No resolution to smart meter not communicating readings.

Level 80

theunknowntech

03-02-22

Heya! Welcome back. :)

Do you mean a WNC Comms Hub by any chance? I know exactly the one you mean! I get the feeling that this new engineer was unable to get a WAN connection as the signal wasn't strong enough, so it's probably been escalated to DCC to investigate further. This might also include getting a different Comms Hub such as an SKU3 Special Installation Mesh Comms Hub or a T3 Aerial (those things are monsters!). Only DCC can hand those out though. The IHD is yours now so that you have one handy when the next engineer stops by. Please hand it to that engineer on arrival so they can pair it up once the WAN connection is established.

I may not be Beki, but my psychic powers suggest that's what is happening in this particular case.

Just another guy passing by... The unknown tech way...
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Level 3

Queenie

03-02-22

@theunknowntech Hi, Thanks for getting back to me. I knew it began with a W. Yes it is the hub he was using. I agree with your assessment of the situation. We previously discussed signal strength and as it's a 2G signal they use I can't see why there is a problem. In any event this issue shoulld have been escalated in September but if the previous engineer signed it off as complete why would they? Even though I contacted them to ask for another appointment.
In your opinion, will this be fixed or am I going to have to carry on using 'dumb' meters?

Level 80

theunknowntech

04-02-22

This probably can be fixed, but an SKU3 Hub with a Panorama/Oriel T3 Aerial is probably going to be needed. These monsters are extremely rare and have to be specially requested from DCC - and they can sometimes take ages to arrive!

But to avoid making you spin round in circles, I'm going to pull out my joker card. @Beki_EONNext I need to tag team please!

Level 3

Queenie

04-02-22

@theunknowntech Great. Thanks. I still don't understand why my 4g signal with o2 is strong yet we can't make this connection with the comms hub.
I have messaged Beki but not heard back yet. I think she may have had a day off yesterday.

Level 80

theunknowntech

04-02-22

Eh? I think my Bat Signal must be broken! Time for the new and improved Bat Signal Deluxe V2.0 then! But not today...

Smart Meters on the Telefonica WAN currently use GPRS/GSM rather than 4G - future ones might use 4G though. Different signals means different frequencies and not all of them can penetrate as far.

Beki

04-02-22

@Queenie Hey there, I have had a much needed 36 hours off but I am here now (I've had a number of notifications to go through too but DMs come first 😄).
I realise I wondered if we could ask @theunknowntech if he knew why the COMMS hub wouldn't connect to the network, but you're way ahead of me.
I need to request more info from the smart meter team about this one to see if they have requested it from the DCC or not. I'll be in touch @Queenie. 😎

Level 3

Queenie

04-02-22

Hi Beki,
I'm sure you needed some time off given the hours you folks seem to put in. Hopefully the smart meter team can action the extra comms equipment asap. Thanks for your help.

Level 3

Queenie

04-02-22

@theunknowntech Hi,
The engineer on Wednesday said the signal was 2G.

Level 3

Queenie

05-02-22

@theunknowntech Hi,
Just to keep you in the loop. I had a call from Lee, an outcomes manager, this morning. Speedy work from Beki! I gave him some more details and everything has been logged. He said that he was considering a dual-band comms hub to try and solve the problem with WAN. He said they had been experimenting with them recently. You have mentioned the dual-band comms hub to me in another post but in relation to HAN issues in blocks of flats. Could this help with my problem or would you think it needs the other equipment plus aerial from DCC? The smartme site seems to say that dual-band hubs to deal with WAN won't be in use until 2023/24.

Last edited by Queenie; 05-02-22 at 17:56.

Level 80

theunknowntech

05-02-22

In some ways, possibly both? The Dual-Band Comms Hubs are primarily for HAN issues and won't always resolve WAN issues by themselves. You'll probably still need a T3 Aerial (or at very least, a T2 Aerial). I have known a few suppliers start to experiment with Dual-Band hubs though - my own supplier OVO being one of them. It's important to note that they're still in experimental status at the moment and aren't technically ready for wide scale deployment just yet.