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Smart meter installation problems - poor signal?

  • 25 October 2023
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Hi there,

 

New to the community but have read numerous posts on this subject and have learnt a lot in the process!

Brief history is that I bought an EV, moved to OVO so as to benefit from favourable EV tariff, have been trying to get a Smart Meter installed since May, constantly get fobbed off with e-mails/conversations like the one below and am no further forward.  I live six miles from Colchester, not in the NW of Scotland.

Aside from the fact that I think the e-mail below is appalling - who is going to understand a mail like this without the technical knowledge required - what I would like to know from the amazing people on this forum is this:

Is it so unusual that a T3 aerial would be required for installation (if this indeed is what they mean by “an issue relating to T3 aerial”)?  Is this for installer to provide?  Could I purchase one so that there would then be one less problem?  Is it a genuine excuse to cancel the installation appointment?

The mail says that it would require the DCC to come out to the property.  Really?  I have looked this up as much as I can and  from what I can see the DCC is appointed by the government to roll out the network and has nothing to do with individual installations.  To me, this looks as though OVO is trying to put up a smoke screen and confuse people.  Happy to be told if I have got this wrong.

I understand the need for a good signal so that the meter can communicate but, as I say, I am surrounded by the likes of Colchester and Braintree, I’m not in the back of beyond.

All of this stems from the fact that “an issue/predicted technical abort”has been flagged on my account.  How that got there, I don’t know and nor does anyone at OVO (that is prepared to admit it anyway).  they said that an engineer visited but I have lived here for 15 years and an engineer has never visited.  So anyone I speak to just falls back on this comment and says “nothing can be done”.  So on it goes, around and around.

My assumption is this - I live in a “rural community”, despite being six miles from Colchester. I fear that my post code is colour coded to equal “difficult”or “costly” and so it just goes into the Too Difficult Box and no-one is going to help sort it out.

So, good forum friends, how do I take this forward and cut through the technobabble coming from OVO?  How do I get someone to take some action to get this “technical abort” removed from my account (if indeed there is even such a thing) and then come and install this smart meter that they keep telling me in the emails that they send to say that my current meter is old and must be replaced.  How do I cut through the “customer support team’ to someone who can actually do something.

 

Thank you in anticipation.

Thanks for getting in touch with us. My name is Alex, an account management agent here at OVO energy.

I have tried to contact you on the both phone numbers attached on the system, first phone number ending in -155 and second phone number ending in -853, but unfortunately I was unable to reach you, so I hope this email finds you well.

Firstly, I would like to apologize for the dissatisfaction caused by the service that has been provided. I will make sure to raise a feedback on the account for our team to reflect back on.

Upon investigating the account I can see that there was a cancellation due to a predicted technical abort, technical about means when the engineer is unable to install the smart meter in the address due to an issue relating to T3 aerial.

Upon checking the account I can see that the cancellation has been done as we would require T3 Aerial as well as the DCC (Data Communications Company) to come out to the property.

I can see that the request to remove the technical abort has been raised previously however until this has been lifted we are unable to book an appointment, and the moment there is no time frame for this.

I understand that you would like to receive a refund based on the lower tariff, however we would be unable to do that due to our eligibility criteria, which states that in order to benefit from our EV Charge anytime tariff the customer needs to have a smart electric meter and consent to Half Hourly Reads.

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Thanks,

Alex
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Best answer by Emmanuelle_OVO 1 November 2023, 12:21

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Blastoise186
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I see. This is an issue beyond OVO’s control unfortunately - and you’d run into it regardless of who your supplier is.

A T3 Aerial is the most powerful external aerial that exists for Smart Meters in the Southern Territory and only DCC can supply one. DCC REALLY doesn’t like having to give them out, so they have to come out and do it specially if it really is necessary.

Until that happens, you can’t do much I’m afraid. I will ask backstage on the forum however, please bear with me as this may take some time.

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Thank you for your speedy reply.  I have seen your other comments on the forum and note that you say that all suppliers would be the same.

OK, but my next question then is How does OVO know that I need a T3 aerial?  What are the options below this?  T2 and T1 I assume.  You say that it is beyond OVO’s control but, at this stage, how does OVO know what is, or isn’t required for an installation to be successful?  What are they basing their technical opinions on?  No one has been to the property so how does anyone know what type of aerial is or isn’t required?

Blastoise186
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From what I understand, that all comes from coverage maps created by DCC and all suppliers have access to the same ones. It’s generated from various data sources and I think the O2 coverage map is probably one of them - they don’t come to the property to get that data.

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Fair enough.  But O2 Coverage Map for my post code reads “4G.  Good coverage indoors and outdoors.  Good for Broadband”.

