I've been told I can't have smart meters installed as the gas won't communicate - Why is this?

Is there a thick wall in between these 2 at all? This can cause communication issues as well.

Hi @Raydetinu and thanks for posting here on the Forum.

Is the electricity meter cupboard that wooden one below your In Home Device?

Could you please fill out your Forum Profile for us? That’s where we look to see useful background detail like where you are in the country. Different regions use differing Communications Hubs (bolted to the top of the electricity meter).

I doubt that even a solid stone wall between the internal meter cupboard and the gas meter could prevent the Home Area Network (HAN) signal passing through. It employs the same 2.4GHz frequency which we use for wire-free doorbells and the earlier/slower WiFi connections.

However, you can readily check this for yourself.

At top-left on the IHD unit there’s a signal-strength icon. Simply take the IHD outside and move it slowly around in the vicinity of the gas meter. You’ll see drop-offs in signal strength, but if there’s any useful signal present, then the icon will still be visible.

A complete failure of the HAN signal will cause the IHD to display an error message such as “Waiting for current data”.

Let us know what you see and we’ll try and advise you further.

Well that looks fine to me @Raydetinu. I doubt that it’s signal strength which prevented the SMETS2 gas meter being commissioned.

If you want to delve even further into this yourself, you can actually get a direct reading of HAN signal strength by using the three red menu-buttons on the gas meter. You can get it by clicking through the menu options to Device Info and then HAN Settings

Don’t worry if you can’t figure out how the menu works. You won’t do any damage by trying it out.

Based on what information you’ve given here, I’d suggest you send an email to them and put “Attention SMETS Engineering Team” in the subject line and at the start of the body-text.

Make sure you provide enough information for them to correctly identify you, including post-code and account number.

Tell them you’ve had a partially completed SMETS2 installation and give them the URL of this Forum Topic so they can see what @Ed_OVO and I have written.

Since you’re in Cornwall you’ll receive an acknowledgement telling you they’ll be there drekly.

Ninja,

Anyway done what said and sent them an email!

Don't expect much tho.?

Can always hope!

Thanks anyway for looking! Really appreciate your input.

I used to help out a lot on the consumer action group site, but time constraints have stooped that!

Ray

Hi, Ed.

Have been in contact with ovo on Twitter usually by DM! They have said all reported and will be touch, but may take 10 days?

Do you want me to put it up on the open pages?

Ta ray

Hi,

Nothing so far!

Maybe forgot or just ignoring it!

About 10 days when first complained!

@Raydetinu - It’s a shame to hear you haven’t got this one sorted just yet.

There’s a new method of contact that is perfect in situations like this - webchat. You don’t have to call, but you get a dedicated handler that can give instant replies. You can access the webchat here on the Help centre.

I’d recommend getting in touch there to get an update, and they can escalate if necessary.

It’s worth noting that it’s 10 working days as opposed to 10 days, look at the post you first mentioned the email, this time frame hasn’t passed just yet, but I understand you may have sent it before this.

Again, any updates here would be great, to see how this unfolds.

Thanks for updating us @Raydetinu - Lets see how this one plays out after the 10 working days are up!

Can you describe the symptoms please @Raydetinu ?

What do you mean by “packed up” and when did this change occur? Overnight?

This may not be the bad news which you assume. It suggests that commands have been sent to your Communications Hub, or possibly new code downloaded.

Given the timescales involved since your SMETS2 electricity meter (ESME) was installed, I would expect a change about now as part of the commissioning process.

What have you been seeing by way of Usage graphs when you log in to My OVO?

Has this alterered in any way since the IHD “failed”?

And what rate of flash have you got showing on the HAN indicator on your Comms Hub?

Have a look here if you want to see diagrams of the different flash frequencies.

Well if all 4 LEDs are flashing at the same rate, then that’s almost certainly the Slow Flash pattern. So the Comms Hub thinks everything is OK because the HAN is active.

Arranged code changes are almost always undertaken just after midnight. That coincides with the time that your usage-data is collected.

Based on past experience from other Forum Members, I suspect that all units are still functional, including the IHD.

The most likely cause of the missing data is a minor software error.

Try reporting it via the new Help Centre, where there’s a Live-Chat feature. Perhaps all that’s required is for someone to send a SMETS Command, telling it to re-start the code.