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Lost Connection - Smart Meters not sending meter readings and no data on In-Home Display (IHD) - Why?

  • 6 September 2017
  • 123 replies
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My Smart Meters (Electricity+Gas) were installed 1 week ago along with an In Home Display (IHD). The IHD on day 2 lost connection and I have not been able to get it back since. I have gone online and confirmed that no readings are being sent so at present there is nothing smart about it, unfortunately. The Smart meters do not come with any instructions neither does the IHD (in-built tutorial is basic only). Pressing 9 on the Electricity meter turns the digital display on (they have power saving displays) and presents the data you would expect to see on the IHD e.g. used today, used last week etc. There are no issues with my Wi-Fi. I have gone on-line to reset my browser and that doesn't work. I have used WPS and manual key entry to connect the IHD to my Wi-Fi and although it recognizes my ISP (~Sky) it is still not working. Currently, I'm unsure if it is not connected to the Wi-Fi or if it cannot connect to the meters themselves (instructions would help). IHD is within 20 metres of the Smart Meters and within Wi-Fi range. I have fixed bars on the IHD. Question: How does a user get their IHD reconnected or confirm Meters are not working properly?

 

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Best answer by Mw2870 8 November 2017, 01:25

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Userlevel 5

My Smart Meters (Electricity+Gas) were installed 1 week ago along with an In Home Display (IHD). The IHD on day 2 lost connection and I have not been able to get it back since. I have gone online and confirmed that no readings are being sent so at present there is nothing smart about it unfortunately. The Smart meters do not come with any instructions neither does the IHD (in-built tutorial is basic only). Pressing 9 on the Electricity meter turns the digital display on (they have power saving displays) and presents the data you would expect to see on the IHD e.g. used today, used last week etc. There are no issues with my Wi-Fi. I have gone on-line to reset my browser and that doesn't work. I have used WPS and manual key entry to connect the IHD to my Wi-Fi and although it recognizes my ISP (~Sky) it is still not working. Currently I'm unsure if it is not connected to the Wi-Fi or if it cannot connect to the meters themselves (instructions would help). IHD is within 20 metres of the Smart Meters and within Wi-Fi range. I have fixed bars on the IHD. Question: How does a user get their IHD reconnected or confirm Meters are not working properly?


Hey Pearceage,

It sounds like what we might need to do is reopen the Home Area Network (HAN) to be able to pair your IHD again. I’ll drop you a private message now so we can kick start the conversation and get this underway.

Hope this helps!
Lucy

 

@Lucy OVO

Hi Ovo. I have had the same problem as Pearceage above. Please could you give me a private message as well about how to remedy it. Looking at various online fora, this seems to be a common issue so it would be helpful if the way to re make the connection was made public.
Also, my IHD is different to the one on your web page.
Hi, I'm getting messages via your app the my smart meters are not sending meter readings, everything is plugged in as normal.
Is there something I can do to reset them both.
Had a smart meter installed early this year - got to the point where everything was automated and readings were being sent through. This month, though, I logged into Ovo to find a message saying readings weren't coming through - in fact they stopped at the end of August.

Nothing has changed since August so I'm not sure why it would have stopped. Can someone advise on how to get it working again?

I'm having this issues as well (and so are other people going by this thread.

I put in manual readings last month when i first discovered the issue and emailed Ovo. They replied saying they knew there had been an issue but that it was now sorted and everything should go back to normal. Checked again today and it is asking me for manual readings again.

I've PM'd one of the Ovo team (as per their instructions on the other thread) but not heard anything back so far

Userlevel 7
@Lucy OVO

Hi Ovo. I have had the same problem as Pearceage above. Please could you give me a private message as well about how to remedy it. Looking at various online fora, this seems to be a common issue so it would be helpful if the way to re make the connection was made public.
Also, my IHD is different to the one on your web page.


I'll send you a PM now, @MidlandMedic4

Send over a picture of your IHD below so we can all see which version you have!

Thanks,
Tim
This is the IHD. The one on your web site is white with a blue backlight

Please note wifi signal but no WAN signal
Userlevel 5

Updated on 04/01/23 by Emmanuelle_OVO

 

Noticed an issue with your Chameleon In-Home Display or the communication of your smart meters. We know how useful these devices can be for keeping an eye on how much energy you’ve been using so follow the advice below to help get any technical bugs ironed out! :bug:

 

Newly installed Smart meters?
 

