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Pearceage
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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

    Show previous replies
    Halifaxer
    Newcomer
    Halifaxer
    Newcomer
    October 20, 2019

    My smart meter(s) haven’t sent a reading since the 14th October - nearly a week as i write this. I checked my electricity meter and the red LED is flashing. Here’s my IHD info panel. 
     

    it’s very important that i get this sorted as we have elderly people in the the house and we can’t risk any unexpected bills due to having estimated bills. 
     

    Also, as i understood it during installation there was no requirement for WiFi to be available as it’s allegedly all done via a mobile signal: can you please confirm that this correct as we have a big problem  getting WiFi to certain areas in the house due to its construction. The meters have been working sinc3 2016 without a problem.

     

    Thanks in advance.

     

     

     

     

    A
    Newcomer
    AndrewPB
    Newcomer
    October 23, 2019

    My Smart meter only gets a data connection intermittently.  When it did connect a couple of weeks ago the electricity reading, according to my online records, was around 2100.  An estimated bill  a few days later is consistent with this reading.  I checked the meter, pressed 9 and the reading was 5900 KwH.  Why the difference?  Was the meter set up correctly? The gas readings are correct. 

    liz18
    Newcomer
    liz18
    Newcomer
    October 24, 2019

    7 weeks ago I reporter a faulty meter. An engineer came out installed or rather started the installation of a smart one.The smart meter has not been connected as yet even though we have asked several times for it to be done.

    Added to This Ovo have estimated our usage,for the period of fault but have completely ignored the fact that we were over £900 in credit with them ! The credit has been cleared from the statements as if it never  existed therefore the bill is an over inflated amount ??

    Tim_OVO
    OVO Staff
    Tim_OVO
    OVO Forum Legend
    October 24, 2019

    That wifi symbol top left (with a cross across it) tells me the IHD isn’t linked up to the smart meters@Halifaxer 

     

    Same with you@AndrewPB @liz18 - have a look at the electricity meter - is the middle of the three red lights near the top left of the meter face flashing? Is the mobile signal good by the meter? If it’s a no to either of these, there’s a signal issue that needs to be fully diagnosed: 0330 303 5063.

     

    The agent can also check the readings being used in your bill and make sure they all line up.  

    Carbon neutral - we need a community to get there! My green tech: Aclara SGM 1411-B smart meter, Chameleon IHD6
    Halifaxer
    Newcomer
    Halifaxer
    Newcomer
    October 24, 2019

    Thanks, I’m due to have a look at the meters tomorrow, as the gas meter’s rather inaccessible. I can see the electricity meter red light’s flashing though. I was emailed a list of tasks to work through so I’ll do that and get back to you.

     

    It’s very strange that this should happen though - it’s been woirking fine for a number of years.

    Halifaxer
    Newcomer
    Halifaxer
    Newcomer
    October 28, 2019

    Quite an interesting diagnostic session at the weekend - I followed the directions provided by an Agent, and found that the gas meter appears to be communicating successfully, and the (single) LED on the electricty meter is flashing once a second. I’ve taken readings.

     

    However, the bad news is the mobile signal next to the electricity meter is even lower than the cellar it’s located in:

     

    The odd thing is that the signal’s been fine for 3 years, but since 5G was introduced there’s been a reduction in 3/4G signal strength, and now the meter(s) have all but lost their signal! This is with EE - we also have on O2 mobile which on closer inspection is about the same.

    H
    Rank 1
    H29
    Rank 1
    September 28, 2022

    I moved to OVO in the Summer and was delighted to be able to see my half hourly usage - my smart meter was doing it’s job. 

     

    Suddenly it stopped talking to OVO and hasn’t sent a meter reading for the last couple of months, meaning I have to do it manually which is a faf. One more thing to remember. 

    I’ve looked at the help and it seems that the meters sometimes just play up and it should right itself but this isn’t very satisfactory. Anyone have any ideas on what I can do to get this sorted?

    Thanks

    Blastoise186
    Super User
    Blastoise186Super User
    Super User
    September 28, 2022

    Can you post photos of the meter please? We’ll see what we can figure out!

    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!
      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      Emmanuelle_OVO
      Retired Moderator
      September 29, 2022

      Hey @H29,

       

      Welcome to the OVO Online Community.

       

      Sorry to hear your smart meter’s not being very smart! Let’s try and get this sorted for you.

       

      You haven’t mentioned whether your smart meter is SMETS1 or SMETS2 so I’ll send you both the smart meter health checks:

       

       

      Hope this helps. 

      Renewable Energy? Big Fan.
        H
        Rank 1
        H29
        Rank 1
        September 30, 2022

        Hi @Emmanuelle_OVO

        Judging by the photos I have a SMET 1 meter. 
        I’ve gone through the Smart Check and there isn’t anything that is flagging as an alarm.  The meter seems to have just stopped sending readings. 

        Please can you advise how I get OVO to look at this and resolve it?

        Thanks
        Helen

         

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