I have been with OVO for 10 months and I have had 2 SMETS2 meters fitted not long after I moved to OVO.
Unfortunately, the system has never worked properly since installation !
What used to happen intermittently was one of 2 scenarios:
The WAN light used to go off and my smart meter would stop sending my meter readings to OVO or the HAN light used to go off and my IHD would stop working with the message "waiting for current data" being displayed.
Last week all 4 lights (including the WAN and HAN lights) continued to work on the meter (they all flashed on once every 4 or 5 seconds) and yet my IHD stopped working which had never happened before whilst all 4 lights were working !?
A couple of days ago the IHD came back on again but despite all 4 lights still displaying on the meter, my meter readings don't update on the OVO app.
How is this ?
I thought if the WAN (Wide Area Network) light was on, my electric meter could communicate my meter readings to OVO.
Also I can't understand why last time, my IHD lost the wifi signal in the first place with the HAN (Home Area Network) light being on ?
By the way I have a Chameleon IHD and regarding the wifi signal on the IHD, it is a strong signal (4 bars) as my IHD is only around 5 meters from the meter with only an internal wall (4" thick) which has no effect on the wifi signal.
The lowest it goes down to is 3 bars.
Any feedback would be much appreciated.
Mike
Best answer by Transparent
Updated on 15/07/24 by Emmanuelle_OVO:
Sorry to hear of the communication issues you’re having with your S2 smart meters - In order to diagnose what might be causing these issues we’d recommend carrying out a smart meter health check.
For a full lowdown on what the lights on your meter indicate check out the detailed response from our Community Member below:
WAN, MESH and HAN lights:
WAN - Wide Area Network
Shows your communication hub’s ability to communicate with your supplier. Flashing indicated a connection.
MESH - Mesh Communications Network
If you have a SK2 or SKU3 type of Communications Hub, then both WAN and MESH are active, and will display the slow-flash from these indicators if all is well.
If you have a SKU1 (85% of houses do), then the MESH indicator will always be off because that section of electronics isn’t present.
HAN - Home Area Network
This light shows the connection status of your electricity meter, gas meter and IHD with your communications hub on the HAN (Home Area Network).
See this topic for a complete guide on what each hub indicate light means
What the lights mean when there’s a fault:
Now let’s just separate out the different faults you’ve been seeing.
A; A solid WAN may indicate a lack of communication with OVO. the WAN and/or HAN indicator going off is very unusual. In the case of a fault on either of these networks, the correct flash rate should be “medium” (roughly once every 5 seconds).
Communications Hub indicator error sequences
It’s unlikely that you’ll ever actually see the “High” flash rate because this occurs when the Communications Hub is starting up and trying to find the networks.
An indicator that’s completely off means that this part of the code isn’t operational at all. Most customers have SKU1-type SMETS2 meters, in which case the Mesh indicator will be off. Ie there is no Mesh network for this model.
B; It isn’t unusual to have an IHD not displaying correct data but still have the HAN indicator showing the usual slow-flash. The indicator only shows that the Zigbee carrier frequency is alive. Frustratingly it doesn’t mean that any useful data is being transferred!
The same is true of the signal-strength bars on your Chameleon IHD. They will still be present even if the code receiving/interpreting data from the Comms Hub isn’t working.
C; In similar fashion, just because the WAN indicator is in slow-flash mode doesn’t mean that OVO are actually receiving your data. Since you’re in the Telefonica territory, the WAN merely informs you that the carrier between you and the mast is alive.
The only way to tell if OVO is successfully receiving data from your site is to login to your online account and view your Usage statistics.
So there’s some initial feedback on what you’ve carefully described to us. And you might also want to read this topic where a few of us have recently been discussing IHD-related errors, and this topic is a great one for the ‘Waiting for current data’ issue
How to confirm no communication from solid WAN
If the WAN on your meter is solid, and you’ve confirmed no usage data on your online account, you can test your mobile phone signal right next to the meter. If you have zero signal, that would explain it. Then test mobile signal a few feet away from the meter, above, or to the side. If signal improves, an aerial might fix your meter’s communication issue. Reach out to support to book in an aerial fitting. They’re on Facebook, Twitter and our Help Centre has online chat!
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Smart meter not communicating? Fill out this Online Form
@Chissy23- that’s fine. You’ve given good feedback. Let’s leave the rest for OVO’s engineers to look into. They will be able to check when and why your online data ceased being available.
Yes, @Mikeovo - I’m just pondering why your IHD isn’t able to display weekly/monthly data which it apparently knew yesterday!
There’s lots I don’t know about how data gets passed between the on-site devices.
Next time I visit OVO’s Bristol HQ I’m going to see if I can pick some engineering brains and translate that knowledge into diagrams. But with the pandemic lockdown that won’t be for a long while yet.
For the sake of others who come across this Topic in the next few weeks, I will just post here again the current version of my SMETS diagram because that will save them having to move elsewhere around the Forum.
