Claim or transfer a plant

What this guide covers

The three ways the registered owner of a plant gets set or changed. If you are unsure what the registered owner is, read Who a plant belongs to first.

Where to find it

Open the plant, then the Access tab. The ownership line is the first thing on it, reading Owner: and a name, or No owner set.

Who can do what

• Claim by scanning: anyone with access at any level, including Viewer, on a plant with no registered owner.
• Set or clear an owner directly: SolarMD support only.
• Hand a plant over: whoever holds Full control, or an administrator of an organisation that holds it. Ordinary members of that organisation cannot.

Step 1: Claim by scanning the QR code

1. Check the line reads No owner set. If it names somebody, this route is closed.
2. Press Claim ownership, read the dialog, then Start the claim. This does not make you the owner: it opens a 15 minute window, and you see Window open. Scan the QR code on the logger within 15 minutes.
3. Scan the QR code on the logger itself, with your phone.
4. The page greets you by name. Press Confirm ownership.

You are the registered owner, recorded as SCAN, and your own access rises to Full control. Nobody else's changes.

Step 2: Have support record an owner

Support can set an owner without anybody visiting the plant: the route for commercial sites, for recording an organisation, and for fixing a wrong owner. A reason is required and kept in the ownership history. Clearing works the same way: Ownership cleared. The plant has no registered owner now.

Step 3: Hand a plant over

Use this when a plant changes hands: it names the successor instead of leaving the plant unowned in between.

1. Open the Hand over tab.
2. Search for the person, or type their address in or type an email address.
3. Leave Also transfer registered ownership ticked if they should become the registered owner too. It appears only if you hold that record.
4. Press Hand over or Send offer and confirm.

The offer lasts 48 hours, with Resend and Withdraw on the tab. They accept from their own account, access and ownership move at that point, and you drop to Viewer.

Common errors and fixes

• "You need access to this plant before you can claim ownership." Get access first.
• "This plant already has a registered owner." Ask support, or ask the owner to hand it over.
• "A window was already opened on this plant today. Try again tomorrow." One per plant per day, used or not.
• "Your ownership window has expired. Open a new one from the plant page." The daily limit usually means tomorrow.
• "This logger is not linked to a plant you can claim." Wrong unit for the window you opened.
• "You are not permitted to change ownership. Contact support." A support action.

Tips and gotchas

• Nobody loses access when a plant gains an owner.
• The scan shows you know the unit rather than proving anything stronger, which is why the window is short, one per day, and announced to everybody with access.
• Support may see a first claimed by line on an ownerless plant. That is an old installation record, not the registered owner.