Hi, for quite some time I have been using my Rainforest Eagle 2 along with Wattvision to upload my net power usage to PVOutput. Recently Rainforest discontinued their desktop app and forced you to use a mobile app to see your data. Now Wattvision has informed me today unless I pay $100/year by Feb 15 they will delete my account. So I figure the writing is on the wall. I’m sure that within a short time the Eagle will be shut down (or go subscription) as well. So I’m looking for an alternative to be able to continue sending data to PVOutput. I already send my solar generation via Enphase, but they do not do any consumption monitoring and I’d rather than use them for consumption. I have an Emporia Vue 2 that I’ve had for several years but I don’t believe there is any way to get their data to PVoutput (at least automatically). Anyone got any suggestions of another way to get my usage (probably from my PG&E meter) to PVoutput so I can continue my energy tracking?
I’m in the same boat as you are in regards to WattVision and the Rainforest Eagle 200. I’ve been using them as an intermediary to send consumption data to PVOutput since 2017 and they’ve been rock solid. Frankly, I’m surprised that they allowed us to use their service for free all these years and I almost feel like I ought to “donate” something to them too.
That being said–the whole reason for me to install solar in the first place was to save money. As it turns out, the fix is simple. I now just upload directly from Rainforest Cloud and haven’t come across any issues–YET. Here are the steps:
The “Auto Uploader” Method:
1. Sign into your Rainforest Cloud account at Rainforest Automation and go to your settings. Under the “Cloud” tab, “Add an Upload Destination”
2. Under “Select Destination” is a drop-down. Choose “PVOutput”
3. Enter your Rainforest System (Cloud) ID
4. Enter your PVOutput API Key (located in your PVOutput.org account’s “Settings”). You can use the existing key or generate a new one.
5. Hit “Add”
6. You can now delete WattVision as a destination, if you wish. Rainforest can send data to multiple destinations.
7. Go to your PVOutput “Edit System” section and scroll down to “Automatic Uploads”
○ Secondary Device: Eagle
○ Direction: Net
○ Your Rainforest Cloud (System) ID
○ Your User/Password
8. That’s it.
I don’t recall exactly the reason for using WattVision as the intermediary in the first place–perhaps it was more reliable then? Also note that there is also the (recommended) “Push” method found here: Push Services — PVOutput documentation which is supposedly more reliable. I only made the switch a week ago, so we’ll see how it goes long term. Good luck!
Just replace the Eagle 2 with the newer Eagle 3. Back in 2023, I received this email from Rainforest:
Thanks for being our customer for the original EAGLE gateway. We released our first EAGLE product back in 2014 at a time when the iPhone 6 was the latest thing and Amazon’s Alexa was about to hit the market. Unfortunately, due to the age of the technology used in the EAGLE, we are unable to continue to support it going forward - this includes accessing the solution through our cloud. Our new EAGLE 3 product uses the same architecture we developed for the EAGLE-200, and we will continue to support those products going forward.
However, you can continue to use the legacy EAGLE using the local interface when you’re on the same WiFi/Ethernet network as the EAGLE.
Me again:
I don’t recall that I did anything. I just tried logging in to my rainforest account and it doesn’t exist it seems. Keeps telling me that I didn’t use the right user name or password. However, PVOutput continues to populate my account with the data because I picked up at step 7 of woodworkerii’s post. In step 7 you find your Cloud ID on the bottom of the Rainforest EAGLE 2. PVOutput now connects directly to that ID for the data. You do not need an account with Rainforest, Wattvision nor do you need to peform the steps 1 through 6. Just step 7 and PVOutput will connect directly to that cloud address within the EAGLE 2.
So I have a little more information regarding this issue. First of all, I did correspond with Rainforest support and they said my Eagle 200 is still going to continue working for the foreseeable future (i.e. it will still report data to the Rainforest Cloud). However, Rainforest will be discontinuing their current cloud system that is web based and is moving to an app based system. They sent me an email back on 12/29/25 that pointed to instructions on how to do that, and I did convert. Unfortunately when you do that you are no longer able to setup or configure the uploaders in the Eagle 200, although any existing uploaders will continue to work (i.e. my Wattvision is still working). Rainforest support said that if changes need to be made to any uploaders I can email support and they will do it for me until their new web-based cloud app is ready.
