Smart Metering Trial
Comments
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Well I dont pay anything like £7 a month for my phone. There is no data allowance, it is pay as you use (not pay as you go). OK technically I use my phone, occasionally. I will use it tomorrow to make one phone call, to phone home land line, to tell OH which train I am on.
Did try tethering once, disaster, didnt work.
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Oh, dear. You don’t have much luck, do you? 😕
Actually some pay as you go/use suppliers expressly forbid tethering.
£7 p/m for total freedom to use as much as I like without bothering about allowances is worth every penny in my book. For instance, I wouldn’t need to stress about costs at all if I was connecting to the EHU app. What price simplicity!👍🏻
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Oh yes, I prefer to buy my phones outright.
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Well it's shown from just this CT sample that not everyone on here is 'comfortable' with using a smartphone to access, pay and activate an EHU bollard account.
I don’t think that CT provides a particularly accurate cross section of the membership. However as has been stated several times, it’s a trial and will highlight such problems if they exist.
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well CT is most definitely not a representative sample in any way shape or form.
And again using a smart phone is a red herring that keeps on being pushed so much for some reason that I can't fathom.
Any device, home computer or laptop, can be sued with the trial, I'm not sure why the focus is on smart phones so much, if one can't use a smart phone then use something else. And really by posting on CT and/or making booking shows one has all the skills required.
And while not using sites to express an opinion on this does not predule discussion it does make sense to dissect the system and procedures the club has chosen, it's a done deal.
And of course the feedback must come from those that will actually be in the trala and those who will/maybe be affected in the future, that is those who will be using club sites.
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It's no less trouble than trying to sign on to WiFi? Depending on what device you are using, ie tablet or laptop once you have switched the tether point on your devices should connect automatically. I got fed up with the quality of the Club's WiFi and as soon as 4G became more widely available I use my phone as a modem. It doesn't use much data as I don't stream.
David
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It’s no different to connecting to any new Wi-Fi network for the first time - pick up the network, input the password, job done. Far simpler than was the process of connecting to CAMC’s Wi-Fi when I last used it.
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That depends on what you are using. If it’s an iphone and an iPad, if they on the same iCloud login, then they already effectively paired and you have just to touch on the phones name under personal hotspots in your iPad settings.
However, even if they are not it’s hardly difficult, there is a clearly labelled hotspot file within settings on the phone, touch on it and it tells you exactly what to do. Takes at most a couple of minutes to set up.
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Ditto with the pixel phone & tab, I just love tech👍🏻
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DD
Not quite sure I understand the use of the word "paired" which I always associate with using Bluetooth and suggests a unique connection between just two devices? On my Android phone you set up a Mobile Hotspot and the device gives you the hotspot name and a password which can be used by all devices you wish to connect to the internet. Virtually the same as setting up WiFi at home?
David
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I think you have misread, or not understood what I posted or went too quickly through it?
My whole post that you are referring to was clearly talking about the current trial and certainly as the trial is currently underway with the system and procedures as they are so yes I would say it is a done deal for the trail, as I posted system and procedures the club has chosen and to discuss what the club should have done as you have been doing does not make sense.
I have always posted that it is a trial and not the finished product a number of times and what happen next will come from the feedback from those using club sites, and rightly so in my view.
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Exactly so, David. I pair my Fitbit and my hearing aids to my phone using Bluetooth but the Personal Hotspot is a different process. Incidentally, it’s just as easy to connect an iPad to an Android phone’s Hotspot.
Anyway, I hope we might have given folk some food for thought about connecting to the smart metering website.
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We have, or had been using tethering for a good few years now and really as said it's very easy to do. As easy as pairing any two (or more) devices. Once set up for tethering on one device by a few simple steps, search for the appropriate signal, enter in a password and there you go. No more difficult than getting wifi in any new setting like a cafe or holiday cottage.
On the same lines I found this the other day from the Trudgians , it's a portable external wifi router for caravans/MH that requires no drilling for an external antenna.
