Comments by "Sam Glaim" (@samglaim4274) on "Mystery Antenna Solved!" video.

So it's a 'meter maid'? :-) ... Got fitted with a smart meter last year and as far as I know, it piggy backs over the normal cellular telephone service (that's what the engineer said when he fitted it). As far as being called 'smart' meters... well.... Had a bit of a run in with my energy provider (British Gas). I phoned them because I'd noticed that the 'smart meter' monitor (the small device that shows readings from the 'smart' meter, giving an indication of how much you've used each day and the cost), had a strange delay in the reading once a device (like a kettle) had powered off. For about 4 to 5 seconds, after the device had powered OFF, the device continued to show that the meter was still registering that it was using power... very odd, I thought? and potentially, over time, costing me a lot of money for energy that I wasn't actually using? Anyway, after a couple of conversations with British Gas 'technical experts' (cough), the best answer I got, was that the technology is not all that 'smart' at the moment and the monitor cant respond fast enough to the 'smart' meter when it sends signals. I commented that I found this odd given that it seemed to respond VERY quickly when a device (like the kettle) was powered ON, but the delay was always after the kettle had switched OFF! I got quite a few rather comical responses to that one... the best one I got was ... "the wi-fi signal from the 'smart meter', to the 'smart' meter monitor can take some time to reach it and things like my microwave oven could effect the signal" ... WTF!? ... I asked the 'technical expert' if they thought the fact that the wi-fi signal, travelling at radio/wireless type speeds, i.e 300 million meters per second, would take 4 to 5 seconds to reach my 'smart meter' monitor, from the 'smart meter'... a distance of about 8 meters? Again, the response came back about the 'smart meters', at the moment, are not all that 'smart'? 'Smart meters' ? ... phoooey! :-)
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I had quite a few (long) conversations with their 'technical' people at British Gas. I asked things like ... "what research was done with regards the accuracy of the 'smart' meter and the smart meter monitor?". They kept saying that they were aware of this situation with regards the delay in the smart meter monitor, when a device turned off. I asked what testing they had done on it and what were the results, but they totally stone walled me with regards anything to do with any testing they had done or indeed who had actually carried out the testing (I'd asked them could I view any of the testing/research results they'd done). I'd certainly like to see what tests they'd done on things like the accuracy (or otherwise) of their smart meter monitors. The only other thing I can remember from all the conversations was that they could vary the number of times the 'smart' meter 'phoned home' with the data about what you'd used. I asked if there was any real need to send this information more than say once or twice a day... again, they were a bit cagey about responding, other than to say that your bills would be more accurate, if they took regular, multiple times a day readings. I'm a bit suspicious about that?... do they really need a reading, every hour?? Good luck with your research :-)
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All noted... Funny how there's no delay when the kettle is turned on and the smart meter monitor display registers that power is being consumed, only when the power turns off? I still recon the British Gas 'techie's' were right... it must be that really slow wi-fi? :-)
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