How far apart can my meters be to allow a smart meter upgrade?

That is in range, you should be fine.

afraid “should be” isn’t what I need. I need OVO to tell me that it will work, on one visit, no hassle, no sorry don’t have the right gear, sorry it will cost extra.

problems still occur with situations like mine, we all know they do. And no proper solution

The hassle simply not something I need or can cope with

If that’s what you’re after (as in a 100% solid guarantee it’ll work)… The only way to do that definitively is via an engineer visit as every environment is different.

I’ve managed to get IHD signal through far more than that in the building I live in - and I’ve also been allowed to play with the kit engineers use to test range once or twice. It’s powerful stuff, but the test kit cannot be used remotely - it has to be placed where the meters will go in order to take a reading.

There are also ways to boost the signal - Dual-Band Comms Hubs for example have insanely powerful range on them and Alt-HAN can get past almost anything.

I’m highly confident.

see, you are talking technical stuff that is way beyond this pensioner’s understanding. I want OVO or whoever to  guarantee a first time fix. I don’t want to have to arrange engineer visits to assess (no doubt at a cost), nor do I want confidence from a well intentioned amateur, sorry

Afraid in the real world there are hosts of people like me. Keen on the theory but very very very wary of the practicalities. Suppliers (nor government) will not get full roll out of smart meters or anywhere close until the can convince us that the will work, no hassle no revisits and no extra charges

and it is noticeable that no official OO response has been forthcoming. Wonder why?

You can’t make demands of OVO here. The OVO Forum is primarily powered by volunteers such as myself - official OVO responses are never guaranteed.

The closest I can do is ask ​@Lukepeniket_OVO to swing by, but he’s probably just going to echo something similar to what I’ve already explained - the only way to know is to try it at your house.

You will NOT be charged extra for a failed install though. You only pay a Missed Appointment Fee if you’re not present and don’t cancel more than 24 hours ahead.

I’ve noted OVO visit and respond when it suits. Apparently this Q doesn’t suit

I may not be charged for a failed install - maybe but how am I left? Intact as it was or some hybrid mess? Would I be charged for a repeat install, or extra work if necessary such as the clever devices you mention?  If a meter had to be moved who would arrange, carry out and pay?

See, so many questions that only a supplier can answer. But they won’t give clear unambiguous answers. - I have asked several directly. And I don’t want to try it and see, that’s the point. And why smart meters are not going to meet targets

Thank you for your attempts to help

That’s mainly because the Forum Moderators have stopped by and are satisfied with my answers so far - they might choose not to jump in if they’re confident the answers already present work for the community. Luke often stops by if we ask for his help, but it’s not his main job so he does prioritise his other tasks first and stops by when he’s got some free time.

The snag of what you’re asking though, is that it truly is something where there isn’t a 100% perfect answer without an engineer visit.

If you have to get a repeat visit or additional work done to complete the install, OVO would cover the cost - you won’t pay anything unless you smash the meters up with a baseball bat or tamper with the equipment. You’ll ALWAYS be left with a working supply either way.

Worst case scenario? You just get fancy and shiny - and far more accurate - new meters and push next the next mandatory replacement date back by at least another 20 years. If they don’t auto-send readings for some reason, you can just grab and send them yourself.

​@jc0107 thank you for your posts, and I’m sorry for the fact that you’ve been unable to get a definitive answer prior to an installation. 

Regarding your comments about how often my team get in contact directly on Forum threads; ​@Blastoise186 is correct in saying that we don’t always get involved if we are satisfied with the answers provided by other Forum members. What ​@Blastoise186has told you is true, and I can only echo what he has said, in that we’d recommend you book the appointment via our Support Team  or via your online account. The appointment is completely free of charge and, if any further work needs doing by our engineer, or if they need to re-visit, then this is also free of charge. You don’t pay anything for these appointments.

The OVO Forum isn’t a Customer Services channel. It’s a community where energy consumers can come to share their questions, answers and general discussion points, and the community will always do their best to provide the best possible help. There does come a point when sometimes things can’t be directly solved via the Forum, as we don’t have access to customers’ accounts. Anything that requires changes made to an account, such as making a smart meter booking, must be done via the Support Team, or via the online account where possible. 

I appreciate that you want a direct answer as to whether the appointment will be successful first time round but, unfortunately, this is one of those things that can only truly be determined once the engineer is on site, I hope you understand. Please rest assured you will not pay for the appointment. I’ve added some handy Forum guides for you below:

thank you for taking the time to reply

I’m afraid it is as expected another non-answer. Suppliers having been trying to roll out smart meters for over 14 years now, and yet still cannot identify sure-fire solutions at the first attempt. One day they will realise why the roll out has failed (all homes and small businesses by 2020, remember?)

It needs far better technical guarantees as well as service and finance ones

just to add, what I want - expect - is for the fitter to arrive fully prepared for whatever problems are encountered. If OVO and others have solutions, why do their people turn up unable to finish the job? If indeed OVO etc have the answers, use them to get things right first time, no hassle no complaints. Too radical?