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EV Charger Connectivity That Keeps Chargers Online
An offline charger earns nothing. Every networked charge point needs a live link for OCPP: driver authorisation, sessions, payments and remote management all stop when it drops. Most charging sites have no broadband, and the charger is a metal box that blocks its own signal. TITAN supplies EV charger connectivity as one kit: a 4G or 5G router, an external antenna mounted clear of the enclosure, and a SIM, staged and tested in Galway.
What Is EV Charger Connectivity?
EV charger connectivity is the data link between a charge point and its Charging Station Management System. It carries the OCPP traffic for driver authorisation, session start and stop, energy reporting, payment and remote commands. At most sites it is a 4G or 5G router with its own SIM and an external antenna, so the charger stays online without relying on site broadband.
Car parks, forecourts, kerbsides and depots rarely have usable broadband, so the standard answer is a dedicated cellular router with its own SIM. OCPP traffic is small: the challenge is reliability, not bandwidth, and reliability at a charge point is nearly always an antenna question.
The Charger Is a Metal Box
Why “the charger keeps going offline” is nearly always the same fault.
Steel Blocks Signal
A charge point is a sealed metal cabinet, the wrong home for an internal antenna. Marginal signal outside becomes no signal inside, and the charger drops out, often mid-session.
Noise Inside
The charger’s own power electronics create interference right beside any internal antenna. Moving the antenna outside and away from the power cabling cleans up the signal.
Bad Locations
Underground car parks, kerbside cabinets with no view of a mast, rural forecourts at the edge of coverage: charging sites are often where signal is worst.
The Fix Is External
An external antenna on or above the enclosure, cabled to the router inside, turns a marginal site into a reliable one. Usually a one-hole install.
4G or 5G, Staged With the SIM
Two routers cover most charging sites. Both arrive configured, with the SIM fitted and tested.
Teltonika · Router
RUT241 Compact 4G
Small enough to sit inside the charger cabinet or a box beside it. 4G LTE with Wi-Fi, two Ethernet ports, I/O and automatic failover: plenty for OCPP on one charger or a small bank through a switch. The router Teltonika itself uses in published EV-charging deployments.
4G · 2× Ethernet · Wi-Fi
Robustel · Router
R5010 5G With Free Monitoring
5G with 4G fallback for sites built to run for years, or hubs where cameras and screens share the link. Comes with free RCMS cloud monitoring from TITAN: signal, data use and online status for every charger site on one dashboard, so you see a link drop before a driver reports it.
5G · 4G fallback · Free RCMS
More options on our industrial cellular routers page, and more on RCMS remote monitoring.
Get the Antenna Out of the Box
Two ways to mount it, depending on the charger and the signal at the site. Match the antenna to the router’s cellular ports, and keep the cable short.
Poynting · Antenna
PUCK-2 On Top of the Charger
Our standard fit, already in Irish charging installs. A low, vandal-resistant 2×2 MIMO 4G/5G antenna through one hole on top of the charger, outside the metal box and away from the power electronics. Covers 617–6000 MHz.
2×2 MIMO · One hole · 4G/5G
Panorama · Antenna
B4BE Raised Clear of the Charger
Panorama’s bracket-mount antenna, made for EV chargers and utility cabinets. The bracket fixes it to a wall, mast or panel, so it can sit above the charger on weaker sites. 617–960 and 1710–6000 MHz, factory-fitted cable from 0.5 to 10 m. Single port: fit one per cellular port on the router.
Single port · Bracket mount · 4G/5G
Plus the SIM: multi-network IoT SIMs supplied and managed by us, or your operator’s. For the full range, read how to choose a 4G or 5G antenna.
You Install the Chargers. We Do the Connectivity.
Tell us the site: how many charge points, the enclosure and roughly where it is. The connectivity arrives as one staged kit, labelled per site.
Router configured for your management system, antenna and mount, SIM fitted and tested. Your electrician fits the antenna, connects power and Ethernet, and the charger comes up online. Volume pricing for rollouts, and support from Galway after.
EV Charger Connectivity Questions, Answered
Why do EV chargers need an internet connection?
A networked charge point talks to its management system over OCPP: authorising drivers, starting and stopping sessions, reporting energy, taking payment and receiving remote commands. When the connection drops, the charger shows offline, drivers can’t start a paid session, and the operator can’t see or manage the unit.
Why does our charger keep going offline?
Usually it’s signal, not software. The charger’s metal enclosure blocks its internal antenna and its power electronics add interference beside it. An external antenna mounted on or above the cabinet, cabled to the router inside, fixes most intermittent sites and is the first thing to try.
Should the antenna go on top of the charger or on a bracket?
On top is the standard fit: the Poynting PUCK-2 goes through one hole in the charger’s roof, outside the metal box and away from the power electronics. Where the signal is weaker, or the top can’t be drilled, the Panorama B4BE fixes to a bracket on a wall, mast or panel, raised clear of the charger.
How much data does an EV charger use?
Very little. OCPP messages are small, so monthly data per site stays modest even with several charge points. Bandwidth is rarely the problem; a reliable connection is, which is why the antenna and the SIM matter more than the router’s top speed.
Can one router serve several charge points?
Yes. Charge points on one site can share a router over Ethernet, through a small switch if needed, each keeping its own OCPP connection to the management system. For larger hubs we check the load and pick the router to suit.
Do we need 5G for EV chargers?
Not for the charger data itself: 4G carries OCPP easily, which is why the RUT241 suits most sites. A 5G router such as the R5010 makes sense where the site will run for many years, or where cameras, screens or other equipment share the connection.
Which SIM should go in the router?
Whichever serves the site best: our multi-network IoT SIMs where coverage varies, or your own operator’s SIMs under an existing contract. Either way we fit and test the SIM before dispatch, so the site comes up first time, and we can look after the SIMs across a whole rollout.
Put Your Chargers Online, and Keep Them There
One site or a rollout: routers, antennas and SIMs staged together and supported from Galway.
+353 91 757500 · iot@titan.ie
Serving Ireland, the UK and Europe via the Vadnet IoT distributor alliance