FIXED: Generac will begin encrypting evolution 2.0 controllers starting with firmware 1.10. Will this block genmon use on Evolution 2. Also all new evolution 2 generators will be shipped with encrypted controllers. #374
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grsthegreat
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I don't believe you can encrypt modbus rtu |
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i dont know. according to the email i received, there doing this to stop 3rd party access to controller information. it will also prevent the use of Generacs own wireless monitor systems and only allow use of their proprietary wifi and mobile link systems. it wont effect evolution 1.0 controllers, as they need usb assisted updates, but i wont be updating my 1.0 system any more. |
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Was this an email from Generac? |
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yes. as a heads up. man, i wish i didnt accidentally delete it. |
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your post had me go look up the post recap from the march webinar on dealer connection...lo and behold the mention of port encryption IS noted there. it definitely states there that 3rd party connectivity solutions will NO LONGER be able to have automatic access to receive information and controlling generator. they will be introducing port encryption. this is to start 1st quarter 2020. The email told me that they will push this update to installed 2.0 controllers also. 2.0 evolution generators that are updated will encrypt the ports. so my customers that are using Genmon are probably going to be screwed. personally, i will not be updating any controller that has version 1.0 evolution AND Genmon (including my own). |
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@grsthegreat sounds challenging, was there mention of the liquid cooled generators? |
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Does this mean it'll automatically get pushed to the controllers or it would have to be manually done? Anyway to block this if it's automatically done OTA? Dumb question but how could they push OTA as I don't think my generator has any comms with Generac? |
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It’s not even possible on the old Evolution 2.0. I don’t know if the Sync 3.0 version will autoupdate or not.
… On May 11, 2020, at 10:29 AM, swvalenti194 ***@***.***> wrote:
Does this mean it'll automatically get pushed to the controllers or it would have to be manually done? Anyway to block this if it's automatically done OTA? Dumb question but how could they push OTA as I don't think my generator has any comms with Generac?
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all i know is the evolution 2.0 are wifi accessible, and currently use the wifi to do the forced updates. with the V1.0 i had to upload all updates to a flash drive and install them when i serviced generators. i do not have to do this to the V2.0 units as its done thru wifi. now if the generator isnt connected to the wifi at home, i guess the update wont take effect. the only problem is there are updates that are critical for these units. Generac has pushed thru several critical updates over the years that affect generator operations and when you do updated they include all changes as you cant pick and choose. luckily the V1.0 probably wont see many needed updates in the future so my unit is probably safe, but im worried about some of my clients that i talked into getting Genmon units instead of generacs mobile link setup. the last liquid cooled unit i installed last year had an evolution controller but was not wifi capablle, so i would assume it will not be affected. older liquid cooled units that i was installing had versions of the Nexus controllers so wont be affected. |
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As a home owner, do I have the ability to get these 1.0 updates myself? |
no, they are accessed thru Generacs dealer service portal. they have to be installed thru dealer portal on the generator. if you use a dealer for service/valve adjust, etc they are supposed to provide the updates. i have seen them sold on flash drives thru ebay in the past... not sure if they still are. current evolution 1 firmware is V1.21 i dont know why generac wont allow homeowner updates, but im sure it has to do with them not wanting untrained people to access dealer area on controller, as they can cause havoc on the controller if they mess with the wrong parameters...such as frequency |
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@everyone: |
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you know, your right. i have always installed updates thru dealer input area, but now that i think about it they can also be updated thru the standard edit screen where you change time/date. i just never access it thru that area because i do my updates while accessing dealer screen and resetting maintenance push notices screen and checking rpm, hz and voltages during test run. |
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Just curious. Is there a way to downgrade a Evo 2.0 controller's firmware from the console via USB? I assume Evo 2.0 still has USB firmware update capabilities? If yes, then people who have auto-upgraded 2.0 controllers could downgrade to keep using genmon, assuming they could get their hands on older firmware. |
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Not to my knowledge. When you install usb drive the generator checks to see if the installed firmware is older or not. Ive never seen where you can downgrade it. I once had a unit tell me the firmware was the same as existing firmware and all it prompted was exit. |
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I haven’t seen what the update software looks like but if it’s not an exe I am sure you could mod the old version to look like the new version. And then dump that to the generac. That is if some one has an old version copy kicking around |
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@jgyates if you have an old revision I have been able to load an older firmware into controller. I have done this on both Evo1 and Evo 2. It does require wifi disabled on the Evo 2. The Evo 2 will compare flashdrive to remote server and only install the latest version. |
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I would have thought that selecting Modbus rather than a proprietary protocol would have been because Generac wanted their products to integrate easily with 3rd party monitoring and control systems. There are other monitoring solutions in addition to Genmon that this change will break. It looks like https://www.omnimetrix.net/ is also using the Modbus connection to Generac generators. https://www.omnimetrix.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/IM-706-TrueGuard-PRO-NEXUS-Panel-Installation-Rev-F.pdf. Hopefully Generac dealers as well as the folks at Omnimetrix are making some noise about this with Generac. |
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It's quite possible that their "encryption" is something like a shift cipher or simply bastardized Modbus. I bet that it won't be tough to crack. |
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There can't be much extra storage, CPU power, or free memory to do any serious encryption. They could, of course, copyright some part of the code, making it more difficult to distribute it. |
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Is it known what firmware version will introduce this? I just disabled the WiFi on mine, but no clue if I have the encryption version yet and I have all the parts on the way to hopefully get this going. |
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No, but the email i received said its coming in a future update soon. |
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What's the current version? Presumably, the next version will introduce it.
If nothing else, the current version is the last compatible version until
we know better.
