Connecting a Vestel EVC04 charger
Vestel EVC04 chargers are configured from an embedded web interface, the EVC04 Configuration Interface. If your charger displays this interface, this article applies.
These chargers communicate with Chargekeeper over OCPP 1.6 JSON: it is the only version offered by their configuration interface.
To create the connection token and choose the URL type, see the Connecting a charger article. This article covers what is specific to this hardware.
1. Prerequisites
- An active network connection on the charger: Ethernet, Wi-Fi or SIM card, with outbound internet access open.
- Access to the charger's configuration interface. The address and credentials depend on the installation: they are listed in the manual supplied with the charger.
- The charge point identifier under which the charger must appear in the supervision.
2. Create the connection token
In Chargekeeper, open the Chargers module, Connect a charger tab, then Create. Fill in:
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Description | A label that identifies the charger or the site |
| URL type | Organisation (recommended) |
| Format | JSON |
| Version | 1.6 |
| Encryption | Secure |
Save the token: the OCPP URL is only computed once the token is saved. Reopen it, then copy the URL with the copy button. It has the following form:
wss://<ocpp-server>/OCPP16/<organisation-id>/<token>
3. Open the charger's OCPP settings
Log in to the configuration interface, then open the OCPP Settings tab. The left-hand menu splits the page into four sections:
- OCPP Connection — enable or disable supervision
- OCPP Version — the protocol version
- Connection Settings — the server address and the charger identifier
- OCPP Configuration Parameters — the charger's behaviour
All these sections belong to one and the same page: a single save validates them together.
4. Enable the connection and enter the server
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| OCPP Connection | Enabled — the factory value is Disabled, in which case the charger does not try to reach any supervision |
| OCPP Version | OCPP 1.6 — the only version available, selected by default |
| Central System Address | The URL copied in step 2, pasted as is, without retyping it |
| Charge Point ID | The charge point identifier |
Central System Address and Charge Point ID are mandatory: without them, the page refuses to save.
Two things to know about these two fields:
- Do not append the charger identifier to the URL. The charger adds it itself at the end of the address when it connects — this is the normal behaviour of OCPP 1.6 JSON. The token URL is shared by every charger in the organisation; it is the Charge Point ID that tells them apart.
- If the charger is already declared in your organisation, the Charge Point ID must match the declared identifier exactly, including case. A different identifier creates a second charger in the supervision instead of reusing the existing one.
5. The OCPP parameters to check
The OCPP Configuration Parameters section lists the protocol parameters. The factory values are suitable in most cases; here are the ones that directly affect supervision.
| Parameter | Value | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| FreeModeActive | False | Set to True, the charger delivers energy without authorisation, starting sessions with the identifier set in FreeModeRFID. Every session then comes back under that same identifier: no access control, no link to a user, no billing possible. |
| FreeModeRFID | 0 |
Mandatory field. Leave the default value as long as free mode is disabled. |
| AuthorizeRemoteTxRequests | False | Set to True, the charger asks for authorisation again before applying a remote start command. If your remote starts from the supervision or the app have no effect, this is the first parameter to check. |
| AuthorizationCacheEnabled | Depending on usage | Stores locally the badges already authorised, so they keep being accepted during a network outage. |
| AllowOfflineTxForUnknownId | False | Set to True, the charger accepts an unknown badge when it has lost the link. The session is recorded then reported once reconnected, but it may involve an undeclared badge, and therefore not be billable. |
| AuthorizationKey | Empty | Chargekeeper authenticates the charger through the token contained in the URL, not through an OCPP authorisation key. |
The Set to Defaults button resets the OCPP configuration parameters. After using it, read the whole page again before saving: the settings above must be set back.
6. Saving: two traps in this interface
A rejected value cancels the save. The interface validates the values entered and rejects those outside the allowed range — for instance BlinkRepeat must be less than or equal to 20. In that case nothing is saved: the error message appears under the field concerned, in small print, and the page does not redirect to the home page. So nothing clearly indicates the failure. After each Save, go through the page again and check that your values are still there.
Leaving the page loses the changes. If you switch tabs without saving, a "Page was not saved. Do you want to save the changes?" window appears. Choose SAVE — then check that the save actually went through, because an invalid value will block it in the same way.
7. Check the connection
On its first connection, the charger sends a Boot Notification message and registers automatically in Chargekeeper.
- Open the Chargers module: the charger must appear in the list, under its Charge Point ID.
- Check the OCPP logs to confirm that the Boot Notification was received, then the Heartbeats.
If no connector appears at first, this is normal: the automatic configuration of charge points waits for the OCPP status notifications, which can take a few minutes after the charger starts up.
8. Troubleshooting
The checks common to all chargers are gathered in the Connection problems article. Here is what is specific to this hardware.
The charger does not appear in the supervision at all. First check that your settings were actually saved: reopen the OCPP Settings tab and read through the four sections. A value rejected elsewhere on the page — a BlinkRepeat that is too high, for example — may have prevented the server address from being saved without you noticing. Then check that OCPP Connection is indeed set to Enabled: it ships as Disabled.
A duplicate charger has appeared in the supervision. The Charge Point ID entered does not match the already declared identifier exactly. Correct it in the charger, then delete the extra entry.
Sessions come back with no user, or all under the same identifier. Check FreeModeActive: set to True, the charger delivers energy without authorisation and nothing can be linked to an account.
Remote starts do not work. Check AuthorizeRemoteTxRequests.
Going further
The Installation Settings tab contains a Load Shedding Minimum Current parameter: the minimum current the charger keeps during load shedding, adjustable between 0 and the current limiter value defined in the limiter settings. This setting is local to the charger and comes on top of the control sent by the supervision; keep it in mind if the site uses Smart Charging.