Eager to get tracking your smart meter usage data straight away? We hear ya! Whilst most devices are up and running from the date your new meters are installed, it’s not unusual for them to lose some data or experience a few teething-issues as we carry out some behind-the-scenes initialising process (read more about these on this great user-guide). We’d recommend keeping the device plugged in close to your electricity meter if you notice any issues during the first 6 weeks following a smart meter installation. Hopefully things should start working as expected once the smart meters are fully up and running but if not, read on to check our next trouble-shooting steps.

 

Checking the smart meter connection (WAN) via your Online account or OVO App

 

Been over 6 weeks since the smart meters we’re installed and you’re still noticing issues with your Chameleon device ? - It’s time to start doing some investigating! First place to check is your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS). If we’ve lost connection to your smart meters for over 5 days you may see this message on your home-screen:

 

Exact wording may vary

 

 

In this case the best next steps would be to carry out a smart meter health check for your meter type below:
 

 

 

 

Once any communication issues with your meters are resolved, we’ll be able to get your IHD connected and showing your usage data again too!
 

In the meantime it’s worth submitting a meter reading a few days before your next monthly summary is due. 

 

To take a reading you’ll need to go to the meters themselves (this won’t be viewable on the In Home Display unfortunately).

 

For SMETS1 ‘Secure’ smart meters:

 

There’s a slight difference between the the S1 meters we installed. To take a dual (day/night) reading for Secure Liberty 110 S1 smart meters (which are designed to work best with storage heaters), press 9 on the meter’s keypad. If you’ve got a Secure Liberty 100 S1 smart meter, press 6 to confirm the Day and Night meter readings (pressing 9 will show the reading if you’re a single rate member with this meter).
 

For SMETS2 Aclara, Flonidan, Honeywell or Elster smart meters:

 

  Aclara (Elec) / Flonidan (Gas) Elster (Elec) / Honeywell (Gas)
Reading the meter
  • Elec: Press A three times until TOU Rate 1 appears.
  • Gas: Press C to wake up, then C to access the menu. Use B to scroll and C to select the reading option.
  • Elec: Press the top button once or twice
  • Gas: Press the circle button once or twice

 

You can then enter this reading by clicking ‘Send a meter reading’ on the Homepage message or by clicking on the ‘Meter Readings’ menu option:

 

 

Exact appearance may vary



Fingers crossed those smart meters will be back in touch soon and you can continue enjoying all the great benefits of going smart:slight_smile:
 

 

OVO member but not got a smart meter yet? - Book today!

 

Interested but not yet an OVO member? - Check out our plans!

Userlevel 1
I had a smart meter installed on the 3rd Nov, the meter installer said the signal was 11 but as soon as he left i noticed the WAN light was on solid red.
I called up and was told to give it a month to "settle" is this correct as its the 8th now.
Trouble is the meter and consumer unit looks awful and i have arranged a joiner to build a box around the lot on the 25th Nov - should i put him off although he is of course going to build an access door. I cant understand about the signal as my ID mobile has 4 bars when by the meter and all the way round the house, my wife's vodafone has only 2 bars.
I will be away on holiday soon so would like to sort it before then.
The wifi signal to the mobile unit works fine and i can see usage etc, its just i wont have accurate bills if i have to read the meter and it will be like going back to the standard meter.
Sorry, I meant to say no HAN signal in the IHD
Userlevel 5
I think one of our most active users @Emma_G @Mw2870 might be able to help out with this one!
Hi,
can someone help? my IHD has lost connectivity to my smart meters and not displaying anything.

I checked the WAN light on the elec meter and it is dutifully flashing its red WAN light - so seems to suggest it has mobile signal (plus we never have issue with this)

I'm thinking I might need to
' reopen the Home Area Network (HAN) to be able to pair your IHD again.'

Can someone advise how to do this?

thanks
will
Userlevel 5
Hi Will,

I don't think the instructions on how to do this are publicly available. I certainly can't find them.

The best best would be to drop @Tim_OVO or @Lucy_OVO a private message with your account number and details.

Matthew
I’ve just gone over to a smart meter and have set it all up with wifi connection etc. All the displays in the app and the online login work fine, except for the last few days the display for the current day has suddenly stopped displaying anything. I just get a display saying that there is no data to display for the current period. This worked fine for the first week - I could see how my current days usage was going - but now, nothing. The following day I have the total usage for the day in the weekly display, but I don’t get the granularity I was getting with the day display. Is this usual, or is there a problem?
Userlevel 5
I’ve just gone over to a smart meter and have set it all up with wifi connection etc. All the displays in the app and the online login work fine, except for the last few days the display for the current day has suddenly stopped displaying anything. I just get a display saying that there is no data to display for the current period. This worked fine for the first week - I could see how my current days usage was going - but now, nothing. The following day I have the total usage for the day in the weekly display, but I don’t get the granularity I was getting with the day display. Is this usual, or is there a problem?