…On Sat, May 16, 2020, 8:33 PM grsthegreat ***@***.***> wrote:
No, but the email i received said its coming in a future update soon.
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Evo 1 is 1.21 |
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Here is more info about the encryption: https://fleetsupport.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360042081271-Controller-Encryption-FAQ-s |
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Interesting that they only care about fixing the "security" problem on air cooled and not liquid cooled generators. @jgyates can you speak to Generac and see if they might consider "authorizing" Genmon? I'd be curious what kind of response you would get from them on this. |
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I would be happy to reach out to them if I had a contact. Other than going to their web site and filling out the contact us form, I don't have any contacts with Generac. My guess is that they will ignore me. The only reason I can see for this encryption is to drive people to use their service. |
jgyates
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The firmware version and the controller type is located on the Maintenance page on the web interface. If genmon is not functional then you can get your firmware version on the dealer menu. To access Dealer Menu on the Evolution controller, from the top menu selection (SYSTEM, DATE/TIME,BATTERY, SUB-MENUS) enter UP UP ESC DOWN UP ESC UP, then go to the dealer menu and press enter. |
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Thanks.. not sure how I missed that... What version has the encryption? |
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V1.10 is encrypted |
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I have a one year 22KW Generac and was thinking about dumping the pathetic Mobile Link software and go with the genmon. Here are my specs: |
jgyates
changed the title
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good change |
All the HW bits to build Genmon have arrived but I take it I'm still out of luck with the new Firmware? |
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Thanks - e-mail sent |
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I am not sure if I received your email. Please reference your github username in the email as others have sent email to this same address. |
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@jgyates Mmm - I just sent another e-mail (from a slightly different account).... |
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I bought a 13kw Generac last fall and while doing my one year oil change I started looking into a better interface than MobileLink app. I thought this would be perfect and was excited to build it. My firmware is 1.11.59. Is there any hope? Is the project dead? |
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I just checked in V1.15.0 which should allow Evolution 2.0 with firmware 1.10 and 1.11 to work with this project. This should work with future version unless generac changes the firmware again. To be safe you could disable your wifi or do not (allow it to connect to your network) to prevent future updates. You should see a few modbus exceptions logged on the Monitor page along with the other serial stats. That is normal. The way this fix is structured is that the software looks for the modbus exceptions on the serial or TCP link. If it finds then then it assumes that the firmware needs to be "unlocked". You will see a few modbus exceptions every hour, this is normal. I have tested this on two different Evo2 controllers. Thanks for everyone who helped on this. If anyone has any problems let me know. |
jgyates
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Im glad you were able to find a work around. Your program is far superior to generacs. |
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Thank you. I'll proceed with my build. I may wait til the weather turns colder and I have nothing else to do and it's been tested a bit more. Meanwhile, I am turning my mobilelink off so at least I'm not updating. |
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Great work! With the fix checked in, do you recommend staying on older firmware or upgrading to 1.11? |
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Ether should be fine, however I would stay with 1.09 if you have it as this version is what I would consider to be "standard" modbus. Without the workaround, fewer things can go wrong. Other than that if you have 1.1x the fix should well. Other than the encryption being added, I don't know if anything major you are missing out on if you opt not to upgrade your firmware to 1.1x. |
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Id skip any updates also. Theres nothing important to add. Just to be safe i will not be updating my Evolution 1.0 controller anymore, just incase they try to encrypt that also. Mine currently is V1.21 and it does not prevent genmon operation. |
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Thanks so much for your fantastic work on getting around this encryption! When the encryption first happened months ago and my Genmon stopped working I pulled it out of the generator since I thought it would be impossible for anyone to figure away around it but I kept checking every month to see if by chance you figured it out. To my surprise, when I checked last night and saw the word FIXED added to the post title I was thrilled. So I reinstalled it today and it works perfect with me on V1.11 on the Evolution 2 controller. I also disabled the Wi-fi. THANKS!!!!!! |
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New generator here - evo 2.0 with the most recent firmware v1.17.22. Can anyone confirm that this works before I take the plunge? Thanks! |
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V1.17 is pretty new, but I do have one set of logs that were submitted by a working installation on v1.17 firmware (modbus does not report the third value, 22 ). |
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I just had a generator installed and within the dealer menu the firmware displayed is v1.18. I wanted to confirm that this will work before I start purchasing all the parts. Thanks! |
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Is it an evolution 1 or evolution2 controllerSent from my Galaxy
-------- Original message --------From: mlritchie ***@***.***> Date: 2/14/24 12:19 PM (GMT-08:00) To: jgyates/genmon ***@***.***> Cc: grsthegreat ***@***.***>, Mention ***@***.***> Subject: Re: [jgyates/genmon] FIXED: Generac will begin encrypting evolution 2.0 controllers starting with firmware 1.10. Will this block genmon use on Evolution 2. Also all new evolution 2 generators will be shipped with encrypted controllers. (#374)
I just had a generator installed and within the dealer menu the firmware displayed is v1.18. I wanted to confirm that this will work before I start purchasing all the parts. Thanks!
—Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub, or unsubscribe.You are receiving this because you were mentioned.Message ID: ***@***.***>
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if its a new generator, and not old stock new install, its more than likely the evolution 2 controller. they have found a work around for this issue so genmon will work, but i personally have not done this. |
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It is a brand new generator with an Evolution 2. Thank you! I already have a Pi and will get the parts and see if I can get this going. |
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yes, V1.18 Evo2 firmware is known to work. |
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Confirming v1.18 works. Really appreciate your efforts on this project. Donation on its way shortly! |
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