I have a webbox connected to a SB 5000US. I have the RS485 communication card in the inverter. After going through the issues with SMA technical on the phone, they sent me a new comm card. That still did not fix the problem.

I have double checked all the wiring and terminations. They are all good. The shield is ground on the inverter side, but not the webbox side. The jumper J1A is in at the inverter and at the webbbox.

I have another new webbox on had for another installation, so I installed it. Still no dice.


The SMACOM light never comes on on the weboox. The NETCOM light is sometimes red and sometimes red (or not on at all)

Any ideas?

Dumb question: Are the WebBoxes RS485 enabled?
2nd dumb question: Have you done a search for inverters in the WebBox web interface?

OK. Now the obvious is cleared up. Try disconnecting the shield. It's not really needed on short runs.

The other thing you could try is to get hold of an RS485 to RS232/USB converter. Hook this up to the network and run Sunny Data Control on your PC (Free from SMA). If it talks to the webbox but not the inverter then it seems it could be an inverter problem. I am assuming the wiring is all correct as you say.

SMACOM light will not come on until there is a connection to the inverter. The NETCOM light will only come on when the WebBox has been configured correctly and it can access sunny portal. If you have not done this or have something blocking remote access the light will not come on.

I found the problem. Since the webbox was communicating with a single inverter, the jumpers needed to be installed on A, B and C inside the inverter. I miss-read that in the manual. I only had a jumper on A.


Now, if I can just get the webbox to commmunicate with sunnyportal...

Hello Randy,

Many times if you cannot communicate with the Sunny Portal, it is a network issue.

-Have set up your network properly?
-Is your Net-Com light on? Red or Green?
-Have you entered your plant name and Email Address?
(make sure you are confident in your email address and plant name, because once you register, you cannot change it.)

-Go to your WebBox Tab, then Info Tab. and click register under "Last Sunny Portal Registration."
- What does this say? If it says OK, then you are good to go, and communication will start.

Please let me know if this helps answer your question.

Best Regards,