Victron GX Devices Explained: Cerbo GX vs. Ekrano GX

Every Victron-based power system — whether it's powering an off-grid cabin, an RV, a marine vessel, or a commercial backup installation — relies on a central communication hub to tie everything together. That hub is the GX device.

Without a GX device, your inverters, charge controllers, batteries, and BMS modules all operate independently. With one, they become a coordinated system — monitored in real time, controllable remotely, and capable of intelligent automation. In this post, we'll break down exactly what GX devices do, compare the two primary options (the Cerbo GX and the Ekrano GX), and explain how software integration through Node-RED, MQTT, and the VRM API takes these devices from monitoring tools to full system automation platforms.

What Is a Victron GX Device?

A GX device is the communication center of a Victron energy system. It connects to every component in your installation — inverter/chargers (MultiPlus, Quattro), solar charge controllers (SmartSolar MPPT), battery monitors (SmartShunt, BMV-712), BMS units (Lynx Smart BMS), and more — through Victron's proprietary data interfaces: VE.Bus, VE.Direct, and VE.Can.

Once connected, the GX device serves several critical functions:

  • System Monitoring: Real-time visibility into battery state of charge, power consumption, solar harvest, generator status, tank levels, and temperature readings — all from a single interface.
  • Remote Access: Full system monitoring and configuration through the Victron Remote Management (VRM) portal, accessible from any browser or mobile device with an internet connection.
  • Device Coordination: The GX device actively coordinates connected components. For example, it can manage battery charging parameters across multiple MPPTs, enforce current limits on shore power input, or automatically start and stop a generator based on battery voltage or state of charge.
  • Firmware Management: Remote firmware updates for connected Victron devices, reducing the need for on-site service visits.
  • Data Logging: Historical performance data is uploaded to VRM, giving you long-term insight into energy production, consumption patterns, and system health.

In short, the GX device transforms a collection of individual power components into a unified, intelligent energy system.

Cerbo GX: The Most Widely Deployed GX Device

The Cerbo GX is Victron's most popular GX product, and for good reason. It packs extensive connectivity into a compact, DIN-rail-mountable form factor that fits easily into electrical enclosures, RV compartments, and marine installations.

Cerbo GX MK2 — Key Specifications

The current production model is the Cerbo GX MK2, which brought several meaningful hardware improvements over the original:

  • 2 × VE.Can ports (VE.Can 1 is galvanically isolated) — configurable for VE.Can, BMS-Can, or RV-C/NMEA 2000 profiles
  • 1 × VE.Bus port — connects to MultiPlus, Quattro, and other VE.Bus inverter/chargers
  • 2 × VE.Direct ports — for SmartSolar MPPTs, SmartShunts, BMV battery monitors, and other VE.Direct devices
  • 3 × fully functional USB ports — all support data and power (the original Cerbo had one power-only port)
  • 4 × resistive tank level inputs — configurable for European (0–180 Ω) or US (240–30 Ω) tank senders
  • 4 × temperature sensor inputs
  • 2 × digital inputs — for alarm monitoring (doors, bilge, fire) with pulse counting support on the MK2
  • 2 × programmable relays — for generator start/stop, alarm output, tank pumps, or temperature-controlled switching
  • Built-in WiFi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth
  • MicroSD card slot — required for operation (stores configuration and data logging)
  • Power input: 8–70 VDC

The Cerbo GX is a headless device — it has no built-in display. For local visual monitoring, it pairs with a separate GX Touch display (available in 5-inch and 7-inch sizes) that connects via a single cable. This modular design gives installers flexibility: the Cerbo can be mounted inside an enclosure while the touchscreen is panel-mounted in a convenient, visible location.

At Alchemy Industrial, we sell the Cerbo GX both standalone and as a bundle with the GX Touch, which includes a pre-formatted SD card so you can get up and running right out of the box.

Ekrano GX: The All-in-One Flagship

The Ekrano GX is Victron's most powerful GX device. It integrates a 7-inch touchscreen display (1024 × 600 resolution, up to 1000 cd/m² brightness) directly into the unit, eliminating the need for a separate GX Touch. It is the successor to the now-discontinued Color Control GX.

Ekrano GX — Key Specifications

  • Built-in 7" TFT LCD touchscreen — waterproof, with dynamic backlight dimming via ambient light sensor and a dark mode for low-light environments
  • Quad-core processor — significantly more processing power than the Cerbo GX, capable of managing large systems with numerous connected devices
  • 3 × VE.Direct ports (one more than the Cerbo GX)
  • 2 × VE.Can ports (one galvanically isolated)
  • 1 × VE.Bus port
  • 2 × USB-A host ports
  • 3 × resistive tank level inputs
  • 2 × temperature sensor inputs
  • 2 × digital inputs — with pulse counting support
  • 2 × programmable relays
  • Built-in WiFi, Ethernet, and Bluetooth
  • MicroSD card slot
  • Robust aluminum enclosure

The Ekrano GX is designed for flush panel or blind hole mounting, with all ports accessible from the rear. The touchscreen can be disabled via a recessed button on the back to prevent unauthorized use — a useful feature for commercial or shared installations.

Cerbo GX vs. Ekrano GX: Which One Do You Need?

Both devices run the same Venus OS firmware and provide the same core monitoring, control, and VRM connectivity. The differences come down to form factor, processing power, and I/O count.