The different colours of radiated signal above each aerial denote the networks:
Hopefully that will help others see what we’re talking about!
I know it’s not along the lines of the Smart Meter problem but I appear to have a problem with the V2G charger. My numbers don’t tally.
I’ve been on Furlough for 40 days...even before the Government knew what the word meant and just returned to the flock on 1st April. Though connected to the car 24/7 since 11th March, it has ticked over nicely using about 1.5 kWh of electricity every day exporting only about 25 watts/hour so for the month of March there was next to no rebate due (although OVO kindly gave me a credit for the same amount paid in February...and then took it back when I mentioned I didn’t think I was entitled to any).
I “Fired up the Quattro” on the 1st April and it trips out 2-3 times a day, normally when I’m trying to export to the grid as apposed to when they are selling me the stuff. I’ve checked the figures every half hour with OVO and every hour with Kaluza using their apps and there’s something very seriously wrong.
Firstly the imports and exports appear to be out by 1 hour…..ie, Kaluza says I’m importing about an hour after OVO say I received it. But the more serious (for me) problem is the amount Kaluza say I import...after I deduct the normal daily usage…..is about 28% less than I’m paying for...obviously used in the conversion from AC to DC and back…..this is easily checked by looking at the times when I’m asleep in bed and nothing is switched on...between midnight and 7.00am. The furlough clearly shows that for the whole month I averaged 1 kW for the whole 7 hours…...but after that and the 28% are deducted the figures Kaluza say I’m importing and exporting are 90% lower than my figures. As of this morning Kaluza say I’ve imported 21.1 kW and exported 26 kW this month…..but I recon those numbers should be in the region of 211 kWs and 260 kWs roughly.
Just a note, my car is a 62 kW LEAF with 60 kW available. At 10am on 11th the battery was at 46% (27.6 kWs) and this morning it was 100% (60 kWs, a difference of 32.4 kWs) having gone through a couple of charge and discharge cycles ...but Kaluza say I’ve only imported 21.1kWs and exported 26 kWs….all month. In order to get the correct figures I have to enter 72 bits of data daily and I haven’t been able to go back too far yet but there does appear to be a pattern and I wonder this….Did OVO forget to put the clocks forward in March? and did Kaluza move the decimal point one to the left when they put the clocks forward?...Yes I know it should have happened automatically...but it’s a question worth asking.
Failing that, if all the information is correct then I have a problem with my car and the charger which are constantly importing and exporting large amounts of electricity to and from the car….
As an example of the discrepancy here’s the smart meter alongside the Kaluza app. The meter says I’m exporting to the grid 2.87 kW and the the app says I’m exporting 0.3 kW which would be consistent with 10% as I was also drawing from the car for the cooker...I’d be interested in anyone’s view on my theory…
PS….the smart meter readout isn’t dirty….I just haven’t removed the cellophane...the i phone however... is.
Apologies but I do not understand much of the technical stuff - all I know is that one day it was working fine then next day electricity disappeared.
I am not that knowledgeable either but as I understand it your gas meter sends a signal to your electric meter showing your gas usage (if any) every 30 minutes (not more often than this to save on the battery) and the electric meter gathers your electricity usage in real time and sends it to OVO either every 30 minutes or monthly depending on your settings.
Your IHD gets the usage on the screen directly from the electric meter.
regarding my early comments about the clocks being out by 1 hour….I think I may have the answer.
The system should be for BST there are 23 hours in the day and for GMT there are 25 hours...ie the clocks go forward in Summer from 2-3am and back in winter by 1 hour from 2-1am
OVO appear to have got that a bit wrong and put the clocks back from 1 to midnight….twice but forgot to move 2 O'clock...so when everyone else is operating on 23 hours...they’re operating on 24….or 25 depending which way you look at it…
I had both gas and electricity usage truncated on the 7th April but I just discovered that a new entry has been added on my electric and 4 entries on my gas but I believe these to be wrong as I can't believe that I used only 10p of gas on those 4 days !
No, you won’t be able to all OVO tomorrow @MajorSqueeze . They’ve closed their 4 call centres to all but emergencies.
But in any case, I think the current issues we have with SMETS2 meters are best discussed on the Forum. Here we can compare with what others are seeing, and attempt to clarify which symptoms each of us is reporting.
One of the Moderators, @Tim_OVO is trying to keep track of our Feedback, and I’m inserting inter-Topic links to help with this.
You’ll see that I posted here last week, a list of the mix of current “faults” which need analysing and testing.
Occasionally you’ll see me tag @BenS_OVO who is much more of a “techie”. But that’s just so he receives an alert that we’re discussing something relevant to the SMETS Engineering Team. Don’t expect him to pop up here on the Forum unless he’s needing to clarify something.
Just as an FYI to this, my backdated stats from the 7th have now come through, so all is back up to date. Someones put 50p in the meter I suspect :)
No, you won’t be able to all OVO tomorrow @MajorSqueeze . They’ve closed their 4 call centres to all but emergencies.
