Data connectivity issue for UK devices

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I’m sorry to say that there appears to be a temporary issue for a number of UK Telraam S2 devices at the moment.

A small number of devices that were working perfectly fine are apparently unable to reach our servers so the data is not being stored.

We are very sorry about this and want to let you know that we are working on it and doing what we can.

As you know, our devices use the “Internet of Things” (IoT) and despite all the hype, this is still an emerging area of technology, and so things do not always go smoothly! It seems that there is an issue between the supplier of the SIM cards in the devices, and the mobile network operator in the UK (O2).

We are not yet 100% sure on the reasons or solutions for this, but our partners are actively looking into this with us and we do hope to resolve it very soon indeed. In the meantime, don’t worry about your individual device.

We may ask you to reboot it at some stage (just to rest the connections), but for now, leave it on and in place and hopefully it will pick up a signal as soon as this is resolved.

If you do have any further questions about your particular device, then do feel free to write to support@telraam.net from your registered email address so we can look into this for you.

If you have any general questions or comments, feel free to post them here and I’ll do my best to deal with them.

Latest update:

The investigation by our partner, Thingstream, has resulted in some further news, but we don’t yet have a timeline for getting all devices online again. I’m sharing an extract of a message that we are sending to all UK Telraam network owners, with more information:

BACKGROUND

Our connectivity partner is a business called Thingstream who supply us with these SIM cards and they in turn negotiate ‘roaming’ connections with operators in countries around the world. In the case of the UK they have a general agreement with Telefonica, ultimate owners of O2 among others. Telraam does not negotiate directly with these operators.

From some time around the 26th of October we noticed that a number of our devices in the UK were no longer connecting to our servers, but the devices were operating normally. In the following days the issue became progressively worse, and has affected some geographical regions more than others. In investigating this, we immediately raised the issue with Thingstream who reached out to O2.

The cause, we now understand, is that O2 unilaterally decided to enforce restrictions on roaming devices, and because of some issue did not recognise the agreement that Thingstream had with Telefonica, and so our devices are being blocked. This is also affecting other businesses like ours.

O2 is aware of this issue and is working with Telefonica and Thingstream to fix it. Unfortunately we do not have any further information on when it will be fixed or when our devices will be online, …

We will also be sending an email to S2 owners shortly in case they weren’t aware. Do feel free to post any questions in this topic and we’ll do our best to answer them.

We still have no good news on this issue for our own devices, I’m afraid.

We are still pushing VERY hard for a resolution. More importantly, it has been confirmed to us that this is a major issue affecting MUCH larger businesses than us with many thousands of devices (imagine all those disconnected fridges, security cameras, freight trackers, etc), and they too will be putting pressure to get it resolved.

We will bring you more news as soon as we get it

We’ve been quiet for a few days here because we do not have any good news to share yet, but we have not stopped pushing for this to be resolved.

Sadly, neither we nor our partners have had any further information from O2 or Telefonica on a resolution to this issue. We are very aware that some devices have now been unable to connect for almost a month, while others seem to be operating fine still. It is most confusing and frustrating, even for us.

We just wanted to reassure you all that we are doing all that we can and we really want to get you all back online as soon as we can.

In the meantime there is no need to do anything with your device at this stage, so don’t worry about rebooting it.

Here is the latest news, as promised.

Unfortunately, the issue has still not been resolved, but we have a bit of good news following some more detailed investigation and work with our partners.

While in some areas there are no connections at all, in others our devices have been able to switch to an alternative network that we were not originally aware was operating.

It seems that Vodafone had begun rolling out a separate network and our devices are designed to locate this alternative connection. This means that where there is a Vodafone network of suitable strength and reliability, the devices are still connected. However, that network is still limited.

It is not a solution for everyone at the moment, and small comfort if your device does not have a signal, and we are sorry about this, but it does show that the design of the system to “fall back” to other networks if needed is working. Sadly, the Vodafone network does not yet have national coverage, and so will be patchy.

It seems that Vodafone are working on their network, so new connections are possible as this rolls on and works are completed. We encourage you to keep your devices powered just in case anything changes locally.

We still hope for a swift resolution by O2 and that all devices are available again all over the country.

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Thanks. Vodaphone mobile and mobile generally has been poor at my flat ever since the flats in the Gorbals were demolished. They were nice and high and had the transmitters on top. Now the masts are ground based and there has been a lot of new flats built near. My smart meter struggles too sometimes. Might have a wee cycle about and see if signal is working at all in Glasgow.

As we continue to navigate through the connectivity challenges with your Telraam device in the UK, we want to provide a more detailed insight into the issue and update you on the steps we are actively taking to resolve it.

We have sent a brief email to affected users, but we also want to share as much as we know here so we can answer any questions you might have or in case you don’t receive the email.

Why is my device not connected?

The main issue continues to be that O2 has blocked all ‘roaming’ access to its LTE-M data network, which is essential for products like our Telraam S2 which is designed to be used anywhere in the world. The partner that provides our connections in all countries, Thingstream, is still trying to appeal this unilateral decision.

