I would like to join the ‘Better Smart’ tariff which entails getting smart meters. The problem is that our electricity and gas meters are on opposite sides of the house, with a distance of 16m, 2 external and 3 internal walls between them making connectivity unlikely.
I don’t want to get a smart gas meter that does not connect, as it presents no advantages and only the disadvantage of having a battery that runs out and makes the meter useless within 10 years (so not environmentally friendly either). I appreciate that the presence of neighbours’ SMETS2 meters could provide connectivity via a mesh network, but this is not a possibility in our case.
While OVO Energy provides a relay for SMETS1 meters, is it correct to say that this is not compatible with SMETS2 meters, which have a different Zigbee profile - dual band 2.4GHz & 868MHz? If so, are there any plans to make such a relay (Zigbee booster) available for the HAN, if so when?
Or alternatively, is it possible to only get the electricity meter upgraded to smart, leaving the existing gas meter in place, and still join/stay on this tariff?
Thanks, Mike
Best answer by Transparent
Updated on 11/03/25 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
Got smart meter communication issues? These topics may be helpful:
Hi @vrmike . Welcome to the Forum. Great question to start with.
When you book a Smart Meter installation with OVO and they discover that there is insufficient signal to the gas meter, then you will indeed end up with only the electricity meter. That’s the default position… and one that gets raised regularly: see here.
You’ve obviously done a bit of research because you’re aware of the development of a pseudo-ZigBee running at 868MHz. There are other solutions being worked on by the Alt HAN Company.
A ZigBee repeater is a possibility, but is not currently “approved” for use on a SMETS2 site because it introduces a security loophole.
The Mesh network you mention would achieve nothing to resolve your situation anyway. It’s a strategy used for linking homes to the Wide Area Network, whereas your inferred deficiency is on the Home Area Network.
So I’d recommend that you apply for the Better Smart tariff, book for the Smart Meter installation, and then post back here to let us know how it goes.
In addition to the great advice our community member has given above we’d recommend checking out this related topic:
Hi @vrmike . Welcome to the Forum. Great question to start with.
When you book a Smart Meter installation with OVO and they discover that there is insufficient signal to the gas meter, then you will indeed end up with only the electricity meter. That’s the default position… and one that gets raised regularly: see here.
You’ve obviously done a bit of research because you’re aware of the development of a pseudo-ZigBee running at 868MHz. There are other solutions being worked on by the Alt HAN Company.
A ZigBee repeater is a possibility, but is not currently “approved” for use on a SMETS2 site because it introduces a security loophole.
The Mesh network you mention would achieve nothing to resolve your situation anyway. It’s a strategy used for linking homes to the Wide Area Network, whereas your inferred deficiency is on the Home Area Network.
So I’d recommend that you apply for the Better Smart tariff, book for the Smart Meter installation, and then post back here to let us know how it goes.
In addition to the great advice our community member has given above we’d recommend checking out this related topic:
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