As I see it, all of this hinges on whether a smart meter will communicate or not and, I am guessing, no-one will really know until they come and check.  At the moment, it is being based on a map.  Is it possible to check on a DCC map?  How can I get someone to come and perform a physical check?

BPLightlog
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Of course @rvintner , the smart meter data doesn’t use standard mobile signals and so your O2 coverage will not be indicative of the signal for a smart meter

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OK, I was only referencing that as it was mentioned by Blastoise186 in his replies.  

So how can I find out re signal for smart meter coverage in my area?  Or do I have to rely on a map that OVO has and if that map says “No” then there will be no smart meter for me?  If so, are these maps 100% accurate and how and when are they updated?

Blastoise186
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OK, I was only referencing that as it was mentioned by Blastoise186 in his replies.  

So how can I find out re signal for smart meter coverage in my area?  Or do I have to rely on a map that OVO has and if that map says “No” then there will be no smart meter for me?  If so, are these maps 100% accurate and how and when are they updated?

That is information that even I don’t have access to directly I’m afraid. I can try to find out by asking backstage, but this may take some time. Please bear with us.

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Jeffus
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@rvintner out of curiosity do you know if any of the other homes in your community have a smart meter?

If so have they had to have an aerial of any sort plugged into them?

I assume you never tried getting a smart meter from your previous supplier(s)? 

BPLightlog
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This guide might give more of an overview 

 

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Hi BPLightlog - Thanks for the tutorial.

Jeffus - your questions are good.  I am checking with neighbours to see if they have a meter.  this will be key.

I never tried getting a meter previously.

Am not going to give up!

Jeffus
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Hi BPLightlog - Thanks for the tutorial.

Jeffus - your questions are good.  I am checking with neighbours to see if they have a meter.  this will be key.

I never tried getting a meter previously.

Am not going to give up!

Hi @rvintner where is your current Meter? Is it inside/outside the main fabric of your house? 

If inside, is it on an outer wall? 

 

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It is inside the house and not on an outer wall.  However, when the charger for my ev was installed they installed a new fuse box (next to meter) and ran the connection up through  the roof and out through an outer wall so there is ducting to loft cavity.

juliamc
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Is this DCC map publicly available? If not why not ?

Blastoise186
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Is this DCC map publicly available? If not why not ?

Not that I know of.

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This is (one of my) points.  At the moment, one is at the mercy of a company that sends crazy e-mails, like the one shown above that set out to confuse people with tech science terminology and can then claim that there is a map that says “your house is in an area that will not work with a smart meter”.  I don’t doubt that there is a map, in fact I know that there is, I just feel that it is a rather blunt tool to determine whether a box installed in my house can communicate or not (when all the other boxes, TVs, phones, computers etc manage to do so perfectly well.  And, yes, I know that these are different to how smart meters do, or don’t communicate) with the outside world.  

I am cross and frustrated by all of this because I receive a constant barrage of communication from OVO telling me that my current meter is old (dangerous?) and must be replaced and then when I try to replace it I get met by a brick wall of indifference and “it’s too difficult”.  This will only be resolved when I can get someone from an installation company to visit the property and determine whether it will work or not.

 

I have also asked OVO to provide full information as to when the “Predicted technical Abort” notice was logged on my account.  This is the comment that all current Customer Support people are falling back on to say that nothing will work and yet I have no idea how, why, when or by whom this “Predicted”, not definite, notice was logged.  I am waiting to hear back from OVO on this.

Blastoise186
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Compared to what I can write, that email is actually pretty lightweight. I have enough knowledge that I could literally blow everyone else away and not make any sense, but I recognise that there’s no value in doing so, as a result I hold back pretty heavily to make things more reasonable for everyone who isn’t me. It would appear that OVO tried to do the same with that email - there’s not much tech jargon there and in fact… I showed this thread to a few people who have no knowledge at all - they live in various other countries around the world - yet they managed to figure that email out relatively quickly.

OVO doesn’t make the rules here though, and nor do they generate the coverage maps in question - that’s in the realm of DCC which is also why I hinted that no other supplier will dodge this issue.

A T3 Aerial will probably do the trick, but alas, DCC is extremely stingy about giving them out and has mega strict rules about that model. I wish they’d make it easier, but it is what it is.

As for your existing meter, it’s probably reached End of Service Life. Please show me a few photos of it and I can check for you.

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juliamc
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Surely if using a T3 aerial is the only way to get a smart meter communicating, and given the aim of getting on with the ‘smart meter rollout’, the DCC could be a bit more free with using them! Can you  explain what they are Blastoise ? Are they phenomenally expensive? 

Blastoise186
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Yes, they cost something like an extra £25 per install, just for the parts - this doesn’t include labour either.

