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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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).

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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 ChangeConfiguration command).
• 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:

1. Send ChangeConfiguration { enableplugnumbering = false } (remotely if accepted, otherwise locally in installer mode).
2. Restart the charger to apply the change.
3. 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 false there. Handle a single charger first to validate the procedure, then roll it out to the rest of the fleet.

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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.

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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.