Monitoring the Health and Performance of Smart Meters RNI Release 3.1 SP2

1. Monitoring the Health and Performance of Smart Meters RNI Release 3.1 SP2 C-PAMRAMI-WG-0132-01

2. Introduce the daily tasks used to monitor the health and performance of Smart Meters deployed in a FlexNet system using the RNI reports, charts, and tools. The goal of this module is to:

3. Review: Verifying Endpoint Operation Monitoring Smart Meters Are Meters taking consumption measurements and collecting status data? Are SmartPoint modules collecting usage and status data from meter and putting it on-the-air for the Base Station to pick up? Are there alarms related to resource losses, theft, communications, or function? 2 Meter Ops

4. Monitoring Meters Using FlexWare Monitoring Smart Meters 2 Note: For RNI metering deployments integrated with Logic or another MDM, use FlexWare to analyze issues found in those tools. Meter Ops

5. Monitoring Meter Status Section One

6. Determine the endpoint state of a meter/SmartPoint module. • Determine if a meter has missing or incorrect configuration or manufacturing information. • Determine if a meter has been quarantined. • Determine if a meter is in the RMA process. • Determine which meters are missing reads. • List four potential causes of missed reads. Section One Objectives

7. Determining Meter Status Monitoring Meter Status Performed daily during system installation and periodically after that A B C D E

8. Endpoint State Values A Monitoring Meter Status Displayed on IMIP as Top Level State values Indicate current communication methodology of the given meter

9. Verifying Meter Endpoint State: Steps 1-2 A Monitoring Meter Status Log in to your FlexNet web server to open the FlexWare user interface Click Reports > Installed Meters

10. Verifying Meter Endpoint State: Step 3 A Monitoring Meter Status 3. Click Filters to open the Filter Option window

11. Verifying Meter Endpoint State: Steps 4-6 A Monitoring Meter Status 5. Select Show All from the Top Level State drop-down list 4. Check Filter by Top Level State 6. Click Filter Table Data

12. Verifying Meter Endpoint State: Steps 7-9 A Monitoring Meter Status 7. Click Customize Fields 8. Check TLS 9. Click Customize Fields

13. Verifying Meter Endpoint State: Steps 10-11 A Monitoring Meter Status Click the TLS header to sort the list. Review the resulting list: Look for Fixed Base LAT values. These meters are only communicating in one-way mode—most meters should be communicating in Fixed Base MOM mode (two-way). Look in the TLS column for meters with an Idle value—these meters are not providing billable reads.

14. Verifying Endpoint State for a Selected Meter A Monitoring Meter Status From the Installed Meters list, click a Meter ID or FlexNet ID to view its Individual Meter Information Page (IMIP) View the Endpoint State in the IMIP Meter Identification Panel

15. Verifying Meter with Missing Config Info: Steps 1-4 B Monitoring Meter Status 1. From Installed Meters report, click Filters to open filter options window 2. Check Filter by Lifecycle Status 3. Select Show Only from the Meters With Missing Manufacturing Information drop-down list 4. Click Filter Table Data

16. Verifying Meter with Missing Config Info: Step 5 B Monitoring Meter Status Review resulting list: • Listed meters are not being read • Select a meter and view its configuration information • View the IMIP Configuration tab for location and ID details • Contact your system administrator to add any missing data or correct wrong data • If there are no meters in the Meters with Missing Manufacturing Information list, continue to next step

17. Verifying Meter Configuration Using IMIP B Monitoring Meter Status

18. Identifying Meters in RMA Process: Steps 1-3 C Monitoring Meter Status Click Reports > Installed Meters Open Filter Options 3. Check Filter by Lifecycle Status

19. Identifying Meters in RMA Process: Steps 4-5 C Monitoring Meter Status 4. Select Show Only from the Meters in RMA drop-down list 5. Click Filter Table Data

