You could but you don't. I estimate on average you make 5 calls a month. £6 / 5 = £1.20 per call. You think that's a good deal as would the phone company. They have done all the calculations already and know what their profit rate is. In contrast, at 3.4p a smart meter call, the energy companies are getting a bargain.
Meter replacement
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But tens of millions of humans can watch YouTube at 5-7pm just fine?
Don't worry about the impact of things like IoT devices emitting their tiny messages; it's a drop in the ocean of the volume of information flying through the air constantly on the relevant network
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It's cute that there seem to be some people in this thread labouring under the misapprehension that smart meters are making phone calls at multiple pence each but I'm afraid it's pure nonsense
I think he is judging it by what he personally pays for his calls. as pointed out, my calls, texts and data, are entirely free of any extra cost, once I have paid my £6 per month.
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Thats not the only misapprehension they are under.
Then you would be very wrong in your estimate. At the moment, I spend perhaps an hour to two hours per day on the phone in calls, plus multiple messages.
Even under more normal circumstances, rarely a day goes by, where I don't make at least one phone call.
That's what I thought - but if he's managed to find a contract which costs him £600 per year for one call per day, he's achieved something which the rest of us couldn't
As I said, similar here, except that I'm paying double or so that figure per month.
Kind Regards, John
Well, for a start, the great majority of that traffic is presumably going over 'the Internet', not GSM (or other 'wireless') networks.
However, even if you were right, I think it would it would tend to underline my point. Millions of people do use, and 'rely on', the GSM networks all the time, for all sorts of purposes, and their activities could well be frustrated if those networks were asked to handle an additional 2+ billion calls per day!
Kind Regards, John
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Not a contract, but Virgin PAYG would cost more than that at the point in time I left them.
Fair enough - but, whatever, I would question the wisdom of utilising any system which resulted in a cost of over £1.60 per call
Kind Regards, John
Smart meters don't make 'calls' of any kind.
They transmit data.
Any comparison with mobile phone contracts, calls, monthly prices and the rest is entirely meaningless.
Some interesting SM security information here:
www.ncsc.gov.uk
The Wide Area Network (WAN), is provided by Arqiva and Telefonica.
In the North and Scotland, Arqiva have their own telecommunication network (Long Range Radio communication), separate from the usual mobile networks.
From the Midlands down, Telefonica uses 2/3G or 4G to transfer data on the mobile networks.
Communication hubs are capable of talking to each other in a mesh network, passing information between hubs in range, until reaching an endpoint meter, that has direct access to the WAN.
The smart security behind the GB Smart Metering System
GCHQ’s Dr Ian Levy explains the design considerations that underpin the security of DECC's Smart Metering System.
The Wide Area Network (WAN), is provided by Arqiva and Telefonica.
In the North and Scotland, Arqiva have their own telecommunication network (Long Range Radio communication), separate from the usual mobile networks.
From the Midlands down, Telefonica uses 2/3G or 4G to transfer data on the mobile networks.
UK Electricity and Gas Smart Metering
Gives details about Smart Meters being installed for electricity and gas in the UK.
www.smartme.co.uk
Communication hubs are capable of talking to each other in a mesh network, passing information between hubs in range, until reaching an endpoint meter, that has direct access to the WAN.
As I recently wrote that was my understanding - but, as I said I don't know whether a 'basic smart meter' can do that, or whether it requires some sort of 'add-on' and/or a different comms module - do you?
Kind Regards, John
I believe "Dual Band Communication Hubs" have been available since 2020 - They operate at 2.4GHz to communicate on the HAN, but also at 868MHz, which is Telefonicas Mesh wireless frequency.
Dual Band Communications Hub
Enabling millions more British homes to benefit from smart metering.
www.smartdcc.co.uk
According to the attached 'EDF Installer Briefing", if WAN isn't available during installation, the SKU1 communication hub is swapped out for an SKU2 Dual band hub, with an external aerial.
The SKU1, definitely seems to be the preferred choice!
UK Electricity and Gas Smart Metering
Gives details about Smart Meters being installed for electricity and gas in the UK.www.smartme.co.uk
Which suggests, that my SMETS 1 may have been remote upgraded to a SMETS 2.
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