Who is talking to your battery right now?
Battery, solar charger, power bank: anything with Bluetooth listens to every phone nearby. ArgusKAI keeps the line busy. So only you get through.
- No cloud required
- Up to 3 devices at once
- Updates over the internet
- Release with one tap
- App for iPhone and Android
- No account, no registration
The problem
Three things hardly anyone knows
None of this is scaremongering. It is simply how these devices are built.
Reachable by anyone
Your devices can be reached over Bluetooth. Not only by your phone, but by any phone within a few dozen metres. At night, too. From next door, too.
Often unprotected
Many devices never ask for a PIN at all. And if they do, the factory setting is often 000000. Hardly anyone changes it.
One tap is enough
Whoever is connected can operate the device. Switch off discharging, for example. Then the fridge, lights and heating go off. In the middle of the night.
The objection
“But I do have a PIN?”
A PIN is a password your device only asks for once the connection is already established. But your device can talk to only one phone at a time.
Whoever calls first holds the line. With or without a PIN. A stranger holding the line locks you out of your own device. And needs to know not a single digit to do it.
To be fair: a PIN is still a good thing. Keep it, and change it from the factory value. It just does not stop anyone from occupying the line. That is exactly what ArgusKAI does.
How ArgusKAI works
Your device has only one line
Click through the three steps.
Without ArgusKAI. A stranger's phone holds the line. Yours gets the busy signal. And whoever holds the line can operate the device. Including switching off discharging.
With ArgusKAI. The guard holds the line and never hangs up. Strangers get the busy signal. You see everything through the ArgusKAI app: voltage, level, alarm.
Release. Want to get in yourself? One tap in the app and ArgusKAI hangs up for ten minutes. Your usual app gets through. Afterwards ArgusKAI takes over again by itself.
Not just in the camper
Wherever Bluetooth is left open
ArgusKAI comes from the camper world. But it guards any device that can be reached over Bluetooth and does not ask who is knocking: batteries, solar chargers and other Bluetooth devices, up to three at once.
Supported devices
ArgusKAI can guard almost anything. It shows readings where it speaks the language.
Two levels worth keeping apart.
Guarding: any Bluetooth LE device
ArgusKAI occupies the connection, no matter what is at the other end. Battery, solar charger, cool box, heater, power station. The type of device does not matter.
Limits: devices that force pairing, and devices using classic Bluetooth instead of Bluetooth Low Energy.
Showing readings: where the firmware knows the data format
- Many lithium batteries with a Bluetooth BMS ready
Voltage, current, power, level, cell voltages, temperatures. Charging and discharging switchable. For a widely used BMS type found in many camper batteries. - Many Bluetooth solar chargers (MPPT) ready
PV power, battery voltage, charge state, daily yield. For a widely used charger type. - More device types in progress
We keep working on compatibility with more hardware. New device types arrive on your ArgusKAI by update.
The list grows with updates. Your device is missing, or you are not sure? Tell us the make and model and we will tell you honestly what ArgusKAI can do with it. The app shows for every device whether it knows it.
And when I want to get in myself?
One tap in the app is enough
- Release All devices free for ten minutes. Your device manufacturer's usual app connects as always.
- Pause Only a single device free for ten minutes, the others stay guarded.
- Back automatically When the time is up, the guard takes over again. Without you having to think about it.
The app
Your window onto the guard
- Everything at a glance Every guarded device with its status: guarded, disconnected, paused.
- The readings you care about Voltage, current, power, level, solar power, daily yield. For supported batteries also cell voltages and temperatures.
- Switch when you want to Charging and discharging on supported batteries straight from the app, with confirmation.
- A red bar when something happens For example: discharge switched off.
- A log What happened when, with date and time, in your language.
- Several ArgusKAI, one app Camper, boat, workshop: every place gets its own guard. In the app you choose which one you are connected to.
- Check from anywhere in preparation
Status, readings and alarms from wherever you are, via your own server or the ArgusKAI cloud.
A PIN never tells you whether something happened. ArgusKAI does.
