 ArrayListnetbus developerPremium
join:2005-03-19
Evanston, IL | idea how about it only turns on the hackable portion at secret intervals that only the utility company knows?
ie. when it is time to read the meter |
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 RoboticsSee You On The Dark SidePremium
join:2003-10-23
Louisa, VA | Wow This is interesting. Never even thought this could happen |
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| so? Most burglars wont take the time to do this. Most people who rob your home are drug addicts looking for something to sell for more drug money. very few burglars are people who know what they are doing. |
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BobAccount deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey Reviews:
 ·Optimum Online
| Stupidest story of the year My 6 kW air-conditioner runs when I'm not home, and is sometimes not running when I am home. So the data is useless.
Also, how do they know which meter is at which house? After collecting data from 500 electric meters, they're going to walk around comparing meter numbers?
FUD! |
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Reviews:
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| said by Bob:My 6 kW air-conditioner runs when I'm not home, and is sometimes not running when I am home. So the data is useless. Not only that, but all "vampire" devices will cause a continuous draw. Refrigerators turn on and off. One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals.
Those who are in "business" use a different approach: they call the phone that many still have. Reverse search is easy... Or they watch the lights. Automated timers can help a bit but not everywhere. They look for mail piling, garbage cans not being present on the collection day or being brought before the collection day (sign that they won't be home). |
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 RickNYPremium
join:2000-11-02
Manorville, NY | said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? |
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 mobOn the next level..Premium
join:2000-10-07 | LOL I love how they cannot name the manufacturer of the meters. And a grand is way too much to spend on RF gear, if you know what you're doing.
Of course, I read millions of meters every night at my job..... |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to RickNY
Re: Stupidest story of the year said by RickNY:said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? No... There are many things that can produce such a pattern. Hot tub, electric water heater, HVAC blower, radiant floor heater... |
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Reviews:
 ·Frontier Communi..
| All of the items you just listed would account for more than 200 watts of increased draw. 200 watts is about right for the lighting/tv/PC monitors/etc that would come on when someone is home.
I have my own issues with smart meters, specifically the fact that they give the electric company too much information about me, and will doubtless eventually be used by them and/or the nanny state to raise rates in a misguided attempt to modify my behavior. Dial meters and/or simple digital ones (e.g., ones with remote read functionality but without demand billing/logging features) are preferable. Residential usage is predictable and easy to plan for, there is no reason why my utility needs to track my demand in five minute intervals. There is no reason why they need to know which appliances I have hooked up or how I use them. Bill me per kWh, plus a base fee for the meter, and leave me the hell alone. |
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| reply to cowboyro
said by cowboyro:said by RickNY:said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? No... There are many things that can produce such a pattern. Hot tub, electric water heater, HVAC blower, radiant floor heater... Or you could be like me and have numerous computer devices running when you are not home; i.e.: the x86 pfsense box in my basement, the custom built dual qam, dual ota tuner media center (connected to a hava box and Dish ViP722), the file server with multiple hdds...
Then there is the water heater and heat that runs off the oil burner...
Eh, this doesn't seem practical. |
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| reply to Bob
this time of year, the air conditioner isn't going to be running much anymore! |
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BobAccount deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey Reviews:
·Optimum Online
| reply to Crookshanks
said by Crookshanks:there is no reason why my utility needs to track my demand in five minute intervals. Two words: Outage detection. |
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Reviews:
·Frontier Communi..
| Two problems:
1) Outage detection has been done at the substation level for decades and does not require smart meters at every residence.
2) Outage detection on a per-residence basis does not imply a need to track demand. A simple ping would suffice. |
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 MOWAA
join:2010-03-25
Fort Lauderdale, FL | reply to talz13
said by talz13:this time of year, the air conditioner isn't going to be running much anymore!
Us folks in Florida run our A/C "24/7 365" in most cases.
Even in the winter time here, my A/C is set for 74 degrees and in the summer 65 degrees. |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to Crookshanks
said by Crookshanks: Outage detection on a per-residence basis does not imply a need to track demand. A simple ping would suffice. It's not only outage detection. It's also determining abnormal dangerous conditions in real-time. Ex a leg gone, overvoltage or undervoltage caused by a failing transformer or connection... |
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Reviews:
·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to talz13
said by talz13:this time of year, the air conditioner isn't going to be running much anymore!
But the heat pump will  |
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BobAccount deleted
join:2012-07-22
New Jersey | reply to Crookshanks
If a tree falls or a transformer goes and takes out 3 customers, the power company will know about it immediately. |
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 MajestikWorld TravelerPremium
join:2001-05-11
Tulsa, OK
1 edit | reply to RickNY
said by RickNY:said by cowboyro:One simply can't tell the difference between a place where owners are at home and a place where they aren't from the average use in 3-5 min intervals. Don't be so sure... The regular spikes are the fridge cycling.. Can you tell when I was home and when I wasn't? I control items in my home remotely like DVR/tuner,computer,Slingbox,heat and air,security system,indoor/outdoor lights,and surveillance cameras from my phone or iPad from anywhere in the world.
Then throw in the gate entry/security personnel on the property just to get to my home.
There are times when I probably use even less electricity when at home than not at home in the spring and fall or when working 12 hours a day 7 days a week.
--
The adventure continues...Sanctuary.... |
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| reply to MOWAA
said by MOWAA:said by talz13:this time of year, the air conditioner isn't going to be running much anymore!
Us folks in Florida run our A/C "24/7 365" in most cases. Even in the winter time here, my A/C is set for 74 degrees and in the summer 65 degrees. From my seven years spent living in Miami, allow me to testify to this fact. |
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Reviews:
·Comcast
·Frontier Communi..
| Pure FUD There is a large piece of machinery that most american adults own and the presence of which helps burglars determine whether or not you are home... It's called an automobile. Most houses have a button that when pressed will also aide a burglar in determining if your are home... The doorbell. There are also devices installed in your home that help burglars determine if you are home after dark. They are called lights.
The average burglar is not a fiendish lock picking cat burglar that dodges lasers to steal the hope diamond like you see in the movies. They are largely uneducated drug addicts that will throw a brick through your window to get in, steal your stuff, and fence it for pennies on the dollar to buy their next hit. |
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