Tracking Utility Meters with SDR // MeterMon & RTL-SDR

[@youknowit158]

Great video! This is the kind of videos I need (showing from a-z). I'm VERY new to HA and coding, and coming up with cool things I can do

[@ThisSmartHouse]

That is my goal. I know some people might find the videos too long or detailed, but I want to make sure everyone can play with the cool integrations. So glad the video helped!!!

[@davidmlong63]

I am in the same boat, and I love this video too.

[@rishabMehta7]

Even tho this is completely irrelevant to me (I live in India). The video was super interesting and informative. Good job Ryan!!

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Thank you as always Rishab!

[@TimGilbertCanada]

Thank you! This was very helpful. HA has made some changes to how MQTT sensors work now which is different than your example but you provided enough hints/clues to get it up and running.

[@JosephIacobbo]

You have instructions to run rtl_tcp on boot with rc.local but nothing to start the container on boot so during a reboot you won't get any readings until you manually start the metermon container. I'd recommend adding --restart=always to your docker run command to have the container restart if you reboot.

[@MatthewN8OHU]

Time to install Docker is also dependent on how fast your internet connection is. It took me about ten minutes to get it installed on a Raspberry Pi 3B+ on a DSL connection. Other than that, this seems to be an worthwhile project for those that live in areas where these systems would likely be in use.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Yep and the speed of your Pi matters a lot. Trying to do anything on a Pi Zero is painful. I remember trying to install docker on my 3B and it did seem to take a while.

[@alb1576]

This is exactly what I have been looking for. Thanks and just had to subscribe! Good stuff!

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Awesome! How are you liking the energy features in home assistant?

[@alb1576]

@@ThisSmartHouse I still have to tweak it a little bit to get it working right for Gas, for Electric it seems to take the values from Sense Energy monitor but showing -ve values, so might have to flip those around somewhere.

[@terryevans1976]

Thanks!

[@ThisSmartHouse]

No problem!

[@teslabolt007]

Can you please link your antenna that you are using? Thanks!

[@androidpretz]

cool video but your blog post code starts at the blackout commands and is missing a lot of the commands from the video

[@chrisblackton]

Hey your blog post has the wrong info under "Gas Sensor Conversion into Metric" It's a duplicate of the Water Meter Sensor code above it

[@b00dah1]

Ryan, before starting out… how does one know if/what radio a meter is using?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Great question with a not so easy answer. I would first take some pictures of the meter you have and then look it up online. You can google the name and model number of the meter to see if you can find some spec sheets. That isn’t fool proof, but it is a start. The main thing you are looking for is that ID number on it that you can search for with the SDR (assume you purchased it). You also might call your local utility and ask to talk with their meter specialist. In the cities I worked for, those people would love to answer questions (but your mileage may vary). You are mainly looking for the frequency or technology they use to transmit back. You can find the compatible types here: github.com/bemasher/rtlamr#message-types Hope that helps!

[@shobhitsharma2184]

How did you download MQTT explorer, as I am getting the error : snap "mqtt-explorer" is not available on stable for this architecture (armhf) but exists on other architectures (amd64) ?

[@enkrypt3d]

Can you show your updated templates.yaml on your blog post? it still shows the duplicate of sensors.yaml instead of templates.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Just fixed it, sorry about that.

[@twarner5]

Is the docker and Home assistant running on the same Pi? I have HA running on a Pi4 now via HAOS. Do I install the SDR and docker on a spare Pi or can I follow these instructions and install it on my current HAOS?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

So technically HAOS is running docker. You can install the communitiy add-on for Portainer and you can add your own docker containers. HOWEVER, there is an easier way in Home Assistant. Check out this add-on: github.com/allangood/rtlamr2mqtt It basically combines everything into a single container on Home Assistant. It is great if you already have your IDs.

[@twarner5]

@@ThisSmartHouse Thanks for the quick reply. I'll check out your suggestion and see if I can figure it out.

[@NicksStuff]

It would bother me to see the unit as ft^3. Home Assistant doesn't support superscript (ft³)?

[@FlyersPh9]

When running `rtl_test` I was getting a `usb_open error -3`. By adding `blacklist e4000` to the blacklist file & rebooting, I was able to get `rte_test` to work.

