have no shade to interfere with your solar energy collection, it works pretty well. This 10 amp controller is good for your basic needs, handling up to two, 100-watt panels in parallel (series might be right at the limit). It works with all the major battery types, but you need to manually set Lithium types. If you want or need a more sophisticated solar energy setup for your home or large RV, you will likely want the much more expensive offerings from Renogy, Victron, and others. But for an older teardrop or backyard project, this is quite adequate. When I'm done playing around with it, I plan to affix it to one of my Renogy 100-watt suitcase solar panels. Need cheap and simple? Buy it. Happy solar, all!

Finally, a controller that doesn't lie about being MPPT. This is PWM and appears to work well with my radio room backup ex-car battery. As others have said, the connections for the wire will take a realistic gauge for light solar work - #12 in my case. Instx for setup are plain enough. The readout rotates between incoming solar panel voltage, current from the panels going to the battery, battery charge voltage, current used by the "load" output, and error [or OK] code. I'd like to have seen this pass the full 10A it's rated for out of the "load" teeminals. For a garage or patio/pool lighting scenario, I'm sure it's fine. Turn on a VHF/UHF two-way radio, and the filter caps must confuse this charger's amp measurement as it goes into a protection mode. Not a problem in practice; I'll just keep running the radios off of the battery/AC-DC supply/solar cintroller feed all paralleled, per normal. All in all, a very fair deal for the money.

I recently purchased the Renogy Wanderer 10A PWM solar charge controller for my off-grid setup, and so far, I'm very happy with its performance. It's a great piece of equipment that offers a lot of value for its compact size and price. Connectivity (and Bluetooth): One of the standout features is its connectivity. The controller has an RS232 port, which allows you to connect a BT-1 Bluetooth module (sold separately). This is a game-changer because it enables real-time monitoring of your system right from your phone using the Renogy DC Home app. I love being able to check the battery voltage, power input, and charging status without having to physically be next to the controller. The controller also has a handy 5V 2A USB port for charging small devices, which is a great bonus. Temperature and Voltage Control: The controller uses smart 4-stage PWM charging (Bulk, Boost, Float, and Equalization) to optimize battery health. It also includes temperature compensation to automatically adjust charging parameters based on the ambient temperature. This is a crucial feature for extending the lifespan of your batteries. It's designed to work with both 12V and 24V systems and automatically detects the voltage, which simplifies the setup process. Power and Brightness: This 10A controller is rated for a maximum PV input of 130W for a 12V system and 260W for a 24V system. It's perfect for a small-scale solar project, like powering lights or charging devices in a cabin or RV. The integrated backlit LCD screen is bright and easy to read, clearly displaying important information like voltage, charging current, and load status. The display provides a constant, real-time look at how your system is performing. Overall Impression: The Renogy Wanderer 10A is a solid, reliable charge controller. It's well-built and includes a variety of electronic protections to prevent damage from overcharging, short-circuits, and reverse polarity. Its user-friendly interface and the option for remote monitoring via the Bluetooth module make it an excellent choice for both beginners and those with more experience. I highly recommend it for anyone building a small, efficient solar power system.

This controller did not even last one month. I started to get E01 and E08 error codes after 2 weeks usage on my lead acid batteries. Sometimes I would get an error code as soon as I hooked it up, and sometimes it would give me the error code after a few hours. I get these errors on three different battery banks that I have on my RV. I have installed this on my original solar suitcase (not my Eclipse model), replacing my 5 year old Viewstar controller. I called Renogy and they told me to check the battery voltage and voltage at the controller terminals. I did previously and both were at 12.4 volts, which should be fine. So I guess this controller just does not work for me and I have to purchase another now, and reinstall it to my suitcase. Of course I will use a different model. I actually again checked the voltage after the Renogy tech person seem to really question the voltage at the controller. I disconnected my Battery Tender, and the battery read 13.03 volts after settling down a few minutes, and it registered 12.94 at the controller terminals. So I am pretty sure my connection and wires are ok. By the way, now I am getting more error codes today, EO and EO2, the controller is going crazy with error codes, then it connects and seems to work after a while. Seems to connect and disconnect at random. On a side note, the manual is somewhat vague, on page 14 it says to set the ‘charge voltage’ for a lithium battery (LiFepo4), but makes no mention of what voltage to set it at. There are about 21 different choices with no direction on what they mean or what to use. It goes from 12 volts up to 16 volts in .2 amounts of progression. On page 21, it talks about ‘Boost Voltage’, I have never heard of this, I know the 4 stages of charging a lead acid battery, but what is boost voltage? I guess I need to read up on this. I have had many questions on my reviews for other Renogy products, and I have recently purchased several items; the 100aH LiFePO4 battery, a DC to DC charger (wait till I review the manual on this thing!), several PWM controllers, and several other smaller items. I am also trying to update my current review of the Eclipse suitcase with a major edit concerning the ‘plastic blocks’ that connect the legs to the frame but been have a little technical difficulty with the website. I decided to install another solar controller due to all the problems with this one. I installed the Renogy Voyager 20A Waterproof Solar Controller, and so far it works perfect, no error codes. It also has a better manual and it at least tell me that the ‘charging voltage’ for lithium batteries is set at a default amount of 14.2 volts. Bummer, my first negative review of a Renogy product, but it just did not work well.

