​Battery Monitors & Shunts

A battery shunt is essential for a lithium setup because it is the only way to accurately track your state of charge. Unlike lead acid batteries, lithium maintains a very flat voltage curve, meaning a standard voltmeter cannot tell the difference between a battery that is 90 percent full and one that is 20 percent empty.

The shunt acts as a gateway that measures every amp flowing in and out of the cells. This allows the monitor to calculate exactly how much power is remaining, taking the guesswork out of your off grid stay. Having this data helps you manage loads like fridges or inverters with total confidence.

Check out our range of Lithium Batteries to find your next power source, or browse our Solar Controllers to manage your incoming charge.

The choice between these units depends on your preference for a hidden installation or a dedicated screen. A Bluetooth smart shunt allows you to monitor your system status from a smartphone or tablet anywhere around camp, which works well for setups where batteries are tucked away in a canopy or storage box.

A fixed display monitor is better for those who want a quick glance at their power levels without needing to open an app. This style is popular for caravans and campervan builds because the screen can be mounted centrally. Both systems provide accurate data, so the better option is the one that fits your monitoring habits best.

Tracking your charge levels is a smart way to avoid cutting a trip short. Explore our AGM Deep Cycle Batteries to find your storage match, or browse our DCDC Chargers to manage your incoming power.

A battery shunt must always be installed on the negative terminal of the battery bank. To get an accurate reading, it needs to be the last point of contact before the battery, making certain that every single amp flowing in or out is measured.

Connecting the shunt to the positive side will not work and can damage the monitor. You should connect one side of the shunt to the battery negative terminal using a short, heavy gauge cable, and then connect all other accessory and charger negative leads to the opposite side of the shunt. This creates a single path for current to follow, allowing the monitor to provide a true state of charge.

Getting these connections right is a vital part of a tidy electrical build. Explore our Battery Cable & Accessories for the right wiring, or see our Circuit Breakers & Fuses to protect your positive lines.

This usually occurs because the monitor needs to be synchronized at a full state of charge or because power is bypassing the shunt. If the monitor is powered up while the battery is partially empty, it may incorrectly assume the current level is the full starting point.

A common installation error is a shunt bypass. If any accessories or chargers are connected directly to the battery negative terminal instead of the load side of the shunt, their power usage is never measured. The monitor simply cannot track the energy leaving the system, which leaves you with a false reading.

Verify that every negative lead in your setup passes through the shunt to get an accurate state of charge. You can then use one of our Battery Chargers to reach a full state of charge and manually reset your monitor to its correct baseline.