They’re effectively giant external aerials that are even bigger and more powerful than the T2 Aerials that we’ve seen many times on the Forum. The idea is that they’re High-Gain and can suck up signals in weak signal areas and blast out a more powerful signal in such areas such that it has a chance at working and gaining a stable connection.

Put another way, your cheap and rubbish ISP router that you get for “free” and is worth maybe £10 (except that you pay for it) often has a pretty measly 18dBm TX Power (Transmit Power) and maybe a 1dBi Antenna Gain, so it might work in a flat… But an average two bed house makes it struggle. On the other hand, my £300 Ubiquiti UniFi Dream Machine has a TX Power of 26dBm and an Antenna Gain of something like 4.5dBi - which is MASSIVELY more powerful and has a ridiculously strong range compared to the “free” routers ISPs give out. For a home environment such as my one-bed flat, it’s stupidly overpowered. But in a giant mansion, it has a way better chance at having decent coverage.

That’s the difference between the built in aerials on a regular Comms Hub and a T2/T3 Aerial.

However, there’s also a thing of having too much TX Power which also causes problems. Having too much power pumped into your transmissions can cause interference. Not a problem for my Ubiquiti UniFi kit as it’s capable of detecting that and automatically resolving it. But a T3 Aerial can’t do that as there’s no automatic way of resolving said interference. This, I believe, is one of the reasons they’re not given out freely.

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juliamc
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If two or more adjacent properties needed T3 aerials how would that work ? 

Blastoise186
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If DCC verifies they both need T3, then two T3 Aerials will be installed, one on each property. They’d be linked to the individual Comms Hubs so that they run independently of each other. Alternatively, one property could get a T3 Aerial and then the other one could pick up the Mesh Network from the SKU2/3 Comms Hub from the first property.

Likewise, if an entire terrace needs T3 for some reason, then DCC would install one T3 Aerial on each property in the terrace until they all have one.

However… I suspect by that point, only a couple of properties in the terrace would get T3 and the rest would use the Mesh connections. That would make more sense as it’d be way cheaper and ultimately speeds up the installation and commissioning for the entire terrace - and also would make for a very strong Mesh Network to link up nearby properties.

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Firedog
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… how do I take this forward and cut through the technobabble coming from OVO?
 

The whole business of getting a smart meter working for every household in the country is unbelievably complex,  so not every situation can be described in layman’s terms. One site that provides lots of good, detailed information in digestible form is Smart Meters; their illustrated section on communications hubs and data transmission may clear some things up for you: Technical information on SMETS 2 Smart Metering - The full story  

 

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
juliamc
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Nice one Noel, Thankyou. Some of this went in one eye and out of the other so to speak, love the bit about dithering. I may have missed it but i seem to remember hearing something about SMETS1 having a software update to give some SMETS2 functionality ? 

Blastoise186
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Nice one Noel, Thankyou. Some of this went in one eye and out of the other so to speak, love the bit about dithering. I may have missed it but i seem to remember hearing something about SMETS1 having a software update to give some SMETS2 functionality ? 

Correct. There is indeed an update to do that. It’s primarily intended to enable S1 meters to migrate to DCC and treat it as a trusted network, just like the old systems they were originally used on.

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Jeffus
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Hi BPLightlog - Thanks for the tutorial.

Jeffus - your questions are good.  I am checking with neighbours to see if they have a meter.  this will be key.

I never tried getting a meter previously.

Am not going to give up!

Hi @rvintner Did you find out if any of your neighbours had smarty meters/if they needed aerials/who fitted the meters? 

Jeffus
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This is (one of my) points.  At the moment, one is at the mercy of a company that sends crazy e-mails, like the one shown above that set out to confuse people with tech science terminology and can then claim that there is a map that says “your house is in an area that will not work with a smart meter”.  I don’t doubt that there is a map, in fact I know that there is, I just feel that it is a rather blunt tool to determine whether a box installed in my house can communicate or not (when all the other boxes, TVs, phones, computers etc manage to do so perfectly well.  And, yes, I know that these are different to how smart meters do, or don’t communicate) with the outside world.  

I am cross and frustrated by all of this because I receive a constant barrage of communication from OVO telling me that my current meter is old (dangerous?) and must be replaced and then when I try to replace it I get met by a brick wall of indifference and “it’s too difficult”.  This will only be resolved when I can get someone from an installation company to visit the property and determine whether it will work or not.

 

I have also asked OVO to provide full information as to when the “Predicted technical Abort” notice was logged on my account.  This is the comment that all current Customer Support people are falling back on to say that nothing will work and yet I have no idea how, why, when or by whom this “Predicted”, not definite, notice was logged.  I am waiting to hear back from OVO on this.

Hi @rvintner Have OVO got back to you yet? 

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