Smart meter connection via home broadband

[joth]

Maybe of interest to some people here, that would like to be on modern TOU tariff but can't get a smart meter due to lack of DCC coverage 

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2026/06/chameleon-tech-uses-home-broadband-to-solve-uk-smart-meter-connectivity-woes.htm

 

Technically not that different to what the Octopus Mini has been doing for a few years, except it sends the data to the central DCC so is supplier independent. It will continue working when you change energy supplier.

Sadly it also lacks the handy MQTT interface of the competitor Glow Display IHD+CAD.

 

There are some fairly absurd consequences of all thise:

 

1/ Despite being electricity supplier agnostic, this will likely break when you change internet provider (due to this industry wide failing that for most people, changing ISP changes the WiFi access point and changes default credentials to that WiFi)

 

2/ A rural property might:

- fail to get coverage of the national DCC (despite gov funding to build it and a big drive for smart meters)

- fail to get wired internet (despite gov subsidies to rural areas, and building regs requirement to prepare the house to receive it)

- fail to get terrestrial wireless 4/5G coverage

=> Ultimately have to fall back on a foreign owned and controlled satellite internet provider to connect their smart meters to the supplier.

 

Lets talk again about critical infrastructure sovereignty.