Smart meter in-home-devices (IHD) not working
I had my meters changed to so-called smart meters 15/11/19. I had read lots of stories about them not working and sending incorrect readings to your energy supplier. My seem ok, but the IHD is completely useless. It shows gas, but has the electricity Kwh rate making it appear 4 times more expensive than it is. It won't show electricity usage at all.
A quick google revealed that the manufactures of this device don't want you to contact them. Instead they tell you to contact your energy supplier. My energy supplier said I had to wait for a firmware update to the IHD, but was unable to say how long it would take. My energy supplier was able to set the correct tariff for gas on the device, but that didn't last long - about a day!
Eventually I found a message (on MSE) from Chameleon, which I will post here because it was so difficult to find. In summary Chameleon say the problem is with the network, but they have produced a work around. To get the work around you need firmware version 1.9. But there is nowhere to get it, you just connect the IHD to your router and wait for it to arrive. Who knows when! It is annoying that they continue to roll out and the installation engineer scarpers before you notice the IHD doesn't work because he has no way to fix it. Neither does your energy provider. If you change your energy provider you will still have the same problem.
"Hello, I’m writing from Chameleon Technology, the company that manufactures the In-Home Displays (IHDs) that Bulb supply when they install your smart meter.
We’ve been working closely with Bulb to develop an update for your IHD to fix the recent issue some members are having, when their IHD intermittently shows ‘waiting for data’ instead of displaying their electricity usage constantly.
If you connect your IHD to Wi-Fi, you’ll receive this fix automatically over the next few weeks.
Here’s how to connect your IHD to Wi-Fi
The cause of this recent problem lies within the smart-metering network, not your IHD. But we think this software update should be a workaround for the problem.
There are two main models of IHD, the IHD3 and the IHD6. The easiest way to tell them apart is by the colour. If you have a black IHD, it’s an IHD3. If your IHD is white, it’s an IHD6.
Here’s how to check that you’re on the latest version of the software:
Black IHD3:
Press OK
Press the right Arrow until you see IHD Information and press OK
Press the right Arrow twice until you see the Zigbee Version
Once your IHD is upgraded, it will read Zigbee Version 2.5.0
White IHD6
Press the Menu button in the bottom right corner
Select IHD Info
Once your IHD is upgraded, it will read IHD6 – CAD – PPMID 1.4 CAD 1.9
A quick google revealed that the manufactures of this device don't want you to contact them. Instead they tell you to contact your energy supplier. My energy supplier said I had to wait for a firmware update to the IHD, but was unable to say how long it would take. My energy supplier was able to set the correct tariff for gas on the device, but that didn't last long - about a day!
Eventually I found a message (on MSE) from Chameleon, which I will post here because it was so difficult to find. In summary Chameleon say the problem is with the network, but they have produced a work around. To get the work around you need firmware version 1.9. But there is nowhere to get it, you just connect the IHD to your router and wait for it to arrive. Who knows when! It is annoying that they continue to roll out and the installation engineer scarpers before you notice the IHD doesn't work because he has no way to fix it. Neither does your energy provider. If you change your energy provider you will still have the same problem.
"Hello, I’m writing from Chameleon Technology, the company that manufactures the In-Home Displays (IHDs) that Bulb supply when they install your smart meter.
We’ve been working closely with Bulb to develop an update for your IHD to fix the recent issue some members are having, when their IHD intermittently shows ‘waiting for data’ instead of displaying their electricity usage constantly.
If you connect your IHD to Wi-Fi, you’ll receive this fix automatically over the next few weeks.
Here’s how to connect your IHD to Wi-Fi
The cause of this recent problem lies within the smart-metering network, not your IHD. But we think this software update should be a workaround for the problem.
There are two main models of IHD, the IHD3 and the IHD6. The easiest way to tell them apart is by the colour. If you have a black IHD, it’s an IHD3. If your IHD is white, it’s an IHD6.
Here’s how to check that you’re on the latest version of the software:
Black IHD3:
Press OK
Press the right Arrow until you see IHD Information and press OK
Press the right Arrow twice until you see the Zigbee Version
Once your IHD is upgraded, it will read Zigbee Version 2.5.0
White IHD6
Press the Menu button in the bottom right corner
Select IHD Info
Once your IHD is upgraded, it will read IHD6 – CAD – PPMID 1.4 CAD 1.9
0
Latest MSE News and Guides
Replies
1. The smart meters are not providing their primary function of informing energy providers of the readings.
2. The customer has to continue to supply readings manually.
3. The IHD in many cases is not working.
4. It is more difficult to read the smart meters than the dumb meters.
So the roll-out of smart meters does not provide benefits to every one. You would have thought they would have proved the technology before pressing it upon every one.
Thanks for posting this information about the Chameleon IHD, it certainly does not inspire confidence in their software validation and testing!
Can you confirm if this Chameleon IHD displays the gas meter reading in M3 please?
Many IHD's only display an approximated kWh figure for gas and not the actual meter reading.
If you go into the meter reading section it should give the reading in M3 as well.
Thanks for confirming that the following taken from page 12 of the user guide
https://www.shellenergy.co.uk/info/smart-credit-meter-user-guide-smets2
is total rubbish!
It is surely a basic fundamental requirement to display actual meter readings remotely on the IHD, rather than all of the other useless crap that is actually displayed!
Does anyone know of an IHD that does display the actual meter reading for gas in M3 ?
They are also the only smart meter I know which also displays extra details which are not needed on any meter other than a five digit gas or electric reading.
The smart meter didn't work either - Bulb didn't receive the readings - and I couldn't enter readings manually because I had a smart meter which meant that they were supposed to be received automatically.
Bulb were no help whatsoever. I left them and threw the IHD in a cupboard.
Not sure why Bulb has now entered into this thread, which is about Shell Energy previously First Utility but it looks to me as if they may have changed to using a different make of meters for SMETS2, ditching Secure and this seems to confirm it?
Many thanks for confirming that the Chameleon IHD does display the gas reading in M3.
Any smart IHD that doesn't display the actual meter readings is no use to me, as my meters are not very easy for me to access.
Can you please tell us the manufacturer of your SMETS2 meters paired to your Chameleon IHD?