- Connected: Brand 12.8V 300Ah
- Alarm: discharge switched off · Brand 12.8V 300Ah
- Release ended, guard takes over
- Release for 10 minutes
- Connected: Brand MPPT 30A
- ArgusKAI started
Get the app
For iPhone and Android
The ArgusKAI app connects to your guard over Bluetooth. No account, no registration. Android from version 12, iPhone from iOS 15.
Stays up to date
Internet is a plus, not a must
Without internet, everything runs over Bluetooth right at the device. With internet, three things are added.
Updates over the internet
The app lets you know, one tap, and ArgusKAI fetches the update itself over the Wi-Fi in your vehicle. No cable, no laptop, no appointment at the workshop.
Check from anywhere in preparation
Status, readings and alarms from wherever you are, via your own server or the ArgusKAI cloud. Settings deliberately stay local, within Bluetooth range.
Keeps evolving
ArgusKAI keeps getting new features. What customers report back to us flows straight into the next version.
Beta programme
Why we launch now
The guard is finished, the app runs, updates arrive over the internet. What is still to come are extra features. We believe the protection belongs in your hands now, not once the last convenience feature is done. That is why we launch as a beta programme.
Everything important works
Guarding, alarm, release, app. This is not a preview, this is the product.
Every new feature by update
Whatever we add arrives on your device over the internet. The app lets you know, you tap, ArgusKAI does the rest.
You help shape it
Whoever joins now shapes what comes next with their feedback. The beta price is our thank-you for that.
What beta means for you: an update now and then, an occasional question from us, and the full statutory warranty like any other product.
The KAI family
KAI stands for:
Control and Alarm Interface
Control what happens. Raise the alarm when something is wrong. That is the principle behind every KAI product: clear, honest, no cloud required. ArgusKAI is the first.
To be honest
What ArgusKAI cannot do
- It protects as long as it is switched on and within range. If it is off, or you release the line, only your device's PIN applies again for those minutes. The app shows you exactly that: disconnected.
- It does not replace a PIN. Two layers are better than one. Keep your PIN, and change it from the factory value.
- It does not help against someone unscrewing the battery compartment. ArgusKAI guards the radio link, not the hatch.
- It only guards Bluetooth Low Energy. Devices with classic Bluetooth and devices that force pairing cannot be held.
The self-test
Takes ten seconds
Has the app of your BMS or solar charger ever asked you for a PIN?
Have you ever changed the PIN?
For checking
For the technically curious
For everyone who wants to know the details.
Why can only one phone connect at a time?
Bluetooth devices of this class accept one connection at a time. While connected, they stop announcing themselves to other phones altogether. That is not a security feature but economy: small devices, small radio chips.
Why does the PIN not protect against the line being occupied?
The order in Bluetooth is fixed: connect first, then pair and ask for the PIN. Whoever is connected takes the slot, whether or not they know the PIN. The PIN only decides whether they may operate anything afterwards.
How good are the PINs of such devices really?
- Often there is none. The common Bluetooth interface of many battery management systems is open, including the commands for switching off.
- Factory value. According to their manufacturers' documentation, some devices ship with 000000. Changing it is up to you.
- Old pairing methods. With Bluetooth 4.0 and 4.1, the PIN can be reconstructed from an overheard pairing. That has been public knowledge since 2013. Only “LE Secure Connections” from Bluetooth 4.2 closes the gap, and cheap devices often do not use it.
- No lockout. Six digits are a million possibilities. Without a lockout after failed attempts, that is a matter of patience.
How do I tell whether my device is affected?
Three questions you can answer yourself:
- Does your device's app ask for a PIN when connecting? If not, the connection is open.
- Is the PIN still the factory value from the manual? Then it is as good as none.
- Which Bluetooth version does the manual state? The secure pairing method only exists from Bluetooth 4.2, and cheap devices still do not always use it.
The app does this for you too: its check mode shows nearby devices with a traffic light telling you whether they are open. It works even without an ArgusKAI.