[@donpetties1817]

Can you make a video on your Volvo car dashboard

[@ThisSmartHouse]

That is on my list. But right now there are a lot of requirements to pull the data from an OBD2 reader: 1. Android Phone 2. Tasker ($3.49) 3. Torque Pro ($4.99) 4. Direct Access (API) or Nabu Casa So I am working on it, but it will probably be a multi-part video.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

If you haven't caught it, I posted it last month.

[@Travisrogers87]

I’m planning to build an unraid server for plex/HA/DVR. Could it be used for this purpose too, instead of the rasperry? And if Plex is running in its own container, would it still be impacted by the blacklisting?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I am not super familiar with setting up an unRAID. But if it is similar to Proxmox I think you can assign the hardware by serial number to each container (or VM). Then blacklist the drivers in the container.

[@justinamrhein5573]

I have an unRAID server with Plex in a container and an HDHomeRun network tuner hardwired via Ethernet. Then I run HA in a VM. I'm wondering the same thing about if I can still do this in UnRaid. Did you ever figure this out?

[@Travisrogers87]

@@justinamrhein5573 not yet. You might post a question on the r/unraid Reddit group. I’ve found that to be very helpful

[@awesomedee5421]

You can read the SmartMeter using RTL-SDR. FHSS.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Do you have any links to projects that support FHSS?

[@TracyNorrell]

@@ThisSmartHouse kzbin.info/www/bejne/hp7cmIR4jJynb80 this guy has been figuring out the messages in the wireless mesh of smart electrical meters. I've found him recently and ended up watching pretty much his whole channel. Hope this helps you.

[@enkrypt3d]

looks like your blog post has your sensors.yaml pasted in for your templates.yaml. can you paste your templates.yaml? I'm not sure how to insert the m3 superscript and the fire icons in VI.... and does core 2021.11.5 fix the cubic feet to metric issue?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Let me get that uploaded later today. Sorry I have been in full day meetings all week. It looks like you should be able to add the converted sensor (with m3), but you still cannot add ft3.

[@enkrypt3d]

Which SDR adapter do you recommend? I dont think my gas meter & water meters are even remotely "smart" though

[@ThisSmartHouse]

This is the one I use: amzn.to/3HIzIMN I was surprised about my gas meter. You should give it a shot during the long Amazon return period.

[@enkrypt3d]

@@ThisSmartHouse very cool thanks! I just called my gas company to upgrade my meter even though they said it is wireless, i dont see any transmitter on it and it looks like it's from the 1980's lol hopefully the RTL SDR will pick it up once it's upgraded! We'll see.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I will admit mine does as well. But if you check the very top of the meter (the white part behind the plastic) look for a serial number or manufacturer's part number.

[@enkrypt3d]

surprisingly it appears to be Itron? with 4 analogue dials on top and 2 on the bottom left. very little electronics from what i can see but maybe it's inside. i'm surprised the gas company is going to upgrade it for free so why not!

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Well you have to remember the wireless meters are so they don't have to send a human to drive to every person's house to read your meter. It allows them to be more accurate and control their fees better. I bet you it'll show up with SDR.

[@ihordark5994]

Hey folks! Does anyone know how to check on what frequency my meter is transmitting? I know its a range from 903 to 930 Mhz but want to know exact frequency... Thanks!

[@FlyersPh9]

Had a power outage this week and now something seems to be broken. When I run `rtl_test` I get this: Found 1 device(s): 0: Realtek, RTL2838UHIDIR, SN: 00000001 Using device 0: Generic RTL2832U OEM usb_claim_interface error -6 Failed to open rtlsdr device #0. Any suggestions on how to fix this?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Did you reboot the pi? It usually means that something else is accessing that device.

[@FlyersPh9]

@@ThisSmartHouse I did reboot the Pi since the power outage but am still encountering the same issue. When I check to see if any docker containers are running it comes back empty & if I try to start the docker container it spits back a number as if it did start, but then I check and it still shows no docker containers.

[@justinamrhein5573]

@@FlyersPh9 Did you fix your issue? I ran into this issue recently after turning off my pi for the night. The next day it had an issue. I ended up using an usb extension cable from the pi to the rtl-sdr device, then made sure the connections to the pi and the usb stick itself were in. You can also try unplugging and replugging the usb connection in the pi itself to another port. After messing around with these things it worked for me again.