Feature Cerbo GX MK2 Ekrano GX
Built-in Display No (pairs with GX Touch 50 or 70) Yes — 7" touchscreen
Processor Dual-core Quad-core
VE.Direct Ports 2 3
VE.Can Ports 2 (1 isolated) 2 (1 isolated)
USB Ports 3 2
Tank Level Inputs 4 3
Temperature Inputs 4 2
Mounting DIN-rail or surface mount Flush panel or blind hole mount
Best For Flexible installs where display is separate from the controller Clean single-unit dashboard installs with higher processing demands

Choose the Cerbo GX when you want maximum mounting flexibility — for example, when the controller needs to live inside a sealed enclosure while the display is mounted on a wall or dashboard several feet away. It also offers more tank level and temperature inputs, which makes it a strong fit for marine and RV builds where monitoring multiple tanks and compartments is important.

Choose the Ekrano GX when you want an all-in-one solution with more processing headroom — particularly for larger systems with many connected devices, or when you plan to run resource-intensive software like Node-RED directly on the GX device.

The VRM Portal: Remote Monitoring and Control

Both the Cerbo GX and Ekrano GX connect to the Victron Remote Management (VRM) portal — a cloud-based platform that gives you full visibility into your energy system from anywhere in the world. VRM is free to use and provides:

  • Real-time system overview (battery SOC, solar production, AC loads, generator status)
  • Historical data and trend analysis
  • Custom alerts and notifications (low battery, high temperature, device faults)
  • Remote Console access — full control of the GX device as if you were standing in front of it
  • Remote firmware updates for connected Victron devices
  • Multi-site management for installers and fleet operators monitoring hundreds of systems

VRM is where most users start, and for many systems, it provides everything needed for day-to-day monitoring. But for those who want to go further — custom dashboards, third-party integrations, automated decision-making — the real power lies in software integration.

Software Integration: Node-RED, MQTT, and the VRM API

This is where GX devices go from being monitoring tools to being programmable automation platforms. Victron's open architecture gives developers and integrators three primary pathways for extending system functionality beyond what's available out of the box.

Node-RED

Node-RED is a browser-based, low-code programming tool for building event-driven automations. When installed via Venus OS Large (an extended firmware image available for the Cerbo GX, Ekrano GX, and other compatible GX devices), Node-RED runs directly on the GX device itself.

Victron provides a pre-installed Victron Palette — a set of custom Node-RED nodes that give direct read/write access to every data point on the system: battery voltage, current, SOC, relay states, MPPT output, inverter mode, and more. This means you can build automation flows such as:

  • Diverting excess solar power to a water heater or other dump load when batteries are full
  • Sending custom notifications to Slack, email, or SMS when specific system conditions are met
  • Scheduling relay-controlled equipment (pumps, lights, HVAC) based on battery SOC and time of day
  • Creating custom dashboards with real-time gauges, charts, and controls — viewable locally or remotely through VRM
  • Integrating with third-party APIs (weather services, utility rate schedules, Home Assistant)
  • Creating virtual devices (virtual grid meters, virtual temperature sensors) that appear on the GX device as if they were real hardware

Node-RED runs well on the Cerbo GX's dual-core processor for moderate flows. For complex automations with many nodes, the Ekrano GX's quad-core processor provides additional headroom.

MQTT

Every GX device includes a built-in MQTT broker that publishes system data to the local network. MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight messaging protocol widely used in IoT and industrial automation. Once enabled in the GX device settings, any MQTT client on the same network can subscribe to real-time data streams from your power system.

MQTT is also available through the cloud via Victron's VRM MQTT servers, enabling remote data access for systems with internet connectivity. This opens up integrations with platforms like Home Assistant, InfluxDB + Grafana for advanced data visualization, and custom monitoring dashboards.

The MQTT topic structure follows Victron's D-Bus path convention, giving you granular access to individual measurements — battery SOC, PV yield per charger, AC input/output power, individual cell voltages (when paired with a compatible BMS), and hundreds of other data points.

VRM API

The VRM API provides RESTful access to all data collected by the VRM portal. This is particularly useful for fleet management, automated reporting, and integration with enterprise systems. With the VRM API, you can programmatically pull historical data, current system status, and device configurations across multiple sites.

Why Software Integration Matters — and Why You Need the Right Partner

The hardware capabilities of GX devices are impressive on their own. But the real differentiator in a Victron system is how well the software layer is implemented. A properly configured GX device with well-designed Node-RED flows and MQTT integrations can automate generator management, optimize self-consumption, predict maintenance needs, and integrate your power system into broader building or fleet management platforms.

This is exactly where Alchemy Industrial provides value that most Victron dealers cannot. Alchemy Industrial is backed by an in-house Victron Recommended Software Integrator — a select distinction within the Victron ecosystem that recognizes advanced capability in developing custom solutions using Node-RED, MQTT, and the VRM API. This means we can go beyond standard system configuration to build:

  • Custom Node-RED automation flows tailored to your specific operational requirements
  • Third-party system integrations (SCADA, BMS, Home Assistant, building management systems)
  • Custom VRM dashboards and data visualization
  • Automated alerting and reporting pipelines
  • Remote system optimization and ongoing performance tuning

Whether you're building a single off-grid cabin system or deploying a fleet of Victron-based power systems across multiple sites, having a Victron Recommended Software Integrator on your side means your system isn't just monitored — it's truly optimized.

Getting Started

If you're building a new Victron system or upgrading an existing one, the GX device should be one of the first components you select — it determines how you'll interact with and manage your entire installation.

Browse our GX device lineup:

Need help choosing the right GX device for your system, or want to discuss custom software integration? Contact our team or call us at (832) 981-5505. We're happy to help you design a system that's not just reliable — but intelligent.

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