Getting Started: Setting Up Your OwlWatt Collector

By OwlWatt · Updated June 2026 · Help & FAQ

Your OwlWatt Iris arrived. This guide walks you through the full setup — unboxing the device, pairing it with your account, and connecting your Enphase Enlighten credentials — from start to finish. Setup takes under ten minutes.

Once setup is complete, OwlWatt starts collecting solar production data from your Enphase Envoy every 5 seconds. That data feeds the performance monitoring, weather-adjusted baselines, and production guarantee tracking that make up your OwlWatt dashboard. You don't need to install anything beyond what's described here — the Iris handles all local communication with your Envoy automatically.

This guide covers Enphase Envoy and IQ Gateway systems only. If you have a different inverter brand, visit the Help center for information about other supported configurations.

What you'll need

• Your OwlWatt login — the email and password you used when you signed up at owlwatt.com.
• Your Enphase Enlighten email and password — the credentials you use at enlighten.enphaseenergy.com. If your installer set up the account, check the welcome email they sent you when your system was activated.
• The OwlWatt Iris — the small device in the box, plus the included USB-C power adapter.
• A way to get the Iris online — either an Ethernet cable plugged into your router (easiest) or your home Wi-Fi network name and password. You only need one of the two.
• A phone or laptop on your home Wi-Fi — you'll use it to open the Iris's setup page in a browser.
• Your solar contract optional, later — handy for your panel count and system size, but not needed to finish setup today.

Step-by-step setup

1. 1
   Sign in to OwlWatt

   Go to owlwatt.com and sign in with the email and password you used when you signed up. If you haven't signed up yet, create a free account first.

   

   The OwlWatt sign-in screen at owlwatt.com
2. 2
   Unbox the Iris and get it online

   Take the Iris out of the box. Pick whichever option is easier — wired or Wi-Fi. Both get you to the same next step.

   Option A — Wired (easiest)

   Plug one end of an Ethernet cable into the Iris and the other end into your router or a network switch. Then connect the USB-C power adapter. A green activity light appears within about 10 seconds and the Iris is online — skip straight to Step 3.

   Option B — Wi-Fi (no cable needed)

   Plug in power only (no Ethernet). After about 30 seconds the Iris creates its own temporary Wi-Fi network named OwlWatt-Setup. On your phone, open Wi-Fi settings and join OwlWatt-Setup — a page titled "OwlWatt WiFi Setup" opens automatically. Choose your home network from the list, enter your Wi-Fi password, and tap Connect. The Iris joins your home Wi-Fi and the OwlWatt-Setup network disappears on its own.

   

   "OwlWatt WiFi Setup" — opens automatically when you join the OwlWatt-Setup network on your phone

   The sticker on top of the Iris has the same quick-start instructions. If you misplace this guide, it's right there on the device.
3. 3
   Open the setup page on your phone

   On your home Wi-Fi, open a browser on your phone or laptop and go to:

   http://owlwatt.local

   You'll see a status page that says "Searching your network for your solar equipment…". The Iris automatically scans for your Enphase Envoy. On most home networks, it finds your Envoy within a few seconds and the banner turns green:

   Found: Enphase Envoy (serial 202416009744) at 192.168.1.59

   Your serial number and IP address will be different — that's normal. The Iris detected your specific Envoy automatically.
4. 4
   Note your pairing code

   Once your Envoy is found, the setup page shows a four-character pairing code in a large amber box — something like OWL-7K3M. Write it down or keep the tab open, because you'll need it in the next step.

   

   The pairing code appears on the owlwatt.local setup page once your Envoy is found
5. 5
   Pair at owlwatt.com/pair

   Open a new browser tab and go to owlwatt.com/pair. Enter your pairing code (e.g. OWL-7K3M) and your OwlWatt account email, then click Pair.

   

   Enter your pairing code and account email at owlwatt.com/pair

   Once paired, return to your owlwatt.local tab. Within about 60 seconds the banner will turn navy and say "All set up! You can close this tab."

   The pairing step links this physical device to your OwlWatt account. It only needs to be done once.
6. 6
   Connect your Enphase account

   Back in the OwlWatt dashboard, the onboarding wizard prompts you for your Enphase Enlighten credentials — the email and password you use at enlighten.enphaseenergy.com.

   

   Enter your Enlighten email and password in the OwlWatt dashboard onboarding wizard

   These credentials are stored encrypted and are never logged or shared. OwlWatt uses them to mint a long-lived local access token for your collector — you only have to enter them once.

   Your Enphase password is entered here, in the OwlWatt dashboard — never on the Iris device itself. The Iris receives your credentials securely from the cloud after pairing.
7. 7
   You're all set

   Your OwlWatt dashboard will start showing live solar data within 60 to 90 seconds. When you're ready, complete two optional steps that improve the accuracy of your monitoring:

   • Upload your most recent electric bill — enables bill verification and billing anomaly alerts.
   • Complete your solar system details (Settings → Solar System) — add your panel count, system size, and electricity rate for precise performance tracking and guarantee monitoring.

   That's it. OwlWatt is now collecting data from your Enphase Envoy every 5 seconds.

Where to find each piece of information

Troubleshooting

🔒 My Enphase password isn't working

First, verify the credentials at enlighten.enphaseenergy.com by signing in directly. If that fails, use the "Forgot password" link on the Enphase site to reset it.

Once you've confirmed your Enlighten login works, go back to the OwlWatt dashboard, open Settings → Solar System → Connect Enphase, and enter your updated credentials.

Verify your credentials at enlighten.enphaseenergy.com before re-entering them in OwlWatt

Still stuck? Email [email protected] with a description of what you're seeing and we'll get back to you within 72 hours. You can also browse the full Help & FAQ for additional answers about your collector, Enphase connections, notifications, and account settings.

What happens after setup

Once your collector is paired and your Enphase credentials are connected, OwlWatt takes over automatically. The Iris polls your Envoy every 5 seconds, uploads batched readings to the cloud every 60 seconds, and surfaces the results on your dashboard. You'll see live production watts, daily totals, per-panel output across your entire array, and weather-adjusted performance comparisons.

When you're ready, two additional steps improve the depth of your monitoring: uploading a recent electric bill enables bill analysis and billing anomaly alerts, and entering your system details (panel count, system size, installation date) enables production guarantee tracking. Neither step is required to see live data — the dashboard starts working as soon as setup is complete.