But in any case, I think the current issues we have with SMETS2 meters are best discussed on the Forum. Here we can compare with what others are seeing, and attempt to clarify which symptoms each of us is reporting.
One of the Moderators, @Tim_OVO is trying to keep track of our Feedback, and I’m inserting inter-Topic links to help with this.
You’ll see that I posted here last week, a list of the mix of current “faults” which need analysing and testing.
Occasionally you’ll see me tag @BenS_OVO who is much more of a “techie”. But that’s just so he receives an alert that we’re discussing something relevant to the SMETS Engineering Team. Don’t expect him to pop up here on the Forum unless he’s needing to clarify something.
Just as an FYI to this, my backdated stats from the 7th have now come through, so all is back up to date. Someones put 50p in the meter I suspect :)
My backdated stats have come back as well.
I am just waiting for my IHD to sync with the electric meter as it's saying "waiting for current data" again.
I would start another topic but I have forgotten how to lol
I was wondering if turning off the (Chameleon) IHD occasionally when it has been on for, say, 5 or 6 hours and I am fed up of seeing the "waiting for current data" message can make these meter problems worse ?
@Mikeovo- there’s a “Create Topic” at the top right of this page, which might be what you’re looking for!
I waited about 8 months last year with my IHD reporting “waiting for current data”. You can turn it off/on as much as you like. It’s got solid-state (NAND Flash) memory inside it. So without having more information on how that’s deployed, I have no idea what it may or may not need to retrieve from your Comms Hub when you switch it back on.
Thanks for taking my “corrections” in the light-hearted way I’d intended. You’ve learned a heck of a lot in the 3 days since you arrived here on the Forum.
Ofgem have identified “lack of public knowledge” as a significant factor which holds back the deployment of more technology related to Smart Metering. So it’s very much up to us to learn what we can and spread correct information to all friends, neighbours and work colleagues. That’s why I tend not let anything inaccurate stick around here on the Forum for too long.
If you want a glimpse of what’s around the corner, then have a look at this Topic on Auxilliary Load Control Switches where I’m discussing with two OVO staff members some technology which had been raised during a visit to OVO in Summer ‘19.
I don’t know what sort of mobile device you’re using @Mikeovo nor what Browser software that is…
… however, you have three symbols at the right-hand side which I don’t normally see. So if I was looking for “Create Topic”, I’d start by having a look at what those buttons do!
I don’t know what sort of mobile device you’re using @Mikeovo nor what Browser software that is…
… however, you have three symbols at the right-hand side which I don’t normally see. So if I was looking for “Create Topic”, I’d start by having a look at what those buttons do!
I use the Chrome browser on a Samsung tablet.
Those 3 dots give me this:
I forgot how I posted my first post (this post)
I am taking this topic off topic now. Sorry
p.s. it's the same forum page if I use Google browser.
Anyway my query has been answered on this thread so I'll leave it as it is ! :)
Normally at times like this I’d be looking for help from another of the Forum Ninjas, @ITGeek123 . But he’s had an overdose of video-games throughout the long Easter weekend, and is reportedly trying to do some real work today.
Normally at times like this I’d be looking for help from another of the Forum Ninjas, @ITGeek123 . But he’s had an overdose of video-games throughout the long Easter weekend, and is reportedly trying to do some real work today.
Normally at times like this I’d be looking for help from another of the Forum Ninjas, @ITGeek123 . But he’s had an overdose of video-games throughout the long Easter weekend, and is reportedly trying to do some real work today.
Haha thanks for the mention @Transparent I am around today but still extremely busy with my real job (Until OVO Hire me) I will be dipping in and out today.
Viewing the Forum on a mobile device. You need to be logged into the website to create a topic. Once logged in, you will see a green circle located the bottom right with a pencil icon as shown in the image below
Normally at times like this I’d be looking for help from another of the Forum Ninjas, @ITGeek123 . But he’s had an overdose of video-games throughout the long Easter weekend, and is reportedly trying to do some real work today.
Haha thanks for the mention @Transparent I am around today but still extremely busy with my real job (Until OVO Hire me) I will be dipping in and out today.
Viewing the Forum on a mobile device. You need to be logged into the website to create a topic. Once logged in, you will see a green circle located the bottom right with a pencil icon as shown in the image below
@ITGeek123 thanks for reminding me about how I started this topic on here !
You are right I never had a "Create topic" icon only a pencil icon on my tablet.
Now I remember lol.
Back on topic.
All my usage stats have been updated all that is missing is usage data on my IHD.
It still says "waiting for current data" so not too bad if only a tad annoying.
But I’m sure you’ll be back. Some of these communications faults got “fixed” over the weekend without intervention from an engineer. So they’re just as likely to go wrong all over again next time it’s a new moon and the wind is from the east!
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