Smart Meter interfering with Broadband

[uuf361]

Have been in my house for 10 years and always had a good broadband service and WiFi around the house has been fine.

Had a smart meter fitted on Thursday and as soon as it came back up the broadband has been patchy and intermittent frequently cutting out and my Sky booster for the TV has completely lost any ability to boost the signal (they're sending out an engineer). Is there a correlation here or pure coincidence ?

I'm with BT but use an Apple router and repeater. BT say they can't do anything as I don't have their router (they're sending one out) and EDF have washed their hands, said it's not their issue and told me to complain to the ombudsman.

I don't have the in home display as my meter is too far from the house.

My router and repeater both show they're working fine and devices can connect to them but when I do a speed test I frequently get the 'no internet connection' message. Last night my Amazon Echo said the internet was too busy and it keeps cutting out as if it's buffering.

This morning I've changed the smart meter settings to only allow it to send data once a day hoping it might help but am a bit of a loss otherwise.

[FourWheelDrift]

Try a different channel on the router.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/aputility/ap...

If you download an app to your phone that scans the networks and show up the wifi channels in use you will find a free channel clear of interference. - https://www.comparitech.com/net-admin/wifi-analyze...

[essayer]

I had this. Do you have gas? I think the communication between the electric and gas meter is over 2.4GHz (Zigbee) and it causes interference across all the frequencies that 2.4GHz wifi operates in. I started to see regular drop offs from devices far from the router. Octopus didn’t care and there was no recourse. A new 5GHz mesh setup was the only solution.

[nyt]

Does tinfoil around the new meters improve your situation?

I'm not sure that tinfoil will block signals but it seems worth a try

[Monkeylegend]

I had an appointment for a fitting last year but the engineer who came said he wouldn't fit it because there were problems with signals and communications to SP and the information transfer would be suspect.

Other where I live have had the same issues so it would not surprise me if it has had an effect with your broadband.

SP have been pestering me to have one fitted again this last week but seemed to have accepted there are issues when I explained what had happened last year and my reason for refusing one.

I am now on their "do not fit one" list apparently.

[uuf361]

FourWheelDrift said:

Try a different channel on the router.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/aputility/ap...

If you download an app to your phone that scans the networks and show up the wifi channels in use you will find a free channel clear of interference. - https://www.comparitech.com/net-admin/wifi-analyze...

I don't use a Mac so have no idea how to change the channel.

I'm on Channel 3 and the only other visible network is on Channel 1

[uuf361]

essayer said:

I had this. Do you have gas? I think the communication between the electric and gas meter is over 2.4GHz (Zigbee) and it causes interference across all the frequencies that 2.4GHz wifi operates in. I started to see regular drop offs from devices far from the router. Octopus didn’t care and there was no recourse. A new 5GHz mesh setup was the only solution.

No gas, only electric, and the meter is about 100 ft from the house, with no in home display.

[FourWheelDrift]

uuf361 said:

FourWheelDrift said:

Try a different channel on the router.

https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/aputility/ap...

If you download an app to your phone that scans the networks and show up the wifi channels in use you will find a free channel clear of interference. - https://www.comparitech.com/net-admin/wifi-analyze...

I don't use a Mac so have no idea how to change the channel.

I'm on Channel 3 and the only other visible network is on Channel 1

You're using an Apple Router so just thought you were all Appled up, here's the way normally - https://www.hellotech.com/guide/for/how-to-change-...

[xeny]

uuf361 said:

I don't use a Mac so have no idea how to change the channel.

I'm on Channel 3 and the only other visible network is on Channel 1

You don't have anything that supports 5 GHz WiFi?

[uuf361]

I’m not sure about 5ghz. I just have the Apple Airport Express and Extreme.

However, got a new BT hub at lunch, set it up with them on the phone and worked fine then just dropped the same as my Apple router but the hub was still showing fine.

BT have conceded there’s an issue that’s not my fault so are sending an engineer.

It could be coincidental it happened when the smart meter was installed I guess