Provisioning ISY-994iZS with Oncor

[galentx]

Just replaced my old 99i with a 994iZS/IR Pro and am trying to tie it into my electric meter. Most of the process has worked according to the instructions in the setup guide, but stops at the point where it is sequencing through Scanning, Joining and Down.

 

I entered the EUID and Install code on http://www.smartmetertexas.com and got reasonable responses:

Date-Time              Type of HAN Device  MAC Address Status            Status Description                   Request submitted by
11/10/2013 08:19:34 PM Intelligent Gateway   Meter Ready       Meter Ready for Customer Action             
11/10/2013 08:19:21 PM Intelligent Gateway   Add Acknowledged  Add Request Received by the Utility Company 
11/10/2013 08:18:17 PM Intelligent Gateway   Add Acknowledged  Add Request Received by the SMT Portal      

I was not immediately able to get an Extended PAN ID in the dashboard but after moving the ISY closer to the meter, I was able to get it. I've restarted the ISY several times and have disabled the provisioning and reenabled it several times with no improvement.

 

The most recent update I can find in the forums regarding Oncor said that certification was still pending, but that was in April.

 

Has the ISY been validated by Oncor? Any suggestions?

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi galentx,

 

As long as you have the Extended PAN ID set and you have registered your ISY's EUID + Install Code, all you have to do is to ask Oncor to enable Join for a few minutes and then ISY will automatically join the meter. At the moment, the problem is that the meter is not in Join mode and thus scanning, joining, down.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[galentx]

Michel,

 

Thanks for the guidance. I had thought that the "Meter Ready" state was an indication of being ready to join. I've been trying without much luck to find someone at Oncor that can spell 'HAN' or at least understands that I don't want to physically connect anything to my meter; I am now waiting for a "service planner" to call back. You'd think after 2 million smart meter installations, they'd at least have a few resources for HAN devices. Whatever comes of it, I'll follow up to let others know how things go.

 

If you happen to know a person at Oncor who would be willing to help, I can PM my contact information. I'm an EE by trade and won't ask too many dumb questions.

 

Best regards,

Galen

[galentx]

Success! It appears that I refreshed the install code after registering it with smartmetertexas.com, so things didn't match when I actually got the ISY within range. On that website, I deleted the ISY HAN device and recreated it using the new install code, after which the ISY connected successfully.

 

Now it appears that I have a scale factor problem, roughly on the order of 10000. My current usage is showing around 20000 kW when 2.0 kW would be closer. Either that, or there are some smoking hot wires somewhere and I'm going to have a heck of a bill.

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi galentx,

 

Can you please send a screenshot of what you see + a copy of http://your-isy-ip-address/rest/emeter/metering/log to support@universal-devices.com?

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[galentx]

Michel,

Can you please send a screenshot of what you see + a copy of http://your-isy-ip-address/rest/emeter/metering/log to support@universal-devices.com?

Sent via email. Thanks for looking it over.

 

-Galen

[galentx]

Michel,

 

Thanks for the email support over the past several days. As promised, I'm posting recommendations on how to get set up with Oncor to help those who might try this in the future.

 

Recommended procedure for connecting ISY-994iZS to an Oncor smart meter. Key learning experiences are underlined:

• 
  [*:35znf4qs]If you don't already have an account on

http://www.smartmetertexas.com, create one. You will need information from a recent electric bill.
[*:35znf4qs]Follow the instructions in the ISY-994iZS Smart Meter Configuration Guide.
[*:35znf4qs]When configuring the ISY's Billing Info dialog, choose Oncor for the Provider ID.
[*:35znf4qs]In the ISY's Provision the Meter dialog, be sure to set the Polling Interval to 30 seconds or greater. Michel says polling more often will kill the meter and possibly require a reset by Oncor.
[*:35znf4qs]Also in the meter provisioning dialog, generate a 32-byte installation code.
[*:35znf4qs]On the smartmetertexas.com web site, use the Add a HAN Device capability to add the ISY. I read on a non-ISY forum that the installation code must be entered in all upper case. This won't be an issue if you cut and paste from the ISY dialog to the web form. Choose In-Home Display for the device type.
[*:35znf4qs]The status on the web site will progress through Add Acknowledged (Add Request Received by the SMT Portal), Add Acknowledged (Add Request Received by the Utility Company), and Meter Ready (Meter Ready for Customer Action). (You have to manually refresh the page.)
[*:35znf4qs]Once the state reaches Meter Ready, follow the directions in the ISY configuration guide to find and select the Extended PAN ID.
[*:35znf4qs]The My Electricity portal on the ISY dashboard will report progress through the handshake with the meter. Once the Network state is Established, the ISY is connected.
[*:35znf4qs]The status on the smartmetertexas.com website will transition to Device Added. You're done.
[*:35znf4qs]If the connection doesn't work or you don't get properly scaled readings on the Dashboard, consider calling Oncor's customer service line and asking for a smart meter specialist to update the firmware on your meter and reset it. The front-line customer service reps aren't familar with HAN devices, so it's best to keep it simple and call your ISY an "In-Home Display."
[*:35znf4qs]You can also try going back to smartmetertexas.com: remove the ISY HAN device, wait for the site to report that it has removed the ISY, generate a new installation code, and add the ISY again.

 

On my setup, I'm able to see instantaneous demand and overall cumulative usage, but not today's nor yesterday's usage. I don't receive pricing information from Oncor. (I'm on a fixed-rate plan from TXU at the moment, so it doesn't matter much, but will be looking for demand-based pricing to take advantage of the ISY's capabilities, so I hope to work this with Oncor.) I did receive a sample message on the message channel, so that avenue is working.

 

I hope this helps other Oncor users.

 

Best regards,

Galen

 

Update: After posting this a customer service rep from Oncor called me back today to inform me that a meter specialist upgraded the firmware on my meter and reset it. That work occurred between the time of my first post and successfully connecting, so I don't know whether removing and re-adding the ISY on the smartmetertexas.com website helped solve my problem or if the update/reset by Oncor fixed it. Maybe both were necessary. I've updated my steps above to include contacting Oncor.

[galentx]

My current usage is showing around 20000 kW when 2.0 kW would be closer.

That's the problem I had initially. I'm not sure which of these things made the difference. I suggest trying all:

• 
  [*:3nexk00y]Setting the update interval to 300 seconds. (According to Michel, less than 30 sec may cause a soft fail of the meter requiring a reset by Oncor.)
  [*:3nexk00y]Asking Oncor to update the firmware on the meter and reset it.
  [*:3nexk00y]Ensure the ISY is added as an "In-Home Display" type device on smartmetertexas.com. (I initially tried Intelligent Gateway.)
  [*:3nexk00y]Removing and re-adding the ISY HAN device on smartmetertexas.com. (This is what you will have to do to fix the previous item, anyway.)

 

Good luck!

 

-Galen

[Michel Kohanim]

Hi Galen, thanks so very much!

 

Hi bevlin761, if you are still having problems, please do not hesitate to contact our tech support team.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello everyone,

 

Just wanted to let you know that ISY994 ZS Series is now certified for Oncor!

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[Michel Kohanim]

Hello everyone,

 

We are proud to announce that ISY994 ZS Series is now certified for Oncor Smart Meters.

 

With kind regards,

Michel

[xKing]

BTW, I'm not in Oncor service area, we have a co-op called CoServ - I've reached out to them and they say they agree to help me if I would like to connect ISY to my meter They also gave me the person's name who is Meter Communication Superintendent to work with.

 

So even if your utility does not list that possibility - reach out to them and they might agree to work with you!

 

Unfortunately I already have a Z-Wave module in ISY, sounds like I need a second one