Can a smart meter install disrupt your broadband connection and mobile signal?

Landlines can power a POTS (plain old telephone service) phone but not a router or DECT phone.

​@Nukecad Thanks for the interesting information on the interation between Zigbee and WiFi. Never had any problems with either with the router on 13 but the microwave oven kills at least the WiFi. I'm going to have a look at my IHD as I've never noticed that not working.

Update: The microwave doesn't kill the IHD but it does slow it down from aquiring a full set of data.

It's also just occurred to me that a microwave oven also has the potential to disrupt the WiFi communications between a router and a car charger even if the charger has a good signal level. If the communications protocol between the energy suppier’s servers and the charger is not compelled (it keeps on trying until it gets an acknowledgement) then that could be a significant source of charging failures.

I had realised that it was ADSL.
However while it doesn’t rely on mains power for telephone calls, when it comes to broadband the router/hub needs mains to operate, not least to be able to broadcast a wifi signal.

I will say my previous Technicolor router had once been ‘resetting’ for around 45 mins following a power outage. It was apparently having issues installing an update that had been prompted by the restart, and so kept retrying.

As speeds are slower with ADSL than with my own FTTC then I can see how a similar scenario could well take a couple of hours to resolve itself.

Let me guess… Technicolor TG582n by any chance?

I'd have to check the model when I get home.

I thinK it was a DGA0122 but could be wrong. (Edit- My memory hasn’t gone yet, it’s a DGA0122NLK).

I still have it sat in it's original box because it was on a ‘Dual Fuel + Broadband’ tariff from SSE who didn't want it back when the fix ended and I switched the Broadband to BTs Social tariff.

They probably didn’t want it back because OVO had taken them over.

In case it is of any use/interest, the main router is a:

DrayTek Vigor2860Vn-plus
 

Thanks for the link to metageek website, some useful, and also expensive solutions too !

Re.  2.4 GHz Zigbee, if I just unplug the seperate smart meter display unit, will it stop the Zigbee signal, or will the smart meter be forever trying to find it ?

Also, will unplugging the smart meter display unit thingy ( The seperate unit you plug into a wall socket for power. ) effect anything else negatively ?

I can live without it telling me how much money its costing me today :-)

Assuming its got accurate data on the unit rate !

Digging around a little, it seems to think the unit rate is 14p, and not 20p as mentioned by OVO several times.. I wonder what it really is ?

I guess I’ll find out i a couple of months time when the billing starts to get sorted out.

Hi ​@shetland , unplugging your in home display (IHD) will not disrupt anything. It’s simply meant as a consumer aid .. when it all works correctly.

It's also the IHD that signals and tries to join the Comms on the meter, not the other way around.

The unit rate is set at whatever your tariff is - that’s on your account and bills. The IHD generally picks up that figure from the meter when it’s connected.

Also worth noting that some ISP Routers take absolutely forever to come back online and/or (re)configure when powering up - TR-069 is literally the slowest thing on the planet for that. It’s one of the reasons I use my own kit.

That’s the problem with that protocol - it makes devices e-waste if you change ISP because the credentials and other required parameters cannot be updated to other ACS Servers...

It isn’t tied and can be reconfigured to connect to another ISP.

However it's not something I imaginge a non-techie user could manage or I would have put it on Freecycle. Most users just want plug-and-play without getting into settin up technicalities.

(I did briefly have it set up as a wifi LAN with no internet connection, but don't really have a use for that in a 1 bedroom flat).