20. Identifying Meters in RMA Process: Step 6 C Monitoring Meter Status Review the resulting list: • Listed meters are not being read • These meters can be tracked through a separate RMA process • If you believe a meter is in the RMA state and should not be, modify the state using the MDMIF actions • If there are no meters in the RMA state, continue to next step

21. Identifying Quarantined Meters: Step 1 D Monitoring Meter Status Click Reports > Quarantined Meters View duration of quarantine View causes View date of last invalid message View quarantined messages

22. Identifying Quarantined Meters: Step 2 D Monitoring Meter Status Review the resulting list: • Listed meters have produced reads that are outside of expected range and are not passed to MDM • Invalid Msg Description column lists the reason why the read message has been quarantined

23. Identifying Quarantined Meters: Step 3 D Monitoring Meter Status Investigate the meters based on their message Activities that can trigger a quarantine, but are acceptable read values: • Installed a meter at new premise that had been previously installed elsewhere

24. Primary Causes for Meters with Missing Reads E Monitoring Meter Status Connectivity Issues • Anything that creates a break in communication between the meter and its associated Base Station • Some issues are related to the radio frequency being blocked or of insufficient strength; some are related to equipment configuration or network infrastructure • Short-lived issues may be caused by weather, irregular interference of the radio signal (blocked in some way), excessive buddy messages or alarms, etc. • Long-lived issues are commonly due to backhaul failures or insufficient network coverage

25. Determining Why Meters Are Missing Reads E Monitoring Meter Status * Covered in next module

26. Two Categories of Communication Issues E Monitoring Meter Status Non-RF Issues: • System operation and performance • Functional failures of devices • Incorrect configuration RF Issues: • Intermittent or complete lack of communications between the meters and the base stations due to interference, poor signal quality, or network coverage • SmartPoint module or Base Station operation

27. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: Non-RF Issues Monitoring Meter Status Click Reports > Communication Statistics Look at the Signal-to-Noise ratio (SNR) E Dir SNR describes the signal strength relative to the noise on the signal between the meter and the Base Station Good = 16 dB or greater

28. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: Non-RF Issues Monitoring Meter Status Evaluate the SNR value: • Good? Continue to next step • Marginal or poor? • Is noise too high? See Diagnostics > FBS Status > Idle Noise • Is signal strength too low? See Diagnostics > Overall System Graphs > Signal Strength Histogram • Idle noise and signal strength graphs are shown in the next module E

29. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: Non-RF Issues Monitoring Meter Status Look at the Bud Me and Bud Othrvalues • Bud Me is the number of times another meter has used this meter as a communication buddy • Bud Othris the number of times this meter has used another meter as a communication buddy • Evaluate the data: • Is Bud Othrlarge? May have issue with this meter • Is Bud Me large? Indicates multiple meters sending through this meter, may have issue with a Base Station • Both Bud Other and Bud Me are small? Normal, continue to next step E

30. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: RF Issues E Monitoring Meter Status Click Reports > Communications Statistics Click Customize Fields to open table display options Check 96Hr Gap Cntto look for stale reads Click Customize Fields button (at bottom of options list)

31. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: RF Issues E Monitoring Meter Status Click 96Hr Gap Cntheader to sort the list Click last to move to last page of listing Gap Cntindicates the number of times there has been a gap in interval data greater than the specified number of hours in the last 30 days

32. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: RF Issues E Monitoring Meter Status Analyze the data: • For meters with two or more 96 hour gaps in the last 30 days: • Does the meter have a large 24 hour gap count? • Yes. Troubleshoot potential issues with the Base Station associated with the meter(s). • No. Problem has most likely cleared up.

33. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: RF Issues E Monitoring Meter Status Analyze the data (continued): • For meters with two or more 96 hour gaps in the last 30 days: • Are there critical alarms displayed in the Alarms column? • Yes, investigate further based on alarm received. • No. Troubleshoot the Base Station associated with the meter(s). • Are the meters showing gaps all associated with one Base Station? • Yes. Troubleshoot that Base Station. • No. Call Sensus Technical Support.

