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September 6, 2017
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Lost Connection - Smart Meters not sending meter readings and no data on In-Home Display (IHD) - Why?

  • September 6, 2017
  • 103 replies
  • 160768 views

My Smart Meters (Electricity+Gas) were installed 1 week ago along with an In Home Display (IHD). The IHD on day 2 lost connection and I have not been able to get it back since. I have gone online and confirmed that no readings are being sent so at present there is nothing smart about it, unfortunately. The Smart meters do not come with any instructions neither does the IHD (in-built tutorial is basic only). Pressing 9 on the Electricity meter turns the digital display on (they have power saving displays) and presents the data you would expect to see on the IHD e.g. used today, used last week etc. There are no issues with my Wi-Fi. I have gone on-line to reset my browser and that doesn't work. I have used WPS and manual key entry to connect the IHD to my Wi-Fi and although it recognizes my ISP (~Sky) it is still not working. Currently, I'm unsure if it is not connected to the Wi-Fi or if it cannot connect to the meters themselves (instructions would help). IHD is within 20 metres of the Smart Meters and within Wi-Fi range. I have fixed bars on the IHD. Question: How does a user get their IHD reconnected or confirm Meters are not working properly?

 

Best answer by Mw2870

Updated on 08/10/25 by Ben_OVO

 

If you’ve noticed an issue with your Chameleon In-Home Display or the communication of your smart meters follow the advice below to help get any technical bugs ironed out! :bug:

 

If the IHD has been working as it should, but has suddenly stopped showing usage data, then the best thing to do is contact our Support Team and request that they run an ‘XJOIN’. This is a remote request we send to the IHD to get it showing the usage again. You can find the contact information below:

 

 

Newly installed Smart meters
 

Whilst most devices are up and running from the date your new meters are installed, it’s not unusual for them to lose some data or experience teething issues as we carry out the initial work to get everything up and running.

 

We’d recommend keeping the device plugged in close to your electricity meter if you notice any issues during the first 6 weeks following a smart meter installation. Hopefully things should start working as expected once the smart meters are fully updated on your account but, if not, read on to check our next trouble-shooting steps.

 

Checking the smart meter connection (WAN) via your online account or OVO App

 

Been over 6 weeks since the smart meters we’re installed and you’re still noticing issues with your Chameleon device? - It’s time to start doing some investigating! First place to check is your online account or OVO app (download for Android or iOS). If we’ve lost connection to your smart meters for over 5 days you may should see a message on screen asking for a reading.

 

 

In this case the best next steps would be to carry out a smart meter health check for your meter type below:
 

 

 

Once any communication issues with your meters are resolved, we’ll be able to get your IHD connected and showing your usage data again too!
 

In the meantime it’s worth submitting a meter reading a few days before your next monthly summary is due. 

 

To take a reading you’ll need to go to the meters themselves (this won’t be viewable on the In Home Display unfortunately).

 

For SMETS1 ‘Secure’ smart meters:

 

There’s a slight difference between these S1 meters depending on whether you’re on a single rate or Economy 7 tariff. To take dual (day/night) readings on a Secure Liberty 110 , press 9 on the meter’s keypad. If you’ve got a Secure Liberty 100 S1 smart meter, press 6 to confirm the Day and Night meter readings (pressing 9 will show the reading if you’re on a single rate tariff).
 

For SMETS2 Aclara, Flonidan, Honeywell or Elster smart meters:

 

  Aclara (Elec) / Flonidan (Gas) Elster (Elec) / Honeywell (Gas)
Reading the meter
  • Elec: Press A three times until TOU Rate 1 appears.
  • Gas: Press C to wake up, then C to access the menu. Use B to scroll and C to select the reading option.
  • Elec: Press the top button once or twice
  • Gas: Press the circle button once or twice

 

You can then enter this reading by clicking ‘Send a meter reading’ on the Homepage message or by clicking on the ‘Meter Readings’ menu option.


Fingers crossed those smart meters will be back in touch soon and you can continue enjoying all the great benefits of going smart:slight_smile:
 

 

OVO customer but not got a smart meter yet? - Book today!

Interested but not yet an OVO customer? - Check out our plans!

103 replies

Newcomer
November 17, 2025

Have a faulty electrical meter since 08/11/2025 and despite contacting 5 customer services agents no seems capable of arranging an engineer visit.  Is this normal 

Firedog
Super User
Super User
November 17, 2025

Is this a smart meter?

In what way is the meter faulty? Not every fault requires an engineer visit; there are some that a visiting engineer cannot fix, and some that can only be fixed by exchanging the meter for a new one. 

The more details you give of the situation, the more likely it is that we could make helpful suggestions. A clear photo of the offending meter is always helpful.

 

 

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |
Newcomer
November 17, 2025

Have spoken to 5 agents, send multiple photos and despite them claiming to try and access no o e can fix this or even arrange to book an engineer despite saying it needs one

Blastoise186
Super User
Super User
November 17, 2025

Please show us the photos here on the Forum. With those, we can ask someone like ​@Lukepeniket_OVO to take a look.

Remember, we can’t see your account so we don’t know what you’ve sent in.

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!
Newcomer
November 17, 2025

Customer service say it not communicating information and need engineer but they can never find a date to book one

Newcomer
November 17, 2025

Finally got an appointment for engineer vist after 6 attempts.   Still can't understand why customer service cannot get access to book an engineer without so many issues 

Firedog
Super User
Super User
November 17, 2025

Thanks for the photo. The meter seems to be working as intended, and looks to be in prepayment mode - is that right? If it’s just that the meter’s not in communication, that’s most probably a problem with the communications hub connected by a cable to the Kaifa box on top of the meter (or - possibly - with the Kaifa adaptor itself). 

Let’s hope our metering guru can help out here.

 

Noel | I have no official status; I'm just a volunteer who comes here to help other customers. My gear: Aclara SGM 1416-B Electricity-only E7 meter; Chameleon IHD3-PPMID-AAA | It may look as if I know what I’m talking about, but don’t let that fool you. |
Abby_OVO
Community Manager
Community Manager
November 18, 2025

Hey ​@Mabh 

 

I’m glad to here you’ve got an appointment booked now after some attempts at the Support Team.

 

Though as some of our volunteers mentioned, the team won’t just book it without asking questions to make sure the correct work is completed, some meter faults can be fixed remotely so they would have had reason not to book this straight away.

 

What is the fault you’ve been reporting to the team? As Firedog mentioned, the meter appears to be on and you’ve not mentioned here what the problem has been with it.

 

Do let us know how you get on.

Currently Playing: She's Electric
Newcomer
February 7, 2026

Hi all, as pictures say, my reader hasn't been working properly for last couple of days. Have put fresh batteries in, kept it by electric smart meter inside building, as gas one is outside, for around 3 hours, to try and connect, but no avail. What to do please?

Blastoise186
Super User
Super User
February 8, 2026

Hi ​@Mop ,

Sounds like your IHD has somehow been kicked off the network. Please get in touch with OVO Support and they’ll see if they can restore it for you.

 

Securing energy by zapping security bugs... For that is The Blastoise Way! Remember, I'm just like you - AI Powered Evil Geniuses aren't Staff!