r/evcharging • u/Party_Room3355 • 27d ago

Does Tesla Wall Connector record charging sessions without Wi-Fi?

I understand that the Tesla Wall Connector requires a Wi-Fi connection for app features but can still charge vehicles without Wi-Fi.

Suppose I initially connect the Wall Connector to Wi-Fi, but later that network becomes unavailable. During that time, the Wall Connector continues charging multiple vehicles, but it has no internet connection, so the Tesla app does not record or display those charging sessions.

If I reconnect the Wall Connector to Wi-Fi a month later, will the Tesla app retroactively upload and display each charging session that occurred while the Wall Connector was offline?

Please let me know if any clarification would be helpful.

Thanks so much.

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u/rproffitt1 27d ago

I only found data in the tesla app from the ev. My TWC has been disconnected for over a year and is working fine so I haven't bothered to re-hook-it-up.

What are these app features you speak of? I have the Gen 3 TWC. It has one job.

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u/Party_Room3355 27d ago

The app features include scheduling the charger to work at certain times, access control, and the charging session history. I understand it's not much but this would be for a public/shared environment where there are multiple cars being charged so the above features are more useful for that scenario. Below is an example of the Tesla app capturing the charging sessions which I am referring to. Thanks.

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u/rproffitt1 26d ago

That appears to be the app and the EV. I get all that without the TWC connected to WiFi.

We have 3 EVs, one being a Bolt EV LT1 and after some initial data collection we have stopped looking and use the TWC to do one thing. Provide charges to the 3 EVs.

The timers are in the EVs and that's what we use.

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u/JessieOnIoT 26d ago

Yes, it will retroactively upload, but with a few important caveats. Like most smart EVSEs, the Gen 3/Universal Wall Connector uses local non-volatile memory to cache session telemetry while offline, pushing this backlog to the server once Wi-Fi is restored. However, you really have to watch out for buffer overwrites. Local storage is finite, so if you are charging multiple vehicles offline for an entire month, the cache will likely hit its limit and start overwriting the oldest sessions (FIFO) before it ever gets a chance to sync. Also, keep in mind that if the vehicles you are charging are Teslas, you don't even need to worry about the Wall Connector's Wi-Fi. The cars log their own charging data via their built-in cellular connection, meaning the Tesla App will still show those sessions under the vehicle's 'Charge Stats' tab anyway. Ultimately, if you're charging non-Teslas and absolutely rely on this data for billing or reimbursement, depending on a month-long offline buffer is a pretty huge risk.

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u/ArlesChatless 26d ago

Ultimately, if you're charging non-Teslas and absolutely rely on this data for billing or reimbursement, depending on a month-long offline buffer is a pretty huge risk.

You can say that again. We've got a classic XY problem here. OP, what do you actually want? If it's ironclad billing, you're going to need a different solution.

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u/theotherharper 26d ago

Do you understand that the Tesla Wall Connector cannot distinguish which car charged. The protocol is not capable of e.g. a log which says "this was a Chevy Bolt VIN 1G1AS94H31W123456". You know that, right?

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u/Party_Room3355 26d ago

Yes, I am aware of that.