Niche topic - smart meter not receiving radio signal so won't work.

[MsMarvellous]

Randomly very niche topic. Shell installed a smart meter that uses a radio signal to send its data. We live rurally. Turns out the radio signal isn't good enough to connect the meter so it's not smart at the moment.

She'll have been no help in fixing this and I wondered if anyone here had had a similar problem and fixed it?

Is the issue that the meter connects over a 3G/4g/5g connection and the phone network isn’t great out where you are?

We had a similar issue but we aren’t rural. Our issue was that the two meters couldn’t communicate to each other so I had one smart meter and one not so smart.

Phone signal is atrocious. Only EE works. It's just annoying I guess as they didn't think to check it before they changed the meter!

I have the same issue. Our signal is good as the gas meter outdoors is fine but the electricity meter has been located in a storage cupboard in the very centre of the house and so gets no signal at all. They keep sending engineers to "fix" it and they always say that there is no way to fix it without relocating it but they can't actually relocate it. I have to do manual meter readings on it.

I thought they were supposed to check these things as part of the installation?

One reason we don't have smart meters is that ours are sited exactly the same as how @FarmerRefuted describes and I don't expect the electricity meter to be able to communicate with the outside world from where it is so I haven't bothered up to now.

However, Octopus are now telling us that our electricity meter is getting to the end of its life so we're probably going to have to have it replaced soon anyway. It will be interesting to let them come and have a look and see how it goes.

@FarmerRefuted yeah ours isn't bad either. Our whole Wi-Fi system is 4g only and we both work full time from home with no issue. So why Shell can't figure this out is beyond me!

@BarbaraofSeville good luck. Maybe I should ask again for them to try and fix it!

We will have this problem because our signal is awful locally. But of course on the online signal checker thingy we have perfect signal. All that happens is that its not a smart meter anymore. Just a normal meter. I don't think theres anything which can be done

@poorbuthappy the only reason I'm concerned is we're getting an electric car and was hoping to switch to octopus and they want you to have a meter. I might just speak to them see if they have a solution!

I would phone them up, I’ve always found Octopus’ customer service very good.

@LizzieSiddal good to know. Thanks

Oh I see. Well I don't think we should be penalised if the infrastructure isn't there. It's hardly something we can affect. Good luck and I hope you get it sorted!!

I'm with Octopus and don't have a meter - I just keep saying no.

We would have exactly the same issue as you - a very poor, almost non-existent signal for both phone and wifi in that part of the house.