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Back to my feedback of the 'trial' at Wyatts Covert and for those concerned about access to the metering website .. to be fair and to clarify .. the Club have supplied a tablet device in the Information area of the toilet block which does have a link to the metering website. I didn't use it so can't comment on it's functioning, ( as I do have a smart phone with data etc. which I used at the pitch. )
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As an aside ( sorry for going off-piste slightly as others have done on this subject ) .. Wyatts Covert do have the new free WiFi (BT) covering the whole site. I found it quite good, simple single log on at start and connects automatically thereafter. Speed achieved 11.6 mbps download, 35 mbps upload ( I know it sounds like it should be other way around but that's correct ). At least that is a positive benefit once fully rolled out site wide.
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H1UBS, I guess it's perfectly possible to pitch up and get on with your stay without setting up any sort of account with a third party and never activating the adjacent bollard?
I suppose this is a 'non EHU' option on any pitch which is a good thing, unfortunately the cost of a non EHU pitch would still be so high I wouldn't consider one.
the former 'economy' pitches were around £4.50 - £5.00 cheaper than the std EHU pitch but one some sites there were so few no one could find them...
now we finally have an option to run non-EHU anywhere on site the prices are at a level that wouldn't attract anyone🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️3 -
Or what I'm at the end of reading the same views over and over again on this subject. Time to move on and wait for the results of the trails to be published before any meaningful debate can take place. In my view of course, happy for you to agree or not.
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Oh, I agree, GE. It’s better to wait for facts than to speculate.
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It's good to know that a tablet is available for all to use to set up the ehu. No smart phone needed (I don't own one). I believe that some other sites have a similar tablet for people to use, Abbey Wood springs to mind to sort out train timetables etc. I think it's a good move forward and as mentioned before if anyone struggles with technology there will always be someone about to help out. Lots of positives come out of trials like this
JK
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We stayed at Wyatts Covert for 4 nights, end of May / early June.
We had booked a couple of months earlier, and therefore had the option to use the new metering system, or to remain with the inclusive of electricity price.Although I absolutely agree with metering of electricity, it didn’t seem worthwhile for us to take up that option. Far too much mither for just 4 nights.
CAMC have not asked us for any feedback as to why we decided not to take up the metering option.
🙂
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Perhaps the trial criteria are only relevant from the Club's perspective🤷🏻♂️
why wouldn't the club take the opportunity to engage with the customers who've actually used the system for real time feedback?
We used to call this phase of a project 'user testing' where the proposed system actually had to do the job that the customers required it to do...🤷🏻♂️
you weren't asked for your input, it will be interesting to here if H1UBS was/not.
has anyone else who has used this site been asked to give/report their experiences?
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I don’t think you will have to own a smart phone to be able to use the system, just a device that can connect to a website. Most folks that post on here will be using such a device, it just needs to be capable (up to date enough) to load and connect to the website. It’s basically similar to shopping online at Tesco. Using a private connection would always be preferable, but it sounds like the Club are trying to cater for all.
I agree that feedback around take up, or not taking up the option is required For some it might be using the method chosen, for others it might be price related. Club needs to know.
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Just my thoughts - Perhaps the club is only interested in how many nights the metering system is used as a % of the total number of nights the pitches are occupied over the year’s trial so will therefore collect data automatically somehow without having to involve pitch users/members.
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Agreed, the technical data side can all be collected and analysed via the system. This will give the club info like how much electric is used per day on average across the varying weeks/months/seasons.
however, there has to be some process for asking customers questions (some simple, some searching) about the logging on process, the usability of the web/app, the payment interface etc, etc
this can't be collected (sensibly) retrospectively, it needs capturing from the customers at the end of their stay or will be lost.
the system might be/seem perfectly smooth to the club where it's management data is easy to collect etc, however from a customer's perspective the system might be a dog to use, might be really slow, might be bug ridden but might be smooth and perfect...
without actually collecting the feedback at the point of use there will only be one side to the trial results....oops, silly me🤷🏻♂️
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Feedback from people using the metering system is obviously being collected.
JK
Moderator comment: Post edited
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+1, I am using a Pixel tablet that has some new tech operating in the background, I don’t know what it is, I’ve been informed to just use it as normal. Does it stress me or make me want to know or demand to have results-no🤷🏻♂️. I’m happy the end result will eventually prove something positive or negative👍🏻
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