[@enkrypt3d]

I had to do this on the templates.yaml: - sensor: name: Gas Energy Metric state: >- {{ states('sensor.gas_meter_reading')|float(0)*0.0283168 }} icon: mdi:fire unit_of_measurement: "ft³" state_class: "total_increasing" device_class: "gas" Is there a way to convert ft3 to therms?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Do you know what the math conversion factor is?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

It looks like: Divide the cubic feet of natural gas by 96.7. So then it would look like {{ states('sensor.gas_meter_reading')|float(0)/96.7 }}

[@cluberic]

19:57 lost me here, my home assistant install doesnt have that. idek what file you clicked

[@ThisSmartHouse]

What step was it, the time stamp you listed is where I am explaining the docker command. I am sure it just the new UI changes they made to HA.

[@icecream5593]

When I run the command to start the docker container, it looks like it's starting and then crashes after about 35 seconds. Any suggestions?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

What do the logs say?

[@icecream5593]

@@ThisSmartHouse Where are the logs? I tried to check them, but couldn't figure out how

[@enkrypt3d]

How do I add another sensor with this split config? Anytime I add anything it breaks this gas sensor template :(

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Let me know if you are still struggling and I can post an example config.

[@enkrypt3d]

@@ThisSmartHouse the entity is working but it doesn't show up in the energy dashboard

[@apalrd8588]

rtlamr is a great project, unfortunately it's very difficult to find out if your meter is compatible without testing it (which is fortunately not very expensive to do). I found that my power meter was on the compatibility list, but still uses Zigbee only. The compatibility list means the meter has hardware capable of 900Mhz transmission, not that it is configured to use it in your specific model of meter.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Yeah that is the tough part of this whole thing. Even if your meter is supported your utility could enable encryption. But as you said it is an inexpensive project and you can always return it to Amazon.

[@luisrossi3249]

Does this SDR work with ISM 169 MHz band? my water meter is an itron with the module Cyble-LRF which says on the label that the frecuency is 169 MHz. Or what can I do?. Thanks for this amazing video

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I am not sure, you may have to use another project as metermon has specfic spectrums it is designed for.

[@fordemon835]

How can you tell if your meter is a encrypted transmission?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Not 100% sure, but I think if you can see the ID but you get no data, it would be encrypted. In cases like my power meter, it is Zigbee, but I cannot even connect to it.

[@richardthomas3079]

I cannot seem to see the ip address that sdr is connected to when I run the ps aux | grep rtl_tcp command. it only show me the pi user info.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Have you added the new command to your rc.local?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

And restarted to load it?

[@richardthomas3079]

@@ThisSmartHouse yes. (sleep 10 ,/usr/bin/rtl_tcp -a $_ip &)

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Have you ran the rtl_test?

[@richardthomas3079]

i do not see the root user listed with the ip address.

[@TheMisterTFM]

where's the best place to ask questions about tracking utility meter with SDR?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

If it is a quick question you can ask here or check our discord: tshouse.link/discord

[@TheMisterTFM]

@@ThisSmartHouse I'm new to Discord, I posted a question and started a thread.

[@ms30250]

for whatever reason I find my docker container in a "restarting" loop and have to reboot the pi. the happens every couple of days

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Did you check the logs for the container? Maybe there is a missing setting. If you are not comfortable with the command line, you can install Portainer and use it's web interface to debug the issues.

[@ms30250]

@@ThisSmartHouse I can give that a try.

[@ms30250]

14:04:49.108479 main.go:345: Receiver context cancelled. 14:04:49.109418 main.go:322: read tcp 172.17.0.3:57748->192.168.1.22:1234: i/o timeout io.ReadFull main.(*Receiver).Run.func2 /go/src/github.com/bemasher/rtlamr/main.go:183 runtime.goexit /usr/local/go/src/runtime/asm_arm.s:838

[@JosephIacobbo]

Does anyone know what SSH client he is using?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I usually use Termius on Windows / Mac / iOS / Android. Or the SSH terminal add on in Home Assistant.

[@enkrypt3d]

Can you do an update for 2022.12? It looks like all of this wont work with this coming version..... getting warnings that my manually defined sensors will be broken :(

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I am planning a video on how to fix the warnings in general. I think all you need to do is move manually created MQTT sensors out of the current location (binary_sensors: or sensors:) and put it under mqtt: . I will update the code soon. Thanks for the reminder! Sorry I move super slow.

[@enkrypt3d]

@@ThisSmartHouse yea I had to rebuild my HA due to a bad SD card so I have to go thru and setup RTL again from scratch :( hopefully it still works!

