What is the 'validation period' and what's a 'bulk fix'? These are delaying my repair/replacement of smart meters

Hi @brortylad ,

Please post photos of your meters.

I’ve sent enough photos to fill the National gallery, this has been going for a year . Ovo’s smart team is supposed to be dealing with this but all ii get is same answers.all I want is  a gas meter I can take readings from not a blank screen 

We don’t have access to those photos here - the forum runs on a completely separate platform with no access to internal systems.

If the gas meter display never lights up, the battery is probably dead. If you haven’t already, you need to report it as a fault and tell OVO that the battery appears to be dead. Live Chat is the best way.

Thanks for your reply , I’ve been sending photos etc every month since the gas meter went blank in February at the same time as a appointments to look at the fault was cancelled.This had been going on since the new smart meters were fitted in September 2022 and the engineer left with the words “ their not connected to the main computer but should do that in a few days” they never did the the gas meter went blank screen in February 2023 so I was unable to submit readings . All the time I’ve be in contact with SSE the Ovo and just fobbed off with “they’re looking into and it’s a bulk fix. At my wits end with estimated bills also at the stage they can keep their smart meters but give a gas meter I can read.  I was a device  engineer all my life and ran a service department so i know what is poor customer service when I see and I have  a working knowledge on how network services work so I just want an honest answer 

Any replacement will be a Smart Meter. There is no downgrade path

I’m back at a proper keyboard now.

Certain newer models of S2 gas meter like the latest Flonidan ones come with new features to help ease installation, specifically Auto-Connect and Advanced Network Assist.

The idea is that the Flonidan ones which are Dual-Band capable will attempt both the 2.4GHz and the 868MHz bands to see which one gets a link to the Comms Hub. Whichever one gets a link is the one that the meter will use from that point onwards.

They will also automatically attempt commissioning every 30-60 minutes for up to three months after initial activation. If any attempt succeeds, the meter commissions itself and initiates the full setup/commissioning process. Only if ALL attempts fail does it eventually give up and an engineer visit needed to restart it.

If it’s connected to the HAN, recovery may still be possible. Be patient and see what happens.