LFMc

Thanks Michael, So repeaters and not devices? Does the Smartenet 5010S qualify as a repeater? They call it a range extender. http://smartenit.com/product/zbre/

Thanks again. This whole process of using the ISY for my smart meter connection feels like trial and error. Thank goodness Michael has been there the whole way helping out and answering questions. So maybe he can shed some light on the routing issue also. I am so impressed with UDI and their willingness to work with you. I just didn't expect that the Oncor service area was so different on the meter reporting info. I do intend to write up my experiences as soon as I can feel I finally resolved the major issues. One being is the code for the My Electricity portlet is 'frozen' awaiting approval from another agency. Something Michael has been so gracious to try and work around to help me get everything reporting correctly for the Oncor data stream. At this time I think I am the unofficial Oncor beta tester for Texas. (-: --Leon

Thanks for the quick replies. In response: 1. Wifi Networks. I would say yes. Using my scanner app I can see 8 or so routers. 3 are mine. None are in the immediate area of the Zigbee ISY. Isn't the Zigbee on ~2.4ghz? My scanner shows the channels in use, can I safely disable channels on the ISY dashboard advanced settings to get the Zigbee to avoid those channels in use? 2. In regards to using a repeating device, are you saying that the repeating device must be the primary device registered with the meter company? I know they are using the UUID of the ISY Zigbee interface to register. Will that not pass through any routing Zigbee device? Hopefully this is not a 1:1 connection only. --Leon

I purchased an ISY994i ZS Pro IR to extend my home automation system to include smart meter monitoring via the Zigbee interface and to have the IR feature on the ISY. My current issue with this is the Zigbee range is way below expectations so I am looking for ways to extend the range to where I would like the ISY to be located. I have a long house perpendicular to the street with the garage in the front nearest the street and that is where my electrical service comes in and where the meter is located. It is standard brick and wood frame construction with no insulation in the exterior garage walls where the meter is located. The furthest I have been able to get a smart meter connection is inside the garage about 25 feet from the meter and that is an iffy connection. I have to have the ISY about 5+ feet above the floor to get a stable connection. It will not work on the other side of the interior wall where the garage is attached to the house. I don't want the ISY in the garage because of the heat in summer, the lack of network connections and it is an IR/Pro unit, so I assume the ISY needs to be near where I would use an IR remote, which is not in the garage. I tried a longer +9DB antenna and was able to move the ISY to the interior side of the same garage wall, but still way short of my room where I would like it to go. So I am looking for options. At this time the ISY and the meter are my only items on the Zigbee network. Solutions I am considering are: 1. Mounting a 3' yagi antenna on top of my media center cabinet pointing towards the meter. I think this has zero chance with the wife's decor. (-; 2. Put in a few more Zigbee devices to get things to mesh for the 80-100' through the house that I need to go. This is most likely scenario, so being a Zig-New-bee, I have some questions. A. I could buy a couple of repeaters, but they are pricey and end up taking up outlet and wall space. B. Buy some Zigbee items on Ebay and place them between the ISY and the smart meter. I know Zigbee is 100% wireless and creates a fully meshed network. But I assume the Zigbee devices can't be added to a "scene" with insteon devices on the ISY, correct? What are the maximum hops a Zigbee signal will use? Can I use most any Zigbee device to act as a repeater? Such as the Phillips Hue Bridge or the Samsung SmartThings? These items are cheap on Ebay. I would prefer to avoid Zigbee switches if I can't add them to scenes on the ISY. Are there any version compatibility issues to watch out for with Zigbee? Thanks ahead of time for any suggestions and feedback. --Leon

Thanks for the link Teken. So I buy and add the High Powered Zigbee Smart Grid (SEP1.1) Radio to my 994i AND I have to have a "dongle"? Where do I get the dongle? My smart meter has a Zigbee wireless sticker on it, so I assumed I didn't need anything on the meter side other than access permission from Oncor.

Hi all, Is anyone familiar with the ISY994ZS and how it communicates with smart meters? Is it a wireless connection? Has anyone used it with Oncor yet? The sales material on the U-D web site says it works with Oncor meters. It would be nice to know if anyone has any feedback on any issues with Oncor before I swap out this for my 994i unit. Thanks, --Leon