New Pay As You Go smart meter needs another upgrade?

Hi ​@MagsMcLean ,

That’s… Really weird…

Could you show us the meter please? That’ll help us give you better advice.

Thanks

Hmm…

Lemme grab a ​@Lukepeniket_OVO for this. :)

hey, essentially yes we do need to come out and exchange the comms hub =] please book in =]

long story short is we installed 2g/3g hubs to overcome the RTS problem but its now created a new problem which will be sorted by installing a 4g hub. worth noting that it only affects smart communications come 31/12 if not swapped

Thank you all for your responses. I very much appreciate the explanation.

So I called the number on the email, who passed me over to PAYG, who said the Smart Meter Install team will call me back (I think that’s what he called them).

Why not just give me the direct line to the correct department? I explained the whole 2/3G to 4G upgrade to both of them and they both went ‘oh yes, know what you’re talking about, I’ll pass you on’.

Now I’m going to have to answer every spam call that comes in until the team calls me back

​@Lukepeniket_OVO is this a small issue in isolated areas? Mainly relating to the RTS issue? 

Seems like something that needs fixing/changing before December 31 - this is the first post I've seen mentioning it. Has everyone potentially affected been sent letters by OVO? 40ish days left given work diaries... Well, doesn't bode well. Especially as communication is one of the selling points for smart meters. If it is going to affect many, many hubs installed over a certain period of time and geographical location - then will OVO be prioritising and fixing ASAP?

Just curious as the OP mentioned it and I'd not seen anyone mention similar. 

Would be nice if there was (is there?) a way to discern whether a hub is using 2/3 or 4G by looking at it.

Any information appreciated ✌️

Howdy ​@Johnny Thunders ,

From what I’ve seen, the Forum Moderators are working on some content for this at the moment - we should have it live soon.

HOWEVER… I can tell you instantly whether you’ve got a 2G/3G Hub or a 4G one if you’d like? If you’d like me to do this, please provide us with a photo of your existing setup and we can check it for ya.

Thanks!

(Oh and this was also my 9000th comment!)

I know you asked Luke, but I’d just point out that this thread is specifically about cellular communications hubs (CH) installed in a few cases in Northern Scotland when RTS meters controlling THTC tariffs were exchanged for SMETS2 smart meters. Authority for these installations was first given in the spring of 2025. It will only have been customers in locations where the Arqiva long-wave radio signal was inadequate who had this type of CH fitted. So the answer to your question is probably Yes.  

I can imagine that there are in fact not very many cases. Are you in Northern Scotland, recently migrated from RTS with THTC to a smart meter, and with a cellular CH installed between March and July 2025? 

It’s possible that this type of CH was also fitted during that period when the meter exchange wasn’t triggered by the RTS switch-off, e.g. simply replacing a faulty or obsolete meter. 

Um, thanks ​@Firedog for the input.

Us awful lay people didn't realise the nuance of the acronym 'THTC' equating to a post described as expressly: "specifically about cellular communications hubs (CH) installed in a few cases in Northern Scotland when RTS meters controlling THTC tariffs were exchanged for SMETS2 smart meters."

Obviously, in a discussion forum where the OP wasn't denoted as such a niche topic, us terrible randoms will pop up with questions. Won't be doing that again.

✌️

Well, the OP started with “I finally got my smart meter on 11th July this year - PAYG for THTC - . ” It came to light within a day or so that the problem was with the specific type of CH installed in those few cases. 

If you’re not in the affected area, you have nothing to worry about. It’s always a good idea to read the question at the top before submitting a comment to a thread.

I read the question - there's nothing in "New smart meter needs an upgrade" that denotes marginal Scottish customers. Again, the acronym isn't obvious to lay people. But carry on doing you. 

✌️

this thread is specifically about cellular communications hubs (CH) installed in a few cases in Northern Scotland when RTS meters controlling THTC tariffs were exchanged for SMETS2 smart meters

To be fair, I didn’t realise when I asked, that this issue is specific to THTC. Total Heating Total Control is a tariff I believe to be unique to the North of Scotland (not that the customer has much control at all).

