Victron BMV-700 vs BMV-702: Specs Compared

The Victron BMV-700 and BMV-702 are Victron’s wired battery monitors: a round display connected to a 500A shunt, showing state of charge, time-to-go, current and power. They’re the older siblings of the BMV-712 Smart, and the main difference is Bluetooth. Here’s what Victron’s BMV-700 series datasheet says.

Victron BMV-700 and BMV-702: Specs

	BMV-700	BMV-702	BMV-700H
Supply voltage	6.5–95V	6.5–95V	60–385V
Second input (aux battery, temperature or midpoint)	No	Yes	No
Battery capacity setting	1–9,999Ah	1–9,999Ah	1–9,999Ah
Relay	60V/1A normally open	same	same
Current draw, backlight off	<4mA	<4mA	<4mA
VE.Direct port	Yes	Yes	Yes

Source: Victron BMV-700 series datasheet.

With the 500A shunt, Victron rates current resolution at ±0.01A, current accuracy at ±0.4% and voltage accuracy at ±0.3%. The display is IP55 but not intended for outdoor use.

What’s in the Box

The 500A/50mV shunt with a quick-connect PCB, a 10m RJ12 cable, a 2m battery cable with fuse, and square and round bezels. The PCB also fits Victron’s 1000A, 2000A and 6000A shunts.

BMV-702 Extras

The BMV-702 adds one input that you set as:

Second battery voltage, such as a starter battery.
Battery temperature, with the optional sensor.
Midpoint voltage, which compares the two halves of a series bank. A growing deviation warns of a failing battery or cell, according to Victron.

Bluetooth

Neither model has Bluetooth built in. Victron’s datasheet points to the VE.Direct Bluetooth Smart dongle (sold separately) for VictronConnect. If you want Bluetooth out of the box, the BMV-712 Smart has it, and the SmartShunt does the same job with no display.

Setup Tips

The BMV-700 series has a quick-install menu and a detailed setup menu with scrolling text. Set the battery capacity (1 to 9,999Ah) first. The shunt connects to the display with the included RJ12 cable, so the display can sit away from the battery. The VE.Direct port also connects to a Color Control GX or other GX device, and Victron says up to four BMVs connect directly to a Color Control GX.

Who It’s For

Boats and RVs that want a panel-mounted gauge without relying on a phone.
Series banks where the BMV-702’s midpoint alarm can catch a weak battery early.
GX systems: the VE.Direct port connects to a Cerbo GX for VRM.

Good to Know Before You Buy

No built-in Bluetooth.
A 52mm round hole (63mm front) has to be cut for flush mounting.
The BMV-700H suits grounded-negative systems only, since the monitor isn’t isolated from the shunt.

For the complete spec sheet and current manual, see the Victron BMV-702 page.

Worked Example: Midpoint Monitoring on a 24V Bank

Two 12V batteries in series make a 24V bank. The BMV-702’s aux input connects to the joint between them and compares the two halves.

Balanced bank: each half sits at about 12.8V while resting, so the midpoint reads half of the total, about 12.8V of 25.6V, and the deviation is near 0%.
Developing imbalance: if one half drifts to 12.5V and the other to 13.1V, the midpoint is about 2.3% away from the ideal. You set the deviation alarm level in the setup menu, and the relay or display alerts you.

Illustrative numbers. Catching an imbalance early lets you check connections or rebalance before it grows.

Worked Example: Time-to-Go on a 200Ah Bank

With battery capacity set to 200Ah and the battery at 80% state of charge, there’s roughly 160Ah of the bank left. A 10A draw shows a time-to-go of about 16 hours if you count down to empty, or about 6 hours if you set the discharge floor to 50% for lead-acid (160Ah − 100Ah = 60Ah ÷ 10A ≈ 6h). Estimates; the BMV’s own figure also accounts for Peukert’s exponent. That’s why the discharge floor is one of the first settings worth adjusting.

Settings Worth Setting on Day One

Battery capacity: the rated Ah of the bank.
Charged voltage: slightly below your charger’s absorption voltage, so the monitor recognises a full battery.
Tail current: the current below which the battery is considered full. Victron’s default is 4% of capacity.
Peukert exponent: about 1.25 is the default for lead-acid; lithium is usually set close to 1.05.
Charge efficiency factor: lower for lead-acid, close to 99% for lithium.
Discharge floor: the lowest state of charge you plan to use, which also sets the time-to-go countdown.

Using the Relay

The built-in relay (60V/1A, normally open) can switch on an alarm, a small fan or a generator start signal, triggered by state of charge, voltage or other conditions you choose. For larger loads, use it to switch a separate, properly rated relay rather than driving the load directly.

BMV-700 vs BMV-702 vs BMV-712 at a Glance

Feature	BMV-700	BMV-702	BMV-712 Smart
Display	Yes	Yes	Yes
Aux input (starter, temp or midpoint)	No	Yes	Yes
Built-in Bluetooth	No (dongle)	No (dongle)	Yes
VE.Direct	Yes	Yes	Yes

If you’re choosing new today, the BMV-712 Smart combines the 702’s aux input with built-in Bluetooth.

Installation Notes

Mount the shunt on the battery negative, with every other negative connection moved to the shunt’s system side. The fused red battery cable powers the monitor from the positive terminal. The 10m RJ12 cable runs to the display, so you can put the gauge in the cockpit, at the helm or by the RV entry door.

Reading the Display

The BMV cycles through readings with its buttons. The ones you’ll use most:

State of charge (%): the headline number, counted from amp-hours in and out since the last full charge.
Current (A): negative while discharging, positive while charging. It’s the quickest way to see what a load really draws.
Voltage (V): useful, but at rest it’s a rougher guide to charge level than the amp-hour count, especially on lithium.
Consumed Ah: how much has come out of the bank since the last full charge.

The history menu adds figures such as deepest discharge, number of charge cycles and total amp-hours drawn, which help you see how the system is used over a season.

FAQ

BMV-700 or BMV-702?

Get the 702 if you want a starter-battery reading, temperature or midpoint monitoring.

Can I add Bluetooth to a BMV-700?

Yes, with the VE.Direct Bluetooth Smart dongle, according to Victron.

Do I need a temperature sensor?

It’s optional. On the BMV-702, a temperature sensor uses the aux input, so you’d choose it instead of a starter battery or midpoint reading.

Can the BMV-702 monitor two batteries’ state of charge?

No. It tracks the state of charge of the main bank; the aux input shows the second battery’s voltage only.

Sources: Victron BMV-700 series datasheet; BMV-702 product page, victronenergy.com, accessed Oct 2026.