If you are unsure, write to us which device you have. We will tell you honestly whether ArgusKAI is worthwhile for you.
And how secure is the connection to ArgusKAI itself?
ArgusKAI talks to your phone using “LE Secure Connections”, the modern method. Pairing requires the six-digit code from the label on the device. The connection is encrypted and protected against eavesdropping. Without the code, a stranger sees nothing but error messages. ArgusKAI guards up to three Bluetooth devices at once, of any type. Without internet, everything runs over Bluetooth. If ArgusKAI is on a Wi-Fi network with internet, it fetches updates itself, verified via a fixed address, checksum and signature before installing them.
Frequently asked
What customers ask us
What does the name ArgusKAI mean?
In Greek legend, Argus is the guardian with the hundred eyes (Greek: Argos). The expression “Argus-eyed” derives from his name. KAI stands for Control and Alarm Interface (from the German “Kontroll- und Alarm-Interface”): control what happens, and raise the alarm when something is wrong.
Do I need internet?
No. Everything runs over Bluetooth right at the device, even where there is no signal. If ArgusKAI is on a Wi-Fi network with internet, it fetches updates itself. Checking from anywhere is in preparation.
Does ArgusKAI get updates?
Yes. In the app you register ArgusKAI once on your Wi-Fi, for example the router in your camper. When a new version is available, the app lets you know and one tap is enough. ArgusKAI is continuously developed, and customer feedback flows into the next versions.
What does “beta programme” mean?
That ArgusKAI is finished enough to protect your devices, and not finished enough for us to stop. Guarding, alarm, release and app all work. Extra features arrive by update over the internet. Beta customers have the full statutory warranty like with any other product.
Where can I buy ArgusKAI?
In the CamperStation online shop: ArgusKAI in the shop.
What happens if ArgusKAI fails or is switched off?
Then everything is as before. Your devices keep working normally, just unguarded. The app shows you “disconnected”.
What does the light on the device mean?
Off: everything is guarded. After plugging in or an action it lights up for about three minutes as confirmation, and continuously during an update. Slow blinking: no device set up yet, release active or a device paused. Fast blinking: a problem, such as a disconnected device or discharging switched off at a battery; then check the app. Everything else is in the user manual.
Can I keep using my current app?
Yes. Tap release, then you have ten minutes for the app of your solar charger or battery. Afterwards ArgusKAI takes over again.
Which devices can ArgusKAI guard?
Any Bluetooth Low Energy device that accepts a connection. It shows readings for many lithium batteries with a Bluetooth BMS and many Bluetooth solar chargers, and we keep working on compatibility with more hardware. The overview is in the section Supported devices.
How many devices can one ArgusKAI guard?
Up to three at once, for example the battery, the solar charger and the DC-DC charger. Every saved device counts, whatever its type. Each gets its own name and is guarded individually; the app shows them all at a glance.
I have a camper and a boat. Do I need two ArgusKAI?
Yes, one per place. ArgusKAI has to be within Bluetooth range of the devices it guards. In the app you choose which ArgusKAI you are currently connected to.
I have forgotten my device's PIN. Does ArgusKAI help?
The PIN belongs to your device, not to ArgusKAI. Resetting it works only the way the manufacturer intends. Some manufacturers print a reset code on the device for that. ArgusKAI itself has no password to remember: the pairing code is on the label, and it stays the same even after a factory reset.
Do I still have to change my PIN?
Yes, please. ArgusKAI is a second layer, not an excuse for the first.
How much power does ArgusKAI use?
About 35 mA at 5 volts, so roughly 0.2 watts. From a 12-volt battery via a USB adapter, that is about 0.4 Ah per day.
Is there a user manual?
Yes, online and as a PDF to download: the user manual for the device and the app guide. A quick start guide in German and English comes with every ArgusKAI. The manuals are also available in German, French, Spanish and Italian.
Questions, wishes, suggestions
Write to us
You have a question about ArgusKAI, would like a new feature, or your device is missing from the list? We advise online and answer by e-mail. What you suggest flows into the next version.
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