The good news is that an alternative network is being rolled out by Vodafone, but it is not officially launched and its coverage is limited and unknown. In theory, if it exists in an area, we ought to be able to connect to it. For a substantial number of our UK devices, this is the case, but sadly not for all, but one of the avenues we are exploring will hopefully fix this.

Why can’t I connect to another network?

In many cases it will be because there is no other network locally for you to connect to. In others, it is a little more complicated, but also due to the way O2 is set up.

In these cases, your devices are connecting to O2 exactly as expected, because it is the strongest local signal, but then O2 is blocking the data connection. This blockage prevents the devices from transmitting data to us, but doesn’t tell the device to search for an alternative network instead. Ideally, if O2 is not going to permit data transmission, it should reject the connection entirely and allow the devices to search for an alternative network, such as Vodafone.

Some UK devices have successfully switched to Vodafone due to it being a stronger signal, but this isn’t consistent across all devices. The situation has resulted in O2 effectively ‘locking’ many devices, preventing them from switching networks and instead leaving them stuck.

Our Proactive Steps to Address the Issue:

We are deeply committed to resolving these issues and are exploring every possible avenue to ensure your Telraam devices are fully operational again:

  • Exploring O2 Roaming Options:
    We’re still hopeful that O2 roaming might open up again, even if for an interim period that would allow us to make alternative arrangements, and will keep you informed of any positive developments. However, this is becoming a remote possibility at this stage.
  • Short-Term Solution with Thingstream/Vodafone:
    We are pushing our partners to fix the issue of devices getting stuck on O2 and allow them to search for alternative networks. Unfortunately this requires some re-programming by O2 and we don’t know if they can or will do this. However, this might provide a quicker resolution for users in some locations.
  • Longer Term Hardware Solution:
    We have also been exploring changes to our device which would provide a more permanent fix. We are in the early stages of this investigation and, while optimistic, this will take some time.

We don’t expect much to change over the Christmas and New Year period, so we will update you again as soon as we can in January. However, if you have any questions or comments, do share them below and we will do our best to answer them.

Thank you for your continued support and understanding. We’re in this together, and we’re determined to get your Telraam devices up and running as soon as possible.

Is there any update on this?

Here is the text of an email being sent to ALL UK accounts with a Telraam S2 which I’m sharing here for general reference and also in case anyone has any questions - it is easier to go into more detail here:

Thank you for your patience and support while we investigated and have been trying to resolve the connection issues for Telraam S2 devices in the UK. We are really sorry that you may have been unable to collect the traffic data you wanted but this is an issue that is affecting all our devices in the UK but we now believe we have a plan to resolve it.

As you probably know, our S2 device connects to the internet using a built-in modem and a SIM, a bit like a mobile phone but on a different network. The onboard software, or firmware, of our device is built around these SIMs, so they are the only way for our devices to connect to our servers, and they rely on there being a network to connect to. In the UK only O2 has a suitable national network and this was working very well most of 2023. However, a sudden change of policy by O2 at the end of October 2023 means we can no longer connect to that network.

Over the last couple of months we worked with our partners to find a fix and bypass O2, by instructing our devices to ignore O2 and try to find alternative networks. There is a trial network from Vodafone being deployed in the UK, but Vodafone’s coverage is limited. A handful of devices have been able to connect to this, but it is not a solution for everyone so we cannot rely on it.

We had high hopes for a quick hardware-fix, adding a dongle to your device to allow it to use your home wifi to connect instead. Unfortunately, while this seemed simpler and quicker, upon further investigation, we don’t think this is a robust or long-term solution, so we’d rather do this properly.

Telraam have therefore taken the decision to invest in redeveloping and reprogramming our firmware that will allow us to use other SIMs for the UK and to source ones that will be able to connect to O2 directly. This work will take us several weeks as well as time to test. As you can imagine this is a major undertaking, but Telraam is committed to getting your devices working again and to support all our customers, campaigners and local authorities, and as such will be committing substantial resources to making this happen as quickly as possible.

We aim to get the job done by 1st of April. When the work is done, we will swap your existing device with a brand new one with the new software and new SIM. If you bought it directly from us, we will tell you how to send it back and get your replacement device. If you are a part of a local network we will coordinate this with the network manager who will arrange to collect and replace your device along with the others in your network.

Arranging this swap will take some effort and we will prepare this in parallel with the development of the fix. More detailed instructions will follow in due course.

We are truly sorry you’ve been unable to count traffic in recent months because of this, but we hope to get you counting again as soon as we can, and to support you for many years to come.

I have written to all network managers in the UK so we can better coordinate with those who are members of networks through these channels. We hope this can all get sorted reasonably quickly now, and we can start swapping devices as soon as we possibly can.

@Rob_Telraam Any update on progress ahead of 1st April?

HI @tristan lots of progress, yes

I will be sending an update soon to all affected users. We will not be able to hit the initial goal of the 1st of April, sadly, but we do still hope the new devices will be ready to despatch before the end of the month.

