What makes a smart meter go offline?

squirrelpie

I just spoke to Octopus. Another lady with a very faint connection I found difficult to hear and understand. She says my problem is with their smart metering department and they can't tell me any more than that. Specifically they seem to believe its acceptable that they can't ask their smart metering department for a timescale. Even for a problem they created themselves. But they will communicate when they have some news.

Scot_39

Sadly CS cannot be expected to understand the technicalities of smart meters or their communications.

The problem is it strikes me many suppliers just dont have the necessary numbers or Id say even the correct knowlege skills (like the EDF problems with dual element in some posts here and elsewhere) in technical teams to back up the shear volume of problems they must now be facing.

I was lucky when I had my most challanging meter chageover - EOn - not EOn Next - still had a customer accessible complex meter team - you could contact directly. They AFAIK don't anymore.

Given MSE now say that 10% of meters go or are dumb - you might say why arguably Ofgem only waking up to it now - and acting - like fines / compensation - over a decade after the roll out began.

And I if being cynical suspect thats more for HHS than our benefit - and the industries clear desire to offer - if not impose - dynamic TOU tariffs - based on it.

tfhnota

If you get through to someone in the UK who knows what they are doing, they can do the "reconnect" in real time when speaking to you (if the CU is actually working at your end), not sure how you get past the low level agent other than throwing a fit, though. If you phone through on the phone number you had registered with them you usually get the same "handler", maybe try another phone?

squirrelpie

Sadly CS cannot be expected to understand the technicalities of smart meters or their communications.

Yes, I understand that - same with everything. But (a) I wouldn't expect a company to let such untrained people do things that can cause such serious problems without close supervision, and (b) I would expect a company to have escalation procedures that defined the timescales for resolution of problems, and escalation if not met.

Given MSE now say that 10% of meters go or are dumb - you might say why arguably Ofgem only waking up to it now - and acting - like fines / compensation - over a decade after the roll out began.

But they aren't! "Dumb" meters are specifically excluded from fines or compensation! So today I emphasised that my IHD wasn't working :) As well as the meter not sending data, which is what I personally view as more important.

I suspect that dumb meters involves the DCC as well as the supplier, and so is more complicated to sort out. But such issues are not beyond the wit of man. It does require civil servants and Crapita et al to get off their ar** and do something though, so I won't hold my breath.

Reed_Richards

medium frequency flash is iirc from link above trying to connect.

Agreed. Although it also happens during the commissioning process.

The mix probably a sign your borderline on signal strength.

Probably, although I can find no reason why my signal strength should have diminished after 2 years.

Not sure there's a mesh vn for Arqiva LRR - anyone ?

I've looked carefully and I can find no evidence that LRR comms hubs do mesh networking.

a bit like when digital tv becomes for ex noisy or heavily pixilated/streaky before failing in bad weather / wrong atmospherics at the edge of transmitter range.

I read somewhere that your provider gets more information than is reported to you, including the comms signal strength. I don't know if that is true. My Comms Hub was rendered operational again by putting it on the end of a flying lead in a position less shielded from where I thought the transmitter must be.