34. Identifying Meters Not Communicating: RF Issues E Monitoring Meter Status Look at the Twr Dist Mi: • Twr Dist Mi is the distance (in miles) from meter to nearest Base Station • Is this very large? • May have to add a FlexNet Echo/Remote device, assign a new buddy meter, or reposition the meter

36. Which filter option is used to find water and gas meters in Fixed Base LAT communication mode? • MDMIF Lifecycle state filter • Top Level State • Meter Type • Connection Status

37. Where do you find out if a meter has missing or incorrect configuration or manufacturing information? • Communications Stats report, filter by Missing Configuration • Installed Meters report, filter by Meters With Missing Manufacturing Information • Event Log report, filter by Missing Configuration • None of the above

38. True or False. The Quarantined Meters report lists the reason the meter has been quarantined.True

39. How do you view only meters that are in the RMA state? • Reports > Installed Meters > filter by Lifecycle Status > select Show Only for Meters in RMA • Reports > Installed Meters > filter by Alarms --- Meter Issues > select Meters in RMA • Diagnostics > Overall System Statistics > RMA column • Diagnostics > Overall System Statistics > Tx Modes

40. Which of the following are potential causes for missed reads? • Low SNR value between a meter and Base Station • Large number of buddies on a given meter • High gap count for 96 hours • All of the above

41. Monitoring Meter Alarms Section Two

42. Identify where to find alarm notifications in the FlexWare UI. • Filter the Event Log to view events based on service type. • Use the Event Log to find events related to power loss, meter operation, or resource usage. • Use the IMIP to view alarms for a specific meter. Section Two Objectives

43. Two Locations to View Meter Alarms Monitoring Meter Alarms Event Log Individual Meter Information Page (IMIP)

44. About the Event Log Monitoring Meter Alarms Lists a selection of important alarms and events that have occurred in the system in the last 7 days Accessed by clicking Reports > Event Log Click the FlexNet ID linkto view the IMIP for a meter Click Filters to sort and narrow the list

45. Filtering the Event Log Monitoring Meter Alarms List the events in chronological order or by End-Point ID Show events for last 7 days (by default) or select timeframe Show events for a given FlexNet or Meter ID, city, or service type Select the events to list

46. Examples: Identifying Power-related Issues Monitoring Meter Alarms Filter by End-point Battery Low to locate and track water and gas meters that are nearing their end of life Filter by the Dead Battery to find iPerl meters in Smart Meter mode with batteries reading only 2.5 V

47. Examples: Identifying Meter Operation Issues Monitoring Meter Alarms Filter by Meter Read Failure to find meters that are unable to be read Filter by History Overflow to find meters that might have bad readings; adjust scale if readings are valid Filter by High Temperature to find iPerl meters in Smart Meter mode that have exceeded maximum temperature for an hour or more Filter by Pressure Low/High Shutoff to find Remote Gas Shutoff (RGS) SmartPoint modules that have shut valves due to insufficient or extreme pressures

48. Identifying Water Resource Losses and Theft Monitoring Meter Alarms Filter for No Meter to find missing equipment Filter by Leak Detected, Broken Pipe, and Empty Pipe to find meters showing greater than expected consumption indicating a small or large water loss Filter by Back Flow and Reverse Flow to find meters experiencing water flowing to the source indicating a potential tap prior to meter Filter by Cut Wire, Magnetic Tamper, Tilt, and Battery Door Tamper to find meters that may have been compromised

49. Identifying Gas Resource Losses and Theft Monitoring Meter Alarms Filter for No Meter to find missing equipment Filter by Leak Detected, Broken Pipe, and Empty Pipe to find meters showing greater than expected consumption indicating a small or large gas loss Filter by Magnetic Tamper, Tilt, and Battery Door Tamper to find meters that may have been compromised

50. Identifying Meters with Read Failures: Steps 1-3 Monitoring Meter Status Click Reports > Event Log Click Filters Select the order to list the meters in from the Order By drop-down list, chronologically (default) or by End Point Id