I built a small, off-grid solar system for my shed to power LED lights and a small ventilation fan that consisted of a 50W 12V-class panel (open circuit voltage around 20V), a 10 amp-hour LiFePo4 battery, and this charge controller. In that setup, it's worked great. It's a basic, workaday PWM charge controller that had worked great in my shed for several years until I decided to upgrade the system and added more panels and put in an MPPT controller. Pros: - Small size. - Reasonable price. - Terminals hold wires firmly and are easy to loosen and tighten. (Tip: crimp ferrules onto the ends of stranded wire rather and insert them into the terminals. Clamping stranded wire into the terminals is a bit harder, messier, and more prone to error.) - Backlit screen. - Easy to configure for flooded, AGM, and gel lead-acid batteries, as well as for LiFePo4 batteries. - Charging voltage is configurable for LiFePo4 batteries (in case you want to stop charging at, say, 14.4V rather than 14.6V). - USB ports are handy for charging phones or powering other devices. - It has options for turning the load on and off at and for various times. For example, the load can be turned on all the time, toggled with the push of a button, or when the sun sets (either until morning, or for various periods of time after sunset). - It supports -- but does not include -- a Renogy Bluetooth module that allows for remotely changing settings, seeing the current status, etc. from the Renogy app. - Manual is clearly written in English and explains all settings and options clearly. Cons: - This is a PWM controller which, while simpler, inherently limits its efficiency and requires a bit more planning relative to an MPPT controller. For example, connecting multiple 12V-class panels in series (or using one with a nominal open-circuit voltage greater than about 20V) provides no benefit. They need to be connected in parallel, and then one must make sure not to exceed the 10A current rating of the controller (it does not have any current limiting capability). - Turning on the load also enables the USB ports, which consume about 100mA of current when idle. With the load off, the current consumed by the controller itself is negligible. Still, it'd be nice to have the load on and disable the USB ports. - The on-device settings for having the load switched on or off at various times of day are unclear and require consulting the manual to know what the various codes mean. - The Bluetooth module is very basic and neither it nor the Wanderer 10 have any sort of data logging. You can see the current status and change settings, but no historical data is available. You apparently need some other Renogy device to accomplish that. - The Renogy app has many features, such as social features, promotions, etc. that distract from the core functionality of managing the controller. - Although the controller is reasonably priced, but the Bluetooth module is costly. Combined, their cost exceeds that of a reputable competitor's MPPT controller with built-in Bluetooth, data logging, a better app, and better integration with other devices and remote monitoring. In short, it's an inexpensive, simple PWM charge controller. If that's what you need, it'll do the job quietly and without complaint for years. However, if you want to use the Bluetooth module with this controller, you're limited to live monitoring and changing of settings only. No data logging or historical data is available. For less money than the controller + Bluetooth module, you can get a comparable-power-limit MPPT controller from a major competitor that includes better monitoring, data logging, and higher efficiency.

Started having issues charging our 300AH Lithium battery recently. I thought it may be the battery BMS but thought I'd first replace the GoPower solar charge controller that was 2.5 years old. The GoPower controller buttons never worked properly so it was time for an upgrade. As soon as the wiring was done (took 5 mins), the battery showed it was charging again. I was able to adjust the Renogy charger to 14.4 volts, which the battery manufacturer recommended. For $36 it was a cheap fix and came from a reputable company.