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DCC Northern WAN Coverage - does a map or coverage checker exist?

  • 25 November 2020
  • 10 replies
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S
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Hi,

I’ve been trying to get Smart Meters installed but have a feeling that I’m in an area not covered by the Arquiva WAN. Does a map or coverage checker exist? 

I’m in Thirsk so not in the middle of nowhere.

 

I’m on the Better Smart tariff and when I try and book an installation I get:

Sorry, we can't install a smart meter yet

We check multiple criteria to make sure we successfully install your new smart meters on the day. Your account does not pass our eligibility check right now. Eligibility can change so please come back to try again soon.

 

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Best answer by Blastoise186 25 November 2020, 18:08

Welcome to the forums @StupidDeath ,

There is indeed a coverage checker of some kind. There’s a lot more detail over at SmartMe for this. North Yorkshire comes under the Arquiva area if memory serves.

If you’ve only recently joined OVO, your account might be too new to get smart meters installed, but you can try asking the support team to double check via live chat or phone.

They’re able to run the checks manually and should be able to advise further on whether you can upgrade or not. Don’t worry about the three month rule, you can keep the Better Smart Energy tariff even if the three months runs out because booking an appointment was impossible.

Please let us know how you get on.

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Blastoise186
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Welcome to the forums @StupidDeath ,

There is indeed a coverage checker of some kind. There’s a lot more detail over at SmartMe for this. North Yorkshire comes under the Arquiva area if memory serves.

If you’ve only recently joined OVO, your account might be too new to get smart meters installed, but you can try asking the support team to double check via live chat or phone.

They’re able to run the checks manually and should be able to advise further on whether you can upgrade or not. Don’t worry about the three month rule, you can keep the Better Smart Energy tariff even if the three months runs out because booking an appointment was impossible.

Please let us know how you get on.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way!
Tim_OVO
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Nice work finding that SmartMe page, @Blastoise186 :sunglasses:

 

Yep as advised, @StupidDeath it sounds like it’s engineer coverage holding up this appointment. 

 

We are super keen to fit as many smart meters as we can, so it might be worth flagging this with the Support team as mentioned. We might be able to outbound call you when we have  slot to book you in for. 

 

I’m going to assign the reply above as the ‘best answer’ as this will help others about that DCC query. Leave a comment if you want a change made or any other questions. 

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Thanks both.

Blastoise186
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You’re welcome. :sunglasses:

I can also give you a really useful tip as well. On the day of the appointment, it may help to make sure the engineer has a clear path to get to all of your meters and that there’s no obstructions in the way.

If your meters are near a shelf full of random items for example, you might want to put them away for a bit to keep them safe. Or if your meter is in a huge external meter cupboard that’s big enough to break dance in (like mine), that’s even better. :wink:

Feel free to stop by again anytime. We’ll be happy to help again

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Tim_OVO
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We might need to consider adding this subject on the topic guide to do list….. how to check the smart meter network coverage in your area, the difference between the two network providers etc. Thoughts on this, @Blastoise186 @Transparent? 

 

 

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Blastoise186
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That might be tricky @Tim_OVO , as I’m not sure there’s any kind of coverage map checking tools that are publicly available. If we can find one, that can definitely go in.

However, when it comes to the way Arqiva and Telefonica do the tech… That’s pretty easy and definitely worth a go. :relaxed:

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Transparent
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The divide between Arqiva’s Northern Territory and Telefonica’s Central Territory is deliberately defined to coincide with the DNO boundaries.

I have a pair of maps which enables me to get this zone boundary down to individual towns, but they’re copyright and I was supplied them on the understanding that they are not for further publication.

If you want to find comparable maps, then you’re looking for those showing the southern limits for Electricity North-West and Yorkshire Electricity, which is now part of “Northern Powergrid”. @Tim_OVO , have you tried an email to DCC?

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Blastoise186
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I was just looking at DCC actually. They do indeed have coverage maps, which is probably not surprising. However… There’s a slight problem…

https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/news-and-insights/news/updated-smart-meter-wide-area-network-coverage/

https://data.gov.uk/dataset/64a0c0c6-6257-4776-89ed-2e38ac2fc19a/smart-metering-wan-coverage-projection

Yeah… I don’t think they’ll be giving me a key anytime soon...

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Transparent
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I believe that the national WAN Coverage database is more than the sort of map we’re discussing. It’s an online resource only because:

a: it contains signal strength information

b: it’s often updated due to transmitter mast failures or new booster stations

It isn’t a graphic which can just be copied to a web-page.

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Tim_OVO
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If you want to find comparable maps, then you’re looking for those showing the southern limits for Electricity North-West and Yorkshire Electricity, which is now part of “Northern Powergrid”. @Tim_OVO , have you tried an email to DCC?

 

I have now!

 

I was just looking at DCC actually. They do indeed have coverage maps, which is probably not surprising. However… There’s a slight problem…

https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/news-and-insights/news/updated-smart-meter-wide-area-network-coverage/

https://data.gov.uk/dataset/64a0c0c6-6257-4776-89ed-2e38ac2fc19a/smart-metering-wan-coverage-projection

 

 

2015! 

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