Secondly, Wattvision has informed me what they actually are doing are eliminating the “free” tier and changing the price of the “Standard” tier to $9/month or $99/year. The support person did not say if there were going to be any changes to their other tiers (Professional, Wattvisionary and Commercial One) although I suspect they will. I think they finally realized they couldn’t keep running their cloud infrastructure for a bunch of free users (i.e. people like me that used them to collect my data and send it on to PVOutput). For the time being I am subscribing monthly for $9.
Thirdly, when I first set up my system with PVoutput back in 2020 I don’t believe they had a way to upload directly from the Eagle to PVoutput, which is why I chose to use Wattvision. Apparently that has changed because I see “Eagle” is an option in the Automatic Uploads section of PVoutput. Anyone using this option? If so, how do you implement it? Since I don’t have access to their uploader configuration page anymore if I were to change (assuming Rainforest can upload directly to PVOutput) I would have to contact their support and have them do it for me.
Thanks.
skipro3: I noticed what you added at the end of your message regarding using PVOutput directly. So you are saying all I would have to do is to change my uploader in PVOutput to Eagle and fill out the form? I know what my cloud id is, does the User/Password refer to the the credentials used to log into the Rainforest Cloud? Or does it refer to the big long numbers (Mac & IN) on the bottom label of the Eagle? I believe I tired this method a couple of days ago (using my Rainforest Credentials) and never got any data at all. Is it still required to configure the Eagle using steps 1-6 before I change my settings on PVOutput? If so, perhaps I can request the support staff at Rainforest to manually add the uploader for me. Thanks.
Thanks.
Use the Eagle PUSH autouploader service in the Eagle-200. Works very well for me for years. No middleman like Wattvision.
Eagle PUSH autoloader
As far as Rainforest removing the cloud web access, I have voiced my opinion and displeasure if they intend to go this route. Some of us don’t have or use a cellphone, only a desktop computer.
And from what I can tell with the mobile app Rainge that they are providing, it doesn’t work from the comments.
Well, the ability to add the Eagle PUSH autouploader is not available to me anymore. As mentioned before, Rainforest is moving to a new cloud infrastructure and emailing customers to move to the new cloud that only uses the mobile app. I did what they said to do, but found out later that once you do that your device is no longer attached to the web app, only to the new mobile app (which does suck, and I told them as much as well). The ability to configure autouploaders in the Eagle is not available in the mobile app, and since my device is no longer in the cloud app I have no way to configure uploaders. Rainforest support did tell me that if I needed something changed in that area that they could do it for me, but I put in a request 5 days ago and haven’t heard back from them. If I can get them to add the Eagle PUSH autouploader and verify it works then I can retire Wattvision and not have to pay them.
Sure, they emailed everybody about the upcoming changes. But the old apps and websites are still functional till Rainforest kills them.
Why I never took them up on their offer to transiton. If it aint’t broke, don’t fix it.
And no response from them for a Support ticket for a week is normal for them. They work a 2-day work week from what I have observed over the years.
Yeah, I regret migrating to the new app, but I was under the impression they were going to retire the old cloud and website soon (like within a month), but that turns out to be not true. Some time after I got the Rainforest notice Wattvision sent out their notice that if I didn’t subscribe by Feb 14th my account would be deleted. So I had it in my mind that I had to make some quick decisions. Anyway, we’ll see if Rainforest Support will add the Eagle autouploader to my device. If they can get it added and it works for me then I will tell Rainforest to remove the Wattvision uploader from my Eagle and cancel my Wattvision account.
Well, Rainforest support came through and sent me an email today letting me know that they added the PVOutput uploader to my Eagle-200. I made the changes in my PVOutput system settings and everything seems to be working great! I’ll let it run for about a week and if I don’t see any problems I’ll contact Wattvision and cancel my account there. No need to pay them now that they phased out the free monitoring. For those buying the Eagle 3 you may have to go through Rainforest support in order to add the PVOutput uploader, since they have disabled the old cloud that allowed you to do that yourself. Support told me they plan to add this function to the mobile app at some point, and also develop a new web app that will replace the old app/cloud environment. How long this will take, no one knows.
Handwriting on the wall I guess with respect to legacy products. I just hope that when the time comes forcing me to move to the Eagle 3 that the software has stabilized and has replicated at minimum what the Eagle-200 allows for configuring external 3rd party API export. This should be in the app without having to resort to Rainforest Support needing to configure that remotely.