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August 22, 2020
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Aclara SMETS2 smart meter communication hub lights - what do the flashing sequences indicate?

  • August 22, 2020
  • 111 replies
  • 24878 views

Hi. I used to have a problem with my IHD not correctly monitoring my gas and electricity usage but over the last 2 months, this problem is sorted apart from my gas daily standing charge not being displayed.

This charge still gets paid even though it isn't being shown !

I am starting this topic as the communication hub indicator lights have changed their sequencing.

What used to happen was the SW, WAN, HAN and GAS indicator lights used to simultaneously flash once then go out for 4 or 5 seconds and then the sequence would repeat.

However I have noticed this morning that this has changed with the WAN light flashing 7 times then the remaining SW, HAN and GAS lights flashing once then flashing once more once the 7 WAN flashes have completed.

Anyone else get this ?

Cheers

Best answer by Jequinlan

Updated on 03/11/25 by Ben_OVO

 

 

 

What do the indicators mean on a SMETS2 Comms Hub?

 

On the front of a comms hub there are a series of LED indicators showing the functional status of the metering system. Each LED has a legend as shown below:

 

SW - Software

This shows the status of the hub’s software.

WAN - Wide Area Network

Shows your communication hub’s ability to communicate with your supplier. This light will be off if your meter is using the MESH network to communicate.

MESH - Mesh Communications Network

If you have a SK2 or SKU3 type of Communications Hub, then both WAN and MESH are active, and will display the slow-flash from these indicators if all is well.

If you have a SKU1 (85% of houses do), then the MESH indicator will always be off because that section of electronics isn’t present.

HAN - Home Area Network

This light shows the connection status of your electricity meter, gas meter and IHD with your communications hub on the HAN (Home Area Network).

GAS - Gas Meter

This light tells you if a gas meter is connected. If you don’t have a gas meter installed this light will be off.

 

 

How fast should the lights flash?

 

The frequency of flashing relates to the status of the function as follows:

  - Power Up

To allow the operator to see that all LEDs are working they are shown without flashing for a short period after power up.

  - Error

Fast flash rate of 2 flashes per second means that there is an error. Call your supplier if this does not change after 48 hours.

  - Transient

A flash rate of 1 flash per second means that the process is in a transient state such as making a communications connection.

  - Normal

A slow flash rate of 1 flash per 5 seconds means that the process is in its normal state.

  - Off

The communications hub is powered down.

 

We’d expect the lights to flash  of every 5 seconds which indicates the meter is communicating normally.

In your case it’s the WAN light which is flashing more frequently than usual which could mean we’re having difficulty communicating with your meter. You can check whether this is the case on the ‘Meter Readings’ page of your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS). If we haven’t been receiving your readings recently we’d advise carrying out a smart meter health check and contacting our Support Team with the results.

 

 

 

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111 replies

MikeEAuthor
Rank 6
September 1, 2020

Just to add something to the thread, for the last couple of months my gas daily standing charge (27.4p) doesn't show on my IHD.

The gas usage does though.

I do, of course, still pay it as it is billed at the end of the month.

 

I do like smart meters, I just wish they would work.

Having said that I had trouble with my smart meters when I was with Scottish Power!

Tim_OVO
OVO Staff
OVO Forum Legend
September 2, 2020

Thanks @MikeE - I’m going to use this comment, editing as I go, to create a list of questions I need to take away. Fort example:

 

Q: Why is daily gas standing charge not showing on IHD. Should it? 

Q: Why is Mike’s WAN indicator displaying a fast-flash error and is this coincident with the meter readings having not been updated online since 12th August?

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
MikeEAuthor
Rank 6
September 2, 2020

@Tim_OVO When I first had my Chameleon IHD it used to show both gas and electricity daily standing charge at 29p on each energy source which I assume is 27.4p + 5% VAT which is 28.77p which is rounded up to 29p ?

So just after midnight 58p used to show on my IHD.

Only the electricity daily standing charge shows now.

It's not a problem as such, I just mentioned it as you probably want all the issues that I am experiencing so that you can resolve the problem.

 

 

Are you saying that daily standing charges are not supposed to show on my IHD ?

I can't remember whether they used to show on my IHD when I was with Scottish Power last year.

Transparent
Rank 20
Rank 20
September 2, 2020

Can I join in?

Q2: Why is @MikeE’s WAN indicator displaying a fast-flash error?

Q3: Is this coincident with the meter readings having not been updated online since 12th August?

and only after we have those answers can we progress towards any discussion of re-checking the CCDB and a Mesh network. It could simply be an error in the Comms Hub software. I wonder if there was an upgrade applied on 13th August?

Save energy... recycle electrons!
MikeEAuthor
Rank 6
September 2, 2020

@Transparent I think it was something to do with the WAN light flashing fast and going out of sequence as when I noticed this, I checked out the OVO app and this is when I noticed that my daily energy usage wasn't updating.

I couldn't really miss it as my electric meter is right by my front door and since removing the box that was enclosing it, it's really easy to see the meter lights !

 

Just curious that if it was an update that went wrong then surely the software (SW) light would also flash faster than normal and be out of sequence like the WAN light ?

Transparent
Rank 20
Rank 20
September 2, 2020

Well, I’m not sure what it is that triggers the SW indicator to produce a medium flash.

The SW fast-flash occurs when it has attempted to reboot to resolve an issue, but that the reboot has itself failed.

I’ve had software upgrades which caused my Comms Hub to lose the WAN connection and yet the SW LED remained at the usual slow-flash rate.

Save energy... recycle electrons!
MikeEAuthor
Rank 6
September 2, 2020

@Transparent OK 👌 

Tim_OVO
OVO Staff
OVO Forum Legend
September 3, 2020

Q: Why is daily gas standing charge not showing on IHD. Should it? 

Q: Why is Mike’s WAN indicator displaying a fast-flash error and is this coincident with the meter readings having not been updated online since 12th August?

 

Thanks both, @MikeE I’ve passed these two questions onto our smart ‘subject matter expert’. I’ll post back here when I get a reply. 

 

:robot:

Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
Transparent
Rank 20
Rank 20
September 3, 2020

What about the two questions I added later @Tim_OVO ?

They’re part of the same investigation.

Save energy... recycle electrons!
Transparent
Rank 20
Rank 20
September 3, 2020

Scrub that… I’ve just noticed you’ve merged what we wrote. Doh!

Save energy... recycle electrons!