That there were problems with the long range signal, necessitating a temporary fix, comes as no surprise whatsoever. All the lumps and bumps between here and Flatland have played merry hell with radio and TV signals all my life, and mobile signals don’t fare much better!

Still waiting to hear back from the Team. I’ll brave the phone line again tomorrow afternoon if I haven’t heard by then. Only 5 weeks to go before my smart meter becomes dumb.

Hi,

Virtual wide area network smart meters are being sift launched in q1 2026 when will ovo start installing them. 

Overall I would say that it is much too early yet for anyone to know such details.

Yes VWAN (Smart Metering via the internet) is coming, but it’s still in development and testing.

Also bear in mind that for a number of years (at least) VWAN will be a ‘last resort’ for places that cannot be reached by the Arqiva LRR or Vodaphone 4G signals - those will remain the standard connection methods for the vast majority of customers.

Whilst 4G communication hubs are now being fitted in certain special cases , and the excercise to swap out 3G Comms hubs to 4G is due to start, I am not aware of any VWAN hubs even being available for trials with customers yet.

Yes, Calisen announced last year that they are “gearing up” for the launce of VWAN in Q1 of 2026; however they do not give any details of what that “gearing up” actually means, let alone any timings.

https://www.calisen.com/blogs/we-re-gearing-up-for-the-virtual-wan-launch-in-2026

Just recently, on 20th Jan 2026, the “Department of Energy Security and Net Zero: Response to Consultation on Remaining SEC Subsidiary Documents in Advance of Soft Launch for Virtual WAN” was published, it states:

The effect of the changes is to enable the VWAN Solution to operate in the Live environment, although it has been recognised that energy suppliers intend to carry out further testing in the User Integration Testing environment prior to deploying VWAN in the live environment.

ie. Furter testing is needed before VWAN can go "Live".
https://smartenergycodecompany.co.uk/department-of-energy-security-and-net-zero-response-to-consultation-on-remaining-sec-subsidiary-documents-in-advance-of-soft-launch-for-virtual-wan/

Here’s the latest DCC’s statement I can find on VWAN:
https://www.smartdcc.co.uk/news-events/new-smart-meter-technology-to-help-lower-bills/

Thanks for response, 

Unfortunetly in scotland we are not allowed installation of 4g smart meters even installation of boosters, 

In my area you can not get smart meters installed and they have tried twice. 

Engineers said if alliwed a simole 4g smart and signal booster would do but in scotland not allowed

VIRTUAL WIDE AREA NETWORK IS KEY AND NEEDS TO BE EXCELLARATED ESPECIALLY IN SCOTLAND, 

i am misding out on key tariffs for example heat pump and ev tariff becouse i cant get access to smart meter 

Unfortunetly in scotland we are not allowed installation of 4g smart meters even installation of boosters, 

Actually things have changed and in certain circumstances 4G coms hubs can be, have been, and are being, fitted in parts of Scotland.

However it is again a special circumstance ‘last resort’ thing, mainly for those affected by the RTS switch off. You can’t just demand one.

Whilst your frustration is understandable I’m afraid that such things need a lot of regulation as well as technical inovation.
(The security aspects alone of VWAN being a possible gateway for someone to hack into the National Grid need careful consideration and safeguards building into the system).

I’m afraid that all those in your situation can do is wait until the technology (and the needed legislation/security) allows you to join and benefit from the smart meter WAN.

Hey ​@Bigjim78,

We are currently installing 4G communications hubs, but we have encountered some challenges within the industry that we need to address. The hubs we began installing last year were intended as a short-term solution to assist customers affected by the RTS shutdown. You can learn more about this in the article I'll link below. We will prioritise fitting these hubs for our most vulnerable customers, including those on the Priority Services Register and pay-as-you-go plans.

We’re working to ensure fixes are a long term solution and not a short term stop gap wherever possible.