An awkward gas meter

Hardware
1

Very interested in people’s ideas here. I have a Metersit G6 gas meter. Annoyingly, it’s the GPRS model, so I can’t snoop the MBUS signal. It’s digital, so I can’t watch or monitor magnetism on dials, and it’s outside so I can’t easily wire things. I have reliable WiFi and Zigbee coverage that far though.

Given this winter, I’d love to pull usage data into Home Assistant to better understand and schedule things.

From reading and research, it seems like I have two options:

  • Build something with an IR/EN 62056-21 interface and hope that a) it isn’t encrypted and b) doesn’t get ripped off by the meter man next time he comes around (the meter is against my border fence, sheltered by a bush but outwardly facing). I’m imagining something is possible with a low-power Ardiuno/ESP and with battery either streaming or batching data up. Given that I’ve changed suppliers a few times and they also still ask me for readings I’m led to believe that noone is using the GPRS data and it is also not encrypted.
  • Leverage the “pulse counter” interface that appears to exist internally. I can either try to find the replacement battery cover that gives a conduit out, or bodge something and wrap some gaffer tape around it to hide the wire out the front and to the back so it’s hopefully just seen as covering a beaten in meter.

Has anyone done something similar? I might be able to rob power from the meter itself, but I’m imagining it’ll have to be a battery and low power connectivity job.

Thanks

2

Hi, I have a (similar?) Metersit G4 meter, with MBUS signal though, which Ideally I’d read remotely if possible.

Two questions:

  • Did you find something related to reading the MBUS signal during your research, despite that not working for you due to the meter model?
  • Alternatively, did you find a way to either read the optical port or to leverage a hypothetical internal pulse counter?
3

hi,
did you find a solution? I have a a G4

4

Anyone had any luck with the G4 meter ?

5

Not specific to this meter, but I also have a diaphragm-type and have had really good luck using a magnetometer when there weren’t really any other options:

Certainly worth a try to see if you can get a good reading going this route…