[@enkrypt3d]

@@ThisSmartHouse also your blog is missing the RTL-SDR setup setps :)

[@enkrypt3d]

@@ThisSmartHouse thanks for this guide again. got my RTL-SDR set up again! I guess I cannot upgrade to 2022.12 when the time comes....

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Which steps are missing? I really don't think it's a big change for 2022.12. it will be an easy fix we just need to move your sensors from MQTT.yaml to either binary_sensors.yaml or sensors.yaml.

[@davidmlong63]

Can I do this on a Raspberry PI Zero 2 W?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I don't see any reason why you wouldn't be able to. It's just going to be a bit slower because of the hardware restrictions on the w's. I use Pi W's for a lot of single-use projects around the house.

[@davidmlong63]

@@ThisSmartHouse Thanks for the info. I just need it to read the gas meter and pass it on to Home Assistant.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

You will of course need a USB C toUSB adapter but I think it should work. The only concern I have is maybe the power consumption of the SDR on the raspberry Pi zero.

[@ms30250]

@@ThisSmartHouse did you try this and if so, did it work. I may do the same.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I have not ran it on a W. As long as you can run docker and have the right adapter it should work.

[@TheSmo0]

Your URL shortening is not working.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Which link? I'll take a look at it as soon as I'm back from lunch thanks.

[@ThisSmartHouse]

I just checked the SDR and the blog post one and they both work. Did I mistype something in the video?

[@TheSmo0]

@@ThisSmartHouse The links in the description look to be working now!

[@ThisSmartHouse]

That is so weird. I do notice sometimes rebrandly is a bit slow on the redirect. I am sure today's DNS (facebook) issues aren't helping. Thanks for looking out!

[@TheSmo0]

@@ThisSmartHouse Thank you for a great video. I was looking for something just like this!

[@davidbeiler6364]

whose your gas provider?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Spire (Missouri Gas and Energy)

[@davidbeiler6364]

@@ThisSmartHouse do they not encrypt your gas meter?

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Nope. Both my gas and water are unencrypted. The power meter however is.

[@-_______________________.___]

BRB checking energy consumption in the area to figure out what house to burglarize

[@davidbeiler6364]

thanks fr your help in this video! Im excited to give this a try, when i add the info in the /usr/, i get this root 750 0.6 0.4 10748 1892 ? Sl 12:23 0:00 /usr/bin/rtl_tcp -a 192.168.1.190 172.17.0.1 2600:1700:65c0:9610::13 2600:1700:65c0:9610:eb81:ab3b:c4bd:d069 will the 172 and ipv6 be a conflict or issue at all?

[@davidbeiler6364]

i am also getting WARNING: The requested image's platform (linux/arm/v7) does not match the detected host platform (linux/arm/v6) and no specific platform was requested

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Sorry your comment got caught by the spam filter. Still having issues?

[@davidbeiler6364]

@@ThisSmartHouse my meter runs on different mhz in the 400 range

[@mboarman1]

Thank you so much for putting this together, I watched it the other day and ordered an SDR kit off amazon that night! I followed along with you video and everything was going great until I got to adding the ps aux | grep rtl_tcp (kzbin.info/www/bejne/roDKdp2alJebpKM)...The command executed but I only received one line back starting with "pi" and not the root line with the IP address....I've rewatched the video at least 10x and everything seems to check out. I'm just not sure where things went sideways?! help!

[@ThisSmartHouse]

You might want to join our discord. I find it easier to help with these types of issues. tshouse.link/discord

[@enkrypt3d]

2022-02-19 21:05:10 INFO (Recorder) [homeassistant.components.sensor.recorder] Detected new cycle for sensor.gas_energy_metric, value dropped from 5.237267663061669 to 2022-02-20T02:04:11.266055+00:00, triggered by state with last_updated set to 0.0 updated to 2022.02.09 and getting this. the graphs are showing 0. the data is coming into the docker container but HA isn't picking it up.... any ideas? here is my templates.yaml: - sensor: name: Gas Energy Metric unique_id: sensor.gas_meter_reading state: >- {{ states('sensor.gas_meter_reading')|float(0)*0.0103412 }} icon: mdi:fire unit_of_measurement: "ft³" state_class: "total_increasing" device_class: "gas"

[@ThisSmartHouse]

Do you see it in MQTT?

[@enkrypt3d]

@@ThisSmartHouse anytime I try to add an additional sensor, it breaks the gas sensor value since everything is split up....