SMS to test solutions for smart meter ‘blackspots’

Smart Metering Systems (SMS) has partnered with the Alternative Home Area Network Company (Alt HAN Co) to test solutions to the problem of smart meter communication blackspots in customers’ homes.

There are up to a million households in the UK where the components of Home Area Networks (HANs), which include energy meters, in-home displays and communications hubs, are unable to communicate properly. This is usually because the meter must be installed outside the property or because the building has very thick walls, meaning the normal wireless range of the HAN is insufficient.

Alt HAN Co, a not-for-profit group of energy retailers, was created to resolve the issue and has developed a set of hybrid solutions combining wireless radio technology with powerline networking, whereby information is transmitted through the existing electrical wiring in a building via plug-in adapters. Powerline network adapters are already available to consumers as way of getting a wired connection to their internet router and extending their wifi range.

SMS will provide a specialist lab facility and firmware management service in Bolton, Greater Manchester, where the solutions will be tested. The initial phase will replicate 34 different HANs in a range of mock domestic settings.

These solutions will then be analysed by SMS with support from Alt HAN Co over the next year to ensure interoperability with the smart meter HANs.

SMS will additionally provide Alt HAN Co and its members with support for the adoption of the solution, including ongoing testing of device combinations, compatibility with new meter models and firmware upgrades, as well as installation and commissioning best practice.

Tim Mortlock, chief operating officer of SMS, said: “At SMS, we have continually shown ourselves to be at the very forefront of metering innovation, from being one of the very first independent meter operators and meter asset managers in the country to last year installing Britain’s first ever 3-phase SMETS2 smart meter, a crucial rollout milestone that was also developed and tested for the market at our state-of-the art facility in Bolton.

“The new partnership with Alt HAN Co is once again testament to our commitment to provide innovative solutions for our energy supplier customers.”

Paul Cooper, managing director of Alt HAN Co, said: “Alt HAN Co is committed to ensuring that all GB customers are able to enjoy the full benefits of smart meters and addressing the smart metering gap.

“Our work with SMS will ensure that the full benefits of smart metering, and the use of the Alternative Home Area Network solutions to address hard to reach premises, is assured to customers everywhere.”