Hey @Ditcheat,

Just so you know, I've moved your post over to this thread about In Home Displays.

Have a look at @Mw2870's response - we might need to reconnect your IHD to the network. We can get this done for you if you call the team.

Cheers,
Nancy
I'm getting a message from OVO to say they are not receiving my smart reading for my electric usage, I have spoken to them & with their help checked some things on the meter. They were to arrange an engineer to attend but heard nothing now for what must be 2 months.
I have the WAN light flashing, I am not able to read my electric usage to give readings .

Anything I can do to get this up & running ?
I do not want to keep having estimated bills

tia
m
Ever since my smart meters have been installed they have failed to communicate with Ovo and send any readings.
I don’t believe that the meters were commissioned correctly by the engineer. He was here for ages and made several calls to technical support, in the end he gave up and left, he said they will start working after 48 hours, they never did.
After several calls to Ovo I was told on each occasion that I had to leave the meters for at least 6 weeks for them to communicate, this time has passed and they still fail to communicate.
Our mobile signal is not great here but I have tried several phones near the meters and they do pick up signal.
I suggested that if an aerial would be fitted this could solve the issue, I was told that Ovo do not fit aerials as they do not help. I see from other people’s posts that aerials have been fitted and have resolved the issues.

I feel really fobbed off ☹️
Also forgot to mention that the IHD is useless as it is not connected to either gas or electric meters, it is displaying the serial number of someone else’s meters, and it is in PAYG mode ?
Hi @Boardman

I've moved your query over to an existing topic on smart communication issues, so that it's easier for others to find.

It's disappointing to hear about the smart meter issues you've experienced, and I can completely appreciate your frustration.

Although in some cases fitting an aerial will improve the smart meter's signal - it won't work in every instance.

An aerial would only be offered if the meters have something obstructing them, i.e. a cupboard. The meter would need to be near a front door or a window - where we can reach the aerial outside to gain signal. For this reason, we wouldn't offer one to a customer who's meter is in the basement because there's nowhere to put the aerial to move the signal.

The only exception is if there's really poor mobile signal in the area, an aerial won't help at all because the aerial actually has a weaker signal than the meter itself.

Your IHD query isn't one I've come across before and I think we'll need to look at it in more detail. Please contact us via our Facebook or Twitter page and we'll take a closer look.

Thanks,
Emily
Is there a solution to this. I have no intention on giving my meter reading manually, but I'm happy to fix the problem if I can. Surely then it will download data it has stored - it is 'smart' after all.

My meter doesn't appear to have sent a reading once since it was installed (3 months ago). Only just found out now, The WAN light flashes red 3 times then pauses repeatedely.

It seems to be a common issue with only a finite set of solutions, if they'd been posted here I'd have done it by now.
Userlevel 7

@Spedley

a flashing WAN light is a good sign indicating that the meter can communicate with us. 5 flashes is strong signal, but 3's OK. So that we can diagnose this for sure, please reach out to us on FacebookTwitter and our Help centre has online chat!

Tim

After working OK for at least two years my smart meter stopped being smart in March 2017. It doesn't sent any usage data and I don't get any stats on usage as I used to. I have made at least 4 phone calls and I've been told it's because my meter needs an aerial.
Given that it had worked for over two years without a problem I am very doubtful that's the problem but I have been told that OVO have difficulties getting local engineering contractors. Are there really no local engineers ? For the last 10 months? Or are they all too busy installing new smart meters to meet government targets. It really is very poor service and I am fed up with it.
Userlevel 7

I have been told that OVO have difficulties getting local engineering contractors. Are there really no local engineers ?

 


Not a great experience for you, @Philip Primrose

How did this go for everyone else with similar signal issues, and how was it sorted? @Pearceage  @Spedley @Boardman @made2fail  @Ditcheat @Wstainsby @MidlandMedic4 @emder @hawkida @Steve meakin

Philip if you wanted an engineer appointment to be chased up, reach out to our Customer Care team directly on FacebookTwitter and our Help centre has online chat!

 

Mine just randomly started working again some time later with no intervention.

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