What makes the Roamer SMART4 so much better than the rest?
Ever since bursting onto the scene in 2010, Roamer have led the market in terms of innovation. We were the first company to introduce a SEATBASE shape battery, the first to use cells that can be fast charged at sub-zero temperatures (the XTREME) and the first to use Active Balancing as standard (from SMART3). And with SMART4, we've raised the bar again.
The Roamer SMART4 is our 4th generation of SMART lithium LiFePO4 leisure batteries and while it’s an iteration rather than a revolution, we’ve made big improvements in terms of features, build quality and reliability. This is now the most advanced, highest quality and best value lithium leisure battery on the market right now. A big statement we know, but one we can truly back.
"Just purchased my second battery from Roamer, a SMART4 460Ah. The latest series 4 is a real step forward with Victron Cerbo connection capabilities. I can't speak highly enough of the Roamer team, always looking to advance their products and keep their reputation for great customer service as good today as it has always been... Keep up the good work - well done."
So what's new?
The biggest update is the new SMART4 BMS (Battery Management System). We’ve increased power output by 20%, added communication ports for easy integration with third party chargers and monitoring systems and introduced a host of exclusive new features such as ‘soft start’ inverter precharging and ‘emergency mode’ for easy recovery of a flat battery. Useful and practical features which improve the overall experience with lithium and make upgrading an existing system even easier.
We’ve also improved build quality, increased Bluetooth range, added password protection to the app, enhanced Active Balancing and introduced a brand new smartphone app called Roamer SMART. Oh and we’ve even managed to reduce the price too!
The most FORGIVING drop-in lithium battery
With SMART4, we’ve introduced several features that help make upgrading an existing campervan or motorhome system a lot easier. Continuous Active Balancing allows you to charge with a wide range of voltages and use almost any existing lead acid battery charger without suffering from the cell over-voltage issues that can plague other batteries.
The new emergency mode feature allows you to recover a flat lithium battery without needing a specialist charger, and the new Sleep feature allows you to shut down the battery over winter with almost zero self discharge, while still allowing you to maintain your starter battery from solar or a trickle charger. Along with a range of compact and easy to install sizes, these features make the Roamer SMART4 the most forgiving and motorhome friendly battery on the market right now.
Plug & play integration with VICTRON
We're huge fans of Victron Energy components and have designed over 1400 electrical systems for campervans and boats based on Victron and Roamer. We’ve now added plug-and-play communication with Victron which works flawlessly with our SMART4 range of lithium leisure batteries.
What does this mean for you? Well, now you can now simply connect the supplied CANbus cable between your battery and a Victron GX device and voila!, the battery information becomes available to the Victron system. You can monitor the status of your battery from the touchscreen panel, via the Victron VRM app on the local network, or from anywhere in the world via the Victron VRM online portal.
The new CANbus and RS485 comms ports can also be used for linking multiple battery comms (up to 16 in parallel) and updating firmware. The CANbus integration already works perfectly with Victron and we’ll be adding integration with a range of other manufacturer screens and inverters soon. Watch this space!
ACTIVE Balancing for perfect cell balance
Roamer introduced Active Balancing technology with their SMART3 range, and it's been a gamechanger, particularly for campervans, where irregular charging is common. By keeping cells in closer balance, Active Balancing prevents premature BMS shutdowns, ensures a longer battery life, and allows you to charge to 100% at any voltage from 13.8V to 14.6V (more advice on charging here). On the new SMART4 range we've moved the 2A Active Balancer onto the main BMS board instead of using a separate module. This improves reliability and also enables full control of the balancing process via the Roamer SMART app.
More POWER, when you need it
With the new SMART4 BMS, we’ve been able to increase the maximum continuous charge and discharge rate to a whopping 300A as standard and when you need a boost, you can now draw up to 450A for 30 seconds. That’s enough to power any 12V or 24V inverter with plenty left in the tank. We are finding more and more customers are cooking on electric in their campervans and boats and this higher power output makes Roamer SMART4 the go-to battery for gas free builds.
The most USER FRIENDLY smartphone app
We have been working very hard in-house to create and build a brand, new BMS App for our SMART4 LiFePO4 leisure batteries. We have listened to our community and worked with the pain points of existing BMS apps in the market to provide you with one which is intelligent, easy-to-use and reliable. No more clumsy, ugly BMS app designs - we want to make interacting with your lithium leisure battery as easy as possible with simple, user friendly design. Our brand new Roamer SMART Bluetooth app is available to download for iPhone & Android now.
Ultimate RELIABILITY and the right to repair
Roamer LiFePO4 leisure batteries are designed in the UK by our engineering team in Leeds. From the flexible copper busbars to custom steel compression brackets, every component is specified, CAD modelled, prototyped and engineered to meet our exact requirements.
We now use serviceable screw cases for our batteries and SMART4 batteries have a fully modular construction. Where others use tape and glue, we use engineered brackets and double bolted busbars. It’s actually possible to strip a Roamer SMART4 down to it’s individual components and put it back together again in less than 30 minutes. This makes it very easy to repair or upgrade, replacing a BMS takes less than 10 minutes and you could even do it yourself on the road if needed.
While others have tried to imitate us in terms of design and headline features, when you open the battery case you’ll immediately see why Roamer are different. If you want to see what goes into a Roamer SMART4 battery you can watch the full teardown video below:
Grade A+ LiFePO4 Cells
Cell manufacturers provide basic gradings for their cells – either A,B or C. This is a general statement on quality relative to the batch, and different manufacturers have different scales. To make it even more confusing, many battery brands buy cells from distributors who set their own scales! This is like grading all the players in a football team from A to C without specifying the team. A grade A player for Man City is very different to a grade A player for Accrington Stanley!
Roamer specify grade A+ in their cells. This is our own term, used to highlight how we’ve gone beyond the simple grade A scale. When you see us refer to grade A+ cells what we mean by this is we’ve used ‘grade A’ cells from a top tier manufacturer (in SMART4 we use EVE), they are factory original cells bought directly from the manufacturer, they are less than 6 months old at the time of assembly, cells are matched based on internal resistance and capacity and serial numbers are logged for transparency and printed on test sheet and QR code label. So when you see us refer to grade A+, this is not just marketing speak - you know you are buying the best quality components possible.
10 YEAR Warranty & Roamercare
We are incredibly confident about the performance, longevity and reliability of our SMART4 Roamer lithium leisure batteries, we’ve given all of them a 10 year warranty plus free Roamercare for life. When you buy from Roamer not only will you get the best lithium battery on the market, you will get a lifetime of support. Our Roamercare includes an set-up call and unlimited technical support from our trained engineers, electrical system designers and battery technicians.
Learn more about Roamercare