Antenna to fix Weak mobile signal - for an Auckland Smart Power Meter

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pdh

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#317615 30-Oct-2024 12:05

I have a new house (NShore Auckland) with a smart meter in the standard metal switchboard box.

Being a new house, the SB / meter are set into an inside wall of our attached garage.

Over the past 4 years (since new), the meter has had occasional trouble getting a reading out.
90% of the time it gets through - which indicates (to me) that it is a signal strength issue.

Twice Meridian has suggested an extra antenna - and then let the matter drop (when the readings succeeded again).
Now they are saying that I'm in a weak signal area (duh), and their team doesn't think an antenna will help.
So they are going to use a human meter-reader every 2 months.
My guess is that improving the transmission even 10% would fix the problem.

Anyone know enough about the meters in use - to suggest an antenna my sparkie could add to the meter ?

Picture of meter here

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3229 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3303129 30-Oct-2024 12:17

Not sure anyone other than Lines company or Metrix are allowed to touch anything in there...

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snj

186 posts

Master Geek

#3303134 30-Oct-2024 12:22

mentalinc:

Not sure anyone other than Lines company or Metrix are allowed to touch anything in there...

Only metering companies are allowed to touch the meters. Vector got in a bit of trouble when they messed with ours a while back.

Metrix also do Mesh meters, they might be more appropriate in OPs situation, I'd ask Meridian if they've considered that. Also it's a 2015 model, ask them if it's 2/3G or 4G since 3G is getting switched off end of next year.

TAKid

24 posts

Geek

#3303159 30-Oct-2024 12:49

Meridian got Wells to install an antenna when our signal failed. It worked alright with TrustPower but not Meridian and it was replaced as soon as I complained.

pdh

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3303268 30-Oct-2024 15:48

>> Meridian got Wells to install an antenna when our signal failed.
>> It worked alright with TrustPower but not Meridian and it was replaced as soon as I complained.

Can I clarify this please...

Your signal was OK to TrustPower and then less so (failed) to Meridian ?
Or the new antenna worked & then failed ?

pdh

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3303274 30-Oct-2024 15:53

>>Also it's a 2015 model, ask them if it's 2/3G or 4G since 3G is getting switched off end of next year.

The meter was installed at the end of 2020 - so less than 4 years ago.
Was the NZ electrical industry blindsided by the 3G cut-off - I thought it'd been planned for a decade.

pdh

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3303279 30-Oct-2024 15:59

>> Not sure anyone other than Lines company or Metrix are allowed to touch anything in there.

Well, 'in there' is the whole main switchboard - isolating switch, main breaker and a gazillion CBs>
So my sparkie'd have the devil's own time working on the house if he couldn't touch anything...

I assumed that any device with the potential for an external antenna would have either a plug socket or two little screw terminals.
Both of which should be within the powers of a trained professional !

Spyware

3762 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#3303282 30-Oct-2024 16:05

pdh:

>>Also it's a 2015 model, ask them if it's 2/3G or 4G since 3G is getting switched off end of next year.

The meter was installed at the end of 2020 - so less than 4 years ago.
Was the NZ electrical industry blindsided by the 3G cut-off - I thought it'd been planned for a decade.

It was and they started replacing them in 2021.

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snj

186 posts

Master Geek

#3303285 30-Oct-2024 16:12

pdh:

>>Also it's a 2015 model, ask them if it's 2/3G or 4G since 3G is getting switched off end of next year.

The meter was installed at the end of 2020 - so less than 4 years ago.
Was the NZ electrical industry blindsided by the 3G cut-off - I thought it'd been planned for a decade.

It depends on how the meter is setup, Googling the actual meter and seeing a full photo, it looks like one that Metrix tried to use for us years ago (but newer model), the entire lowerhalf has space for the modem and any connections were (from memory) sealed inside. Breaking the Metrix seal is against the EA code and can be costly to get it recertified.

I'm not sure when Metrix/Wells started the 4G upgrades (we got ours switched from a gRex Mesh unit to a 4G unit after unreliability issues, also with Meridian - it took a few goes to get them to sort it out, but we really put our foot down asking them if it was really worth chasing up a non reporting meter so often, and they agreed (probably also helped telling them we had a new 4G RBI tower built nearby too)), Vector started in 2021, but yeah.

TAKid

24 posts

Geek

#3303286 30-Oct-2024 16:15

pdh:

>> Meridian got Wells to install an antenna when our signal failed.
>> It worked alright with TrustPower but not Meridian and it was replaced as soon as I complained.

Can I clarify this please...

Your signal was OK to TrustPower and then less so (failed) to Meridian ?
Or the new antenna worked & then failed ?

The signal was good with TrustPower/Mercury and worked for a short while when I changed to Meridian but then stopped. Rang them and complained and they had an antenna installed within 2 weeks (Wells from New Plymouth) and has been excellent since.Half-hourly readings of use and feed-in from Meridian web site.

mentalinc

3229 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#3303295 30-Oct-2024 16:34

The smart meter isn't allowed to be touched by a sparkie.

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freitasm

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Geekzone

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#3303302 30-Oct-2024 17:12

@pdh I was alerted that the photo contained the serial number and address. I have edited and replaced the one you posted.

Jase2985

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#3303378 30-Oct-2024 18:41

snj:

Also it's a 2015 model, ask them if it's 2/3G or 4G since 3G is getting switched off end of next year.

Had the same meter installed in April 2024, it's dated May 2023 on it. I would be surprised they were installing meters this late in the piece that aren't 4G compatible.

snj

186 posts

Master Geek

#3303380 30-Oct-2024 18:52

Jase2985:

snj:

Also it's a 2015 model, ask them if it's 2/3G or 4G since 3G is getting switched off end of next year.

Had the same meter installed in April 2024, it's dated May 2023 on it. I would be surprised they were installing meters this late in the piece that aren't 4G compatible.

It depends on the modem unit that they put in, when they originally tried to put a 2G/3G meter in years ago (circa 2012-ish), it had a modem module with an RJxx plug on it, that gets locked behind the cover, when I googled the datasheet for OPs meter on my second reply, it sounds like this meter has a similar setup, that's why I said specifically to ask if it was a 4G setup already because I couldn't assume (again, also depends when Metrix/Wells were installing 4G stuff, the one they installed June for 4G use this year (West Auckland) is a completely different beast).

tweake

2391 posts

Uber Geek

#3303387 30-Oct-2024 20:01

the other option, assuming company won't come to the party, is to use a dual aerial setup. its simply an outdoor aerial wired up to a small aerial inside the cabinet. however its not as good but it has the plus side of not needing to touch the meter.

pdh

342 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3303456 30-Oct-2024 23:44

@freitasm
Thanks for this - I did think about security (before posting), but couldn't conceive of how a Meter s/n could be an attack vector...

@TaKid
Thanks for clarifying - there are parallels to my situation.

@Tweake
>>other option... is to use a dual aerial setup.

Sounds interesting - could you point me to more info on the theory or an example of this ?

Clearly I need to find out what band I'm on (3G or 4G) - thanks to snj for underscoring this vital point.
I'd been stupidly thinking: Well the cell phone works...
I should test for 4G signal strength in the garage, next to the SB/meter.
There must be an Android app for that ;-)

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