Issues getting a replacement THTC Meter in Scottish Highlands

I see another possible issue there that may be preventing a smart meter being fitted. 

That second black cable from the supply that goes into the wall rather than a DNO fuse, where is it going to?

Could this be one of those cases where one (or 2) adjacent properties are on the different phases of a 3-phase supply?

I got an apologetic phone call on the morning of the appointment to explain that our exchange had been wrongly booked as three-phase rather than remote RTS from meter.  Sigh.

The engineer visited anyway, took photographs and said the solution was not available yet.  Sigh again.

This morning I got a phone call from OVO about arranging a swap out.  When I asked if a solution for the remote RTS was available yet she said another team would call me back.  Sigh for the third time.

So, ​@Ben_OVO and ​@Lukepeniket_OVO , is there a solution for our setup yet?

So sorry to hear this ​@miss_foxtotum, that’s really frustrating. I’m chatting to Luke about this and we’ll let you know as soon as we have an update.

Hi again ​@miss_foxtotum,

Just to let you know, I’ve spoken to ​@Lukepeniket_OVO who’s confirmed that either he or one of his team will be contacting you to get you booked in for an appointment.

Apologies again for the delays here - hopefully we can get this sorted for you once and for all.

To confirm we are having remote RTS stock issues but ill ring fence some for your exchange ​@miss_foxtotum 

I’ve now had a phone call from someone who seemed to be aware of the setup and has arranged an appointment with a ‘specific engineer’ in our area.  This was shortly after​ ​@Ben_OVO and @Lukepeniket_OVO posted to the thread, so I don’t know if the two are related.

Morning ​@miss_foxtotum I’m glad to hear you’ve been booked in. Which date are you booked in for?

I’m wondering whether ​@Lukepeniket_OVO could give confirmation that the call was from one of his team.

​@Ben_OVO , the appointment is for 30th September.  Any reassurance will be welcomed!

​@miss_foxtotum Internally i have you added to my own tracker and have got stock set aside to ensure job goes ahead =]

We are ploughing through our remote RTS customers so rest assured everything is aligned in the background =]

The Radio signal for smart meters does NOT work in our area in SCOTLAND so although we have a ‘smart’ meter it has never connected. Is it possible to change to a smart meter that uses the mobile network?
If not then how can we get any of the smart meter advantages!

It would be interesting to know where you are; the problems with Long-Range Radio  (LRR) connectivity are often very localized and not common over a large area.

To answer your question, yes, Communications Hubs (CHs) fitted with mobile network SIMs were approved for use in Scotland last year, but there was a bit of a delay in getting the newest 4G versions out to customers. Some customers had 2G/3G CHs fitted last year in advance of the RTS switch-off, and they are now being prioritized for upgrading from 2G/3G to 4G. It was not a large number (relatively speaking), so more customers should be offered the latest 4G CH before long if LRR doesn’t work for them. Have a word with Support, who may be able to book a replacement.

How we’re working to support customers to address non-communicating smart meters | Smart DCC

​@Firedog Thanks for your comments.

OVO have sent engineers in the past who didn’t know how the communication was achieved so couldn’t say if the one they were installing was Radio or Mobile and some even thought it might be using the house WiFi.

It’s only recently that I realised the options were different around the country.
I’ll try and see if Support have a clue 😊

Good luck with that! 

It’s obvious (if you know what you’re looking for) from the CH (usually on top of the meter) what sort of communication the meter uses. You can see pictures of the most common varieties here: Information and details on UK SMETS Smart Meter Comms Hubs. If it’s marked EDMI, it’s a LRR device. Cellular or WNC means it uses a 2G/3G system parallel to mobile phone networks, while 4G means it’s one of the latest 4G devices using a Vodafone network.

The ones using home Wi-Fi (the system known as VWAN) are still very much in the experimental stage and a year or three away from general availability - there are vital security considerations for the whole smart meter network to be taken into account.   

You didn’t say where you are - the first part of the postcode is usually enough to pin it down.