Was SMART meter understanding - Download data

Really Octopus do not have much choice in the meters they install... ... but they should try and sort these problems....

Do you mean to your In House display, or the cloud store?

If its the In House Display perhaps the zigbee signal isn't reaching it. Does it work if you place it next to the meter? If so there are boosters available. I have no idea if these work

... if its not uploading to the DCC then the solution depends on where you live. If you live in the South then it uploads via the mobile phone network. In poor signal areas I believe external antennas are available...

.. in the north it uses the Arqiva network. No antennas can be provided BUT you can have a meter which uses the mobile network.

.. however the suppliers seem unwilling to try and sort these problems , mostly because their options are limited... However OFCOM has now told them they need to fix them...

and pay compensation if they don't Dave

The data I've linked to is from Octopus.

The HD reports 2 of 4 bars of signal strength. Seems to be OK.

Which G do they use? Here, it is, essentially, 2G only.

Yes, Tim+ suggested that that was part of getting a signal through.

Buckinghamshire.

I'll be after some of that. Octopus should have noticed that there was a problem 47 days ago - and not noticing is an admission of culpability. Particularly as the loss of smart capability - their fault

- has caused me to have to purchase supposedly "free" electricity.

I've noticed - but I'd think it likely that others haven't.

They use Telefonica/O2, who are the last man standing with 3G in the UK (but are switching it off by the end of the year) then smartmeters not using Arqiva's dedicated network oop North will drop to 2G, they were supposed to start rolling out 4G smartmeter comms hubs a few months ago.

I was going to say it uses the 3g mobile phone signal soon to fall back to 2G but I see that its possible the Smart Meters currently being deployed are 4g. Not sure if these can fall back to 2g...

If you are in a mobile "not spot" there may be nothing they can do. I thought they checked before deployment but perhaps not.

Dave

Checking before deployment would have a negative impact on their smart meter installation numbers - which is the one thing that drives this whole process.

If living in an urban area it's easy to ask neighbours if they have a smart meter and is it working. The only problem with this approach is they may have the first generation of smart meter which may have stopped working for reasons other than the mobile or Rf coverage.

The signal strengths reported by a Galaxy S5 placed alongside the Elec Meter comms unit are:

Of the COMMS unit's five LEDs, all flash regularly except the one labelled MESH.

HTH.

This might explain:

1. Overview of WAN interfaces on VWCH

2.1. Virtual WAN Communications Hub VWCHs are equipped with two WAN interfaces:

 Cellular SMWAN Interface: Standard 4G cellular-based WAN interface; and  VWAN Interface: A secure communication interface that utilises a VWD and the consumer’s broadband internet connection.

At any point in time, only one WAN interface of the VWCH shall be active for communication with Remote Parties. The selection of the active WAN interface is based on:

 Primary WAN interface configuration – determined by the WANRoutePriority parameter.

 WAN link state assessment: the real time operation state of each interface. If the configured primary interface is unavailable or degraded, the VWCH may initiate a failover to the secondary interface, subject to defined criteria and conditions.

This interface management approach supports resilient communication between the VWCH and the DCC, helping to minimise disruption and maintain operational continuity.

Unless explicitly modified, WANRoutePriority will be set to a default value of 0 at the point of manufacture, meaning VWCH will prioritise the

4 DCC Public • is set during the manufacturing process; • will not change by VWCH firmware updates; • persists through power cycles; and • can be updated post-installation by the DCC (see Appendix A).

Lebara (Vodaphone)

O2 4G staggers along when outside the house but, inside, unusable.

Another S5, permanently upstairs (1st floor) and in just a particular position (Bluetacked to a leaded window facing east gives me reliable 4G reading via Talkmobile (Vodaphone) -105dBm +/-5dBm, and, right now, 11Mbps.

With an O2 SIM?

Only the newest comms hubs, that were due to start rolling out during

Though I hadn't heard of the option to use the home's broadband.

Looks like it's not been rolled out yet:

Virtual Wide Area Network (VWAN) Developing a solution to connect smart meters in homes and businesses currently without network cover

What is the programme? The goal of the Virtual Wide Area Network Solution (VWANS) is to develop a solution that extends smart metering services to properties that fall outside the coverage area of the current WAN. This service aims to address areas without cellular or radio coverage, which means smart meters cannot be installed in certain premises. With consumer consent, the service will use the given household’s home internet connection to establish smart meter connectivity, ensuring a full smart metering experience. Our next-generation 4G communications hubs, launched in December 2024, will play central role in the development and roll-out of the VWAN.

Why is it important for customers and, ultimately, consumers? As consumer demand for smart meters grows, the lack of network coverage in certain areas has become a significant barrier. In locations where there is no WAN, residents are unable to benefit from the advantages of a smart meter. The VWAN aims to overcome the challenge of no-WAN premises, initially addressing approximately

What’s next? The programme is in the design, build, and testing phase. DCC’s target is to soft launch the solution with a select group of customers in Q1 2026 </quote>

Theo

AIUI all providers I can access here have closed down their 3G services. I used to use O2 for many years. 2G on O2 was ok outside and patchy indoors. (Better upstairs!)

my Lebara Internet, about 2 years. Smart Meter since 5th August.

Some smart meters can be fitted with an external aerial to boost mobile network reception. It would be worth chasing this up.

Regarding your gas meter, the Octopus mini can act as a signal booster to improve comms between your gas meter and your main comms unit.

Tim

I wonder if they'll 'expect' to be given access via your WiFi router, or will want to plug into an ethernet port and create their own SSID from that just for the smartmeters?

Anyone know if DCC have started rolling-out live 4G meters yet, or still just trial ones? I'd have expected to hear the fanfare if they have ...

Yup. 3 says 'you still use it, but we are going to switch it off anyway'

However I was sitting in a cafe in Waitrose having a coffee where I noticed that the free wifi had activated 'wifi calling'

Fibre to wifi is way better coverage than radio masts ever will be...

Indoors, but not likely outdoors