Four flats with storage heaters facing RTS shutdown....

The ones currently being deployed run on 2G/3G, but are being migrated to 4G shortly - it’s unlikely they’ll ever use 5G because of range issues.

But there is also the option to use a Mesh Network where one Comms Hub acts like a proxy for several others in a particular area - the idea is to overcome signal issues. I can’t speak for Octopus though as I’ve got no experience with them. All I can say is try their complaints process.

B2 doesn’t seem to use RTS at first glance, but I’m still tracing the cables - bear with me.

Great info, thanks !. So for us the issue becomes how does one access that mesh network option if the intallers dont know about it ??. Presummably that needs another RF setup, because its not part of 2-3-4G…..do the meters have that transceiver built in too ?

I’ll go and look at Octopus complaints ….or possibly once we have OVO options sorted, we can just change supplier….

Pretty much all engineers should know about this - it’s part of the standard training. The hubs in question are primarily the Toshiba/WNC SKU2 Cellular + Mesh hubs, but in some cases they’re SKU3 Special Installation Mesh Comms Hubs instead.

But all the ones used in the Southern Territory - for which Oxford is slap bang in the middle - should support the 2G/3G setup that the Telefonica WAN is running on at the moment. The meters themselves don’t have this functionality, but they communicate with the Comms Hubs via a local connection between the two - the Home Area Network.

Thinking some more, is the mesh/proxy more like another access point, so OVO might put one (like a mobile network base station) in a region with poor reception ?.

Pretty sure well find that RTS box feeds both flats…...any crystal oscillator will drift, so I just don’t think theres a viable unconnected night rate solution…..thanks

That’s the clever trick - the mesh functionality is part of the Comms Hubs that support it. No extra boxes needed - it even fits in the same footprint as those which aren’t enabled for it.

OK, so OVO might make an internal decision to install another comms hub somewhere, which could help ?

From our perpective, hoping to help a third appointment work, can we do anything ?

There’s ways to make that work. An SKU2 Comms Hub also supports external aerials that can be used to boost the signal - that’s the easier option if signal is just a little weak and Mesh Comms Hubs aren’t nearby.

​@Dailydb could you send me account numbers for the OVO supplied accounts please! B1 looks like it needs a MRMM polyphase engineer to do.

But yeah send me over some details so i can look at our records. Cheers

Great, thanks Luke, I’ll get the account number organised overnight for you !…stand by !

​@Lukepeniket_OVO thanks very much for stepping in with this one - ​@Dailydb you’re in safe hands.

And ​@Blastoise186 thanks for your great input on this post as well, much appreciated 😁.