Connecting a Schneider EVlink charger
Schneider EVlink chargers (Smart Wallbox, Pro AC) communicate with Chargekeeper over OCPP 1.6J. This article recalls the connection prerequisites and details a common configuration point on this hardware: the connector numbering, which can prevent charges from starting if it is set wrong.
1. Connection prerequisites
- OCPP 1.6J protocol.
- The Chargekeeper supervision URL entered in the charger (format
wss://ocpp-j.service-evse.com/…), through the Schneider commissioning tool (embedded web interface / EVlink Setup / Checkpoint depending on the model). - Charger running an up-to-date firmware.
- Once connected, remember to configure the Chargekeeper side: company + site area, users, user groups, and the matching pricing.
2. Symptom: the charger reports the wrong connector
On some EVlink units, the supervision displays a connector with an unexpected number (for example "10"), and starting a charge fails with an error such as:
The Connector ID '11' is invalid
In plain terms: the charger reports its status on one connector (e.g. 10) but starts the transaction on another one (e.g. 11) that was never declared. The supervision then rightly refuses a transaction on an unknown connector.
3. Cause: the enableplugnumbering parameter
This behaviour is known and confirmed by Schneider (see the references at the end of the article). The Smart Wallbox may historically carry two sockets (Type 2 and Type E) and uses a "per socket" numbering driven by the manufacturer parameter enableplugnumbering:
enableplugnumbering |
Connector numbering |
|---|---|
true |
per-socket numbering → shifted identifiers (e.g. 10 for the status, 11 for the Type 2 socket, 12 for the Type E) → phantom connectors, charges refused |
false |
standard numbering → a single connector, ID 1 |
The supervision expects the standard numbering: an EVlink charger must therefore be set to enableplugnumbering = false to report the connector 1 cleanly. Note that the problem is independent of the firmware (observed on 3.3.x as well as 3.4.x).
4. Fix: set enableplugnumbering to false
The setting is applied through an OCPP ChangeConfiguration command (enableplugnumbering → false), followed by a restart of the charger.
- If the charger exposes this parameter in write mode, the operation can be done remotely from the supervision (by sending the
ChangeConfigurationcommand). - If the charger returns the parameter as read-only — common in factory configuration, where other "installer" settings are locked as well — the change must be made locally, in installer mode, with the Schneider commissioning tool.
Steps:
- Send
ChangeConfiguration { enableplugnumbering = false }(remotely if accepted, otherwise locally in installer mode). - Restart the charger to apply the change.
- Check that the charger now reports a single connector (no. 1) and that a test charge starts correctly.
💡 On a fleet, compare with an identical EVlink charger that already works: the parameter is set to
falsethere. Handle a single charger first to validate the procedure, then roll it out to the rest of the fleet.
5. Checks after reconfiguration
- The charger shows a single socket in the supervision.
- OCPP messages received: BootNotification, Heartbeat, StatusNotification on connector 1.
- A test charging session starts, reports power, and closes normally.
6. References
- Schneider Electric Community — EVlink Smart Wallbox using connectorId 10 and 11 instead of 0 and 1
- Schneider Electric Community — EVlink Smart Wallbox : pas d'infos sur le connector 0
Need help? The Chargekeeper support team can provide the OCPP logs and assist you with the diagnosis.
