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Smart Meter Communications - or NOT?

AncientMariner

A couple of days ago had our gas and electricity meters replaced with SMETS2 Smart Meters.


I had hoped that meter-to-meter communications had improved since May 2015 when EDF fitted SMETS1 meters which could not intercommunicate and re-fitted the old non-smart meters.


When I requested Smart Meters this time, I made our supplier aware of the previous difficulties which were apparently due to the two meters being on opposite sides of our house, even though less than 10 metres apart.


So currently, the electricity meter can communicate via its WAN but cannot communicate with the gas meter via their ZigBee network.


When I was contacted by the meter fitting company a couple of weeks ago, I had reminded them too about the lack of communication last time and they seemed to believe that for difficult cases they could supply a ZibBee repeater, but didn't. (Obviously that would have been powered off our electricity rather then pre-metered supply.)


It so happened that my cousin was booked in for smart meters in the appointment slot after ours. That installation was fine regarding meter-to-meter communication, but there the meter fitter had installed a modem with a high gain aerial near to the meter to communicate with the WAN. Apparently this was on his job sheet. Admittedly mobile phone communication in the area is rather poor.


Anyway, back to my problem.


Giving it some thought, I was considering trying a pair of WiFi 2.4GHz aerials connected via a length of coax so as to form a passive repeater. Don't laugh! On some container-ships that I was on, a pair of interconnected VHF dipoles was the only way that the Captain could communicate with the Fo'cstle during mooring operations. (One mounted near the bridge/wheelhouse, the other as high as possible on the monkey island)


Anyway, I have emailed our supplier and will see what they say. Problem is, I am not 100% sure that there is a ZigBee modem within the gas meter! The electricity meter an Aclara SGM1412-B has a separate modem, a Toshiba SKU1 Cellular. Whereas the Honeywell BK-G4E gas meter has no mention of ZigBee on its front panel and nothing on top. This has me wondering whether the ZibBee modem is built in, or whether there should be a separate unit mounted on top.


Clive


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    I have just organised a new supply contract for my house. It is impossible to get a good price without having smart meters, so I have agreed to try again as last time they tried they didn't work, just like you Clive. I assume that they will use SMETS2 meters, and power them from the unmetered supply.


    I have just had a letter from the communications regulator about my Amateur radio License BTW. They seem to suddenly have some standard that limits EM field strengths, and could have an effect on the ERP allowed. I have no idea how they expect most Amateurs to measure the field strength outside the property, it is hard enough on a measuring range with directional aerials.


    Anyone interested in Aerials may like to look on Youtube, I have posted 2 videos made by the Bristol TV Group many years ago called Dud Charman's aerial circus (Excellent antenna demonstration with models at 3GHz where the size is manageable), and another Called their story, two pioneers of radio about Dud G6CJ and Ken Alford G2DX. There seem to be a lot of David Stone named persons, search for "David Stone Aerial" and scroll down for a D as the heading picture, about 20 others today. Most of the rest have meaningless photos!
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    For the passive cabled repeater to work you need your pick up and re-radiators very close to the two ends, within a few wavelengths.. The wavelengths are shorter pro-rata than your VHF experience, where the wavelength is a few metres, as the frequency is that much higher. But yes it may work with suitably low loss coax - also harder to organise  at the shorter wavelengths.

    Before rushing off to make something however , note that your home area network may well be 868MHz zigbee instead of 2.4GHz...

    or if you were further north, 423m, or near Fylingdales, a special.Note that the frequency it uses is supposed to be secret !!2594d36b37b0e28cb681b8e5fc849438-original-smets_han.png


    Mike
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    As regards the exposure limits for Hams, that has been discussed here already but the post got moved to .here  so it is not so likely to be found in a hurry.


    Just keep folk from sitting under the antennas for long periods.

    Mike.
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    When the fitter from SSE came to install smart meters for me he told me the gas meter was battery powered and they would change the batteries every two years. Then he found it wouldn't communicate with the electric meter anyway, due to them being on opposite ends of a house with 2 foot thick stone walls and took it away with him again.


    Regards

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    Thanks Mike.

    I'm trying to remember now where I found what convinced me that our HAN was 2.4GHz.


    The fact that there is a joint o2 & Vodafone 4G mast only a couple of hundred metres away may not be helping either.


    Re Fylingdales, some years back there was a directive that Government nodies such as the RAF, GCHQ etc had to abide with planning rules and could not just do what they wanted. This resulted in a rather "amusing?" planning application to the council where Fylingdales is situated. All they wanted to do, was to add two GPS aerials to the site for timing purposes. Doing as they were told a 64 page document RAF Fylingdales Upgrade to Early Warning Radar - Environment and Land Use Report was submitted to the Local Council.....


    It used to be easily found with Google, but can't find it today.

    Clive

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    My gas smart meter was installed about 5 years ago with a "forever" battery. About 8 months ago it died - like completely dead, can't even get a local reading. I noticed about 3 months ago and informed E.on, who took 2 months to be convinced that it was actually dead. After which they said they would replace it, but could I send them a reading in the meantime? Sigh. Since then they've failed to contact me to arrange for the meter swap. It will be fun when they finally try to estimate the last 8 month's usage.
  • 0
    wallywombat:

    My gas smart meter was installed about 5 years ago with a "forever" battery. About 8 months ago it died - like completely dead, can't even get a local reading. I noticed about 3 months ago and informed E.on, who took 2 months to be convinced that it was actually dead. After which they said they would replace it, but could I send them a reading in the meantime? Sigh. Since then they've failed to contact me to arrange for the meter swap. It will be fun when they finally try to estimate the last 8 month's usage.


    At least it wasn't one of the Landis & Gyr gas meters that go haywire when the battery is almost flat.  They made some that keep clocking up units used, regardless of whether or not there's any gas passing through them.


  • 0
    mapj1:

    Just keep folk from sitting under the antennas for long periods.


    On HM warships you will see yellow markings around transmitters to indicate a safe distance. It isn't about long-term exposure but about whether the microwave will cook you. ?


  • 0
    Back in 2015 we went on a visit the Air Defence Radar Museum at RAF Neatishead.


    They had a nice piece of flexible waveguide there from Fylingdales, pretty big it was too, their frequencies of operation being between 420 & 450 MHz

    Clive

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