From: GlowingBlueMist@blackhole.io   
      
   On 8/28/2017 6:40 PM, danny burstein wrote:   
   > About a month ago the utility swapped out   
   > all the meters here with "smart" ones, and   
   > ever since... I've had 803.11 problems.   
   >   
   > We were away when they did the replacement, and   
   > while we had to reset a bunch of clocks, things   
   > in the house were ok.   
   >   
   > However, ever since then, my laptop loses connectivity   
   > to our wifi base. This typically happens (very roughly)   
   > for ten minutes a couple of times/day. (Maybe more).   
   >   
   > When this if going on my usual list of "in range"   
   > wifi choices goes down from the half dozen to   
   > maybe one or two. And the signal strength (as   
   > measured by Apple's visual display, yes, I know..)   
   > on my base, which is maybe 20 feet away, goes from   
   > all five "cones" to maybe 1 or 2.   
   >   
   > (This happens with all the laptops and desktops   
   > in the house. Mostly Apples of various types, but   
   > also a "smart phone")   
   >   
   > Sometimes it's totally gone.   
   >   
   > So my ques:   
   >   
   > a: could this be a symptom of the electrical meters   
   > getting polled and transmitting their data?   
   >   
   > If so,   
   >   
   > b: how best to verify this is the case?   
   >   
   > Thanks   
   >   
   > _____________________________________________________   
   > Knowledge may be power, but communications is the key   
   >               dannyb@panix.com   
   > [to foil spammers, my address has been double rot-13 encoded]   
   Sounds like you have the problem pretty much identified.   
   What I would do is to do a WiFi scan of the available channels.   
      
   If you are presently using channel 1 switch to ch 6 or ch 11, if on Ch 6   
   switch to ch 1 or ch 11, if on 11 switch to ch 1 or ch 6.   
      
   Basically move your current current radio frequency to one of the three   
   clear channels farthest from your present channel and see if the problem   
   goes away.   
      
   The only other thing I can think of is to run one of the WiFi channel   
   scanners that has a logging feature and let it watch and see what   
   frequencies/channels they are hogging when your meter is polled.  The   
   meter itself might have a FCC label on it showing what frequency or   
   channel(s) it is using but it can also be hidden on an internal panel of   
   the meter.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)