If there's no mobile signal in my area, should I still get a smart meter fitted?

My smart meter doesn’t connect to the WAN in my rural location. I cant get access to the great EV charge rates on offer. I have 4G mobile available but in scotland needs to connect through other means. Any ideas on how to get problem resolved if smart meter cant connect for the half hourly updates… apparently cant even get new meter for economy seven which although more expensive than EV rates would still be cheaper at night to charge car… 

There are different signals used for smart meters @GMJ265 there’s a bit of a walk through here 

There has been some advances in low signal areas more recently, with additional aerial design and also a ‘linking’ of several meters to get signals passed from one to the other. If you’re in a really remote location, it may well be that the network can’t reach you but it’s worth asking if there’s an update available. Incidentally, do you happen to know if you have a 1st or 2nd generation meter? The newer versions help. 

It’s a smets2 it was changed about a year ago after much hassle to ensure that it wasn’t a meter issue with the previous one and once eliminated left me with only a connectivity issue… technologically a 4G connection might work nut in scotland it has to be radio wave connection… wondering what idiot decided radio wave connectivity in the most mountainous part of the UK was a good idea? Or why the technology that could work cant be used because of some lunacy about having to use an unworkable tech? Crackers!

It’s more about using a secure method to transmit the signal. 

And up in Scotland, the Long-Range Radio method actually has better coverage than the O2 network used for the Telefonica WAN down south would have. It’s all about what works for the many.

If an electric Smartmeter Wan and Han flash every 5 seconds should it be communicating with the energy supplier to send meter readings.

I live in an old mill apartment building (7 floors - North England) with thick walls and the Smartmeters are located in a ground floor room. Almost all Smartmeters flash every 5 seconds but a number of residents advise the energy company can’t receive readings blaming a poor signal. A number of these residents are tenants so there are regular changes in tenancies.

So if the Wan and Han flash every 5 secs. is the signal good enough and is the problem with the meter and or DCC ?

Hi @Robert44 

Those LEDs do NOT indicate signal strength or whether the Site is communicating with a Supplier - only that the network is functional.

There’s one way to check beyond what you’ve said.

What does the lookup tool at https://homebrew.n3rgy.com tell you? Please don’t post personal info to the Forum though!

Thanks. I actually have not got a Smartmeter yet.  I was trying to find a way to see if a Smartmeter would work in my flat.

A number of residents/tennants advise that the energy company blame a poor signal but some meters work in Smart mode.

I wanted to try and check if a Smartmeter would work for me prior to applying for one. Is there a way to check this ? 

Yes. That’s done as part of the booking process. There’s also options like AltHAN and Dual-Band Comms Hubs that can fix certain issues regarding range between the meter and you.

Note! All meters are in a ground floor room