Is the meter faulty? Repair, replace, and the swap test
Swap the SIM in the meter with one from another point. If the fault follows the SIM, the SIM is faulty. If the fault stays with the device, it is the installation: the meter, a current transformer, a fuse or wiring. That one test settles most of these arguments.
The swap test
Where you have two meters on site:
- Move SIM A to point B and SIM B to point A.
- Watch what happens.
- Fault follows the SIM, replace the SIM. Fault stays at the point, investigate the installation/meter.
If a meter has already been moved to a different unit and shown the same problem there, you have effectively run this test already and the answer is the meter.
Signatures worth knowing
| What you see | What it usually means |
|---|---|
| Fault follows the SIM to a new point | Faulty SIM |
| Fault stays at the meter when the SIM moves | Installation: meter, current transformer, fuse, wiring |
| A fuse blows, is replaced, and blows again immediately | Internal fault in the unit. A single blow suggests a surge |
| Publish interval off sixty seconds, timestamps reverting to a default year, all voltage values zero | Failed measuring chip. Replace |
| SIM card holder error that survives a SIM swap | Hardware failure, not a network problem |
| Meter fails to complete startup after a reset, and it is old | End of life |
When fuses are involved, the first question is whether they are the unit's own fuses or the fuses in the fusebase. Fuses do not blow without external voltage, so which ones went tells you a lot.
Repair or replace
Units can be repaired. If a meter is worth repairing, Augos will inspect it if it is removed and sent in. Where the unit is old, replacement is often the honest recommendation, and Augos will say plainly that they cannot guarantee how much longer an ageing meter has. Judge on age plus startup behaviour after a reset, not on age alone.
What Augos will need
- The point path and the serial number.
- A photograph of the meter screen showing any error.
- Whether a reset has been tried, and what happened.
- Whether you have a qualified electrician on site who can fit a replacement. This decides whether a technician callout is quoted or not, so answer it up front.
What you will get
A quotation for the replacement, with or without installation. Once you accept, the technician visit will be booked and confirmed.
Still stuck
Email support@augos.io with the point path, the serial, a photograph of the screen,
and whether an electrician is available on site.