The new devices are already being prepared for production, and we have also hired a new member of the Telraam Team who is a specialist in the firmware side of things who is updating our operating systems to cope with the changes. The two should come together in the next couple of weeks and we will then arrange for the exchange of the old devices with the new ones. The process will be different depending on how you received your device, so expect an email soon to make arrangements.

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thanks Rob, I am very pleased to hear of progress with the UK connection problem, when my device worked it was really useful, and I am looking forward to being active again, very best wishes patrick

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We’re definitely looking forward to re-joining the community, as the info provided by my Telraam was exceptionally helpful due to our road being a main artery in/out of a Low Traffic Neighbourhood. (LTN)

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A quick message to say that an email will be going out to all UK device owners in the next couple of days with more information on the exchange process. As soon as it does, I will also share all the news here.

If you are part of a network and your device was provided to you by someone else you may not hear from us directly, but you will be contacted by the network owner who will manage this on your behalf.

We’re very much looking forward to completing this process and getting the UK data online again

LATEST UPDATE:

If your device was provided to you by someone else, like your local authority (e.g. Lambeth, Hackney, Oxfordshire County Council) or maybe a campaign group, then those Network Owners will be in touch to make arrangements that are more suitable in the local context. We are working with them to replace all the devices together.

However, if you had previously bought your own device, we should just have sent you an email with a link to a form. As you see, we are carrying out this “Recall” to replace and swap your existing device with a new one that has a new SIM and updated software on it.

We need to have everyone acknowledge this process so we know you are still interested in counting, and we also need to confirm your current address in case you moved since you bought the device.

Once this is done, we will put your details on our list for shipping you a replacement device the moment it arrives here in the UK. The package will include a return envelope so you can send back the existing device so we can redeploy this elsewhere where it will work (so not waste it).

We don’t yet have a date for the swap as this will still depend on the delivery of our new production run, but we didn’t want to waste more time so we thought we’d get started with all the preparations.

Here are some extracts from that email for information:

Recap: Summary of Recent Connectivity Updates

We have chosen a solution that allows us greater influence and control. Specifically, we’ve partnered with 1NCE to replace our former provider, Thingstream. This strategic change requires new firmware compatible with 1NCE SIM cards, aimed at boosting connectivity and reliability across the UK.

How Can You Participate In The Recall?

We are inviting our dedicated users to participate in a special recall option. This involves swapping your current Telraam S2 device for a new one equipped with a 1NCE SIM card at no extra cost. Don’t worry about waste; all returned devices will be redeployed. The returned devices are still functional and can be used effectively in other parts of Europe and the world.

If you have been waiting to purchase a new device in the UK, these will be available again in the Telraam shop soon, so you will then be able to purchase a device as normal.

Do feel free to post any further questions below and I will do my best to answer them

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Hi @Rob_Telraam ,

We understand this is a slow process, but if you could update us monthly on the current status then we would appreciate it.

Thanks,
Greg.

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Sorry indeed. We are EVER SO CLOSE to resolving this and I keep expecting to have the best news for you, but one or two minor things are still to be resolved … but I will post more news definitely tomorrow even if not the final news …

So, we have some more good news but we’re not QUITE there yet.

Here is the first working example of the new devices we are preparing that is actually connected to the O2 network again :tada: :

To get to this point we not only had to change the SIM but the entire firmware, at the same time that we were updating the firmware to bring you night counts (more on that separately), so there is still some final debugging to do before we can put the latest firmware on all the new devices and ship them to the UK. We have a few more test devices being set up today and we’ll get this done very quickly with their help.

However, we are in the very final stages of this project and we hope to ship the devices soon. Once they have cleared customs (which should be fast, but you never know) we will be in touch with everyone who wants their old device replaced and arrange for the swap.

If you’ve not already responded to the email to confirm your address details, please look out for it and fill in the necessary details.

If you are part of an existing local network we will manage this through them, so don’t worry!

More good news for UK device owners …

The test devices we sent ahead to the UK have been installed and are now working. We’ve made some final tweaks to the firmware and we’re confident to launch the full production run.

What does this mean?

Well, the devices are pretty much the same as before, but we’ve put a different SIM card in them from a new provider (1NCE) which has meant re-creating all our firmware (the computer logic of how the device works and communicates) to work with it. This is now complete, so we are ‘flashing’ these devices (which is not as exciting or dodgy as it sounds) by adding this software to them in the factory, and then they will be packaged up and sent in bulk to the UK.

We may need a couple of weeks to build / send / clear customs / deliver / repackage them, but they will shortly be on their way to all owners of devices or the network owners, so the final countdown has started.

Everyone affected should have received emails from us, and an invitation to ‘opt in’ to our recall which requires us to confirm your current address so we can send you the device. Please, if you haven’t already completed that form, look out for the email and get involved.

I look forward to being able to say the devices are on their way very soon

Hi Rob, any update on when the new S2 devices will be available to order and will this be via the Telraam Shop online (UK delivery option?) Thanks Nick