Khomani Desert San - Northern Cape, South Africa

The San are the aboriginal people of South Africa. Their distinct hunter-gatherer culture stretches back over 20 000 years, and their genetic origins reach back over one million years. Recent research indicates that the San are the oldest genetic stock of contemporary humanity.


After Upgrading to KRN 2, My Prepaid Meter Will Not Accept New Tokens

  • After Upgrading to KRN 2 I get an Error 017
  • How do I know that I entered my Key Change Tones Successfully
  • Why you need to keep those Key Change Token numbers until 2025
  • After upgrading my prepaid meter it won’t top up

We recently supplied a new Prepaid Water Meter Keypad to a local client who returned to the Straton Prepaid Offices saying that the keypad was not working when they entered their recently purchased tokens.

Looking at their till slips it showed KRN 2 which means that he Key Change Tokens had been issued to upgrade the meter.

The client said that they had entered the Key Change Tokens and then purchased the new Black Prepaid Water Meter UIU from Straton Prepaid.

Now the water meter would not accept the new tokens.

So, I got in my car and went to the site to see for myself.

The UIU communicated and displayed the correct amount of available water as well as the correct meter number so communication between the two was good.

First step was to reset the UIU – #981# and then re-pair – #999#Serial_Number###

That didn’t work so the next step was to check that the Key Change Token numbers had been entered successfully. The only way to do so is to re-enter the issued Key Change Token numbers, which I proceeded to do.

After the first set of numbers the feedback on the UIU displayed was ‘GOOD’ with a tick. When the client said that they never saw that when they entered the numbers I knew I was on the right path.

After entering the second Key Change Token number the UIU displayed a tick.

NOTE: Not all meters will give the exact same feedback so look out for a tick, beep, series of short beeps, thumbs up, OK etc after entering each set of numbers.

After that the new prepaid water meter token numbers were entered without a problem.

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
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My prepaid meter has stopped working and won’t accept any tokens? 7 Easy Troubleshooting Steps

One of the worst feelings is when your prepaid meter stops working and won’t accept any tokens.

Here are a few steps you can take to address the issue:

  1. Check the meter display: Make sure that there are no error messages or any other indications of a problem on the meter display. If you see any error codes or messages, note them down as they may provide useful information when contacting your electricity provider. See a list of different meters and error codes here – https://straton.co.za/pre-paid/about/prepaid-meter-error-codes/
  2. Verify the tokens: Double-check the tokens you are entering into the meter. Make sure that you are entering the correct token numbers and that they correspond to your meter’s unique identifier. It’s possible that a simple mistake in entering the token could be the cause of the issue. If you are using an Amanzi Prepaid Water Meter then this VIDEO – How to Enter your 20 Digit Prepaid Token into a Straton Prepaid Water Meter – will assist you in entering your token.
  3. Check if you are you affected by the TID Rollout: If your prepaid meter stops accepting new tokens on or after 24 November 2023 then the problem is most likely a Token Identifier (TID) fault and you will need to update your prepaid meter (electricity, water or gas) by purchasing more units and following the instructions printed on your receipt. More info and instructions here: https://straton.co.za/pre-paid/the-tid-rollover-and-how-it-affects-your-prepaid-meter/
  4. Contact your electricity provider: Reach out to your electricity provider’s customer service or support team. They will be able to assist you further with troubleshooting the issue. Provide them with the necessary details such as your account number, meter serial number, and any error codes displayed on the meter. If you are unsure of just who your provider is then follow the instructions under the How to find my supplier/payment processor FAQ section here: https://straton.co.za/pre-paid/about/faqs/
  5. Request a meter inspection: If the issue persists, request a meter inspection from your electricity provider or meter supplier. They will send a technician to assess the meter and identify any faults or malfunctions that may be causing the problem.
  6. Consider alternative payment methods: While waiting for the issue to be resolved, you may need to explore alternative payment methods for your electricity consumption. Your electricity provider can advise you on the available options such as purchasing prepaid vouchers from authorized vendors or using online payment platforms.
  7. Ask Online: Straton Prepaid and PMD Clients can request assistance HERE.

Remember, each electricity provider may have specific procedures and troubleshooting steps for prepaid meter issues, so it’s important to contact them directly for the most accurate and personalised assistance.

Video: My prepaid meter has stopped working and won’t accept any tokens? 7 Easy Troubleshooting Steps

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on My prepaid meter has stopped working and won’t accept any tokens? 7 Easy Troubleshooting Steps here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StratonElectrical/

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

Fault Finding: Your New Water Meter Keypad Pairs but Doesn’t accept Tokens or Water Availability Requests

The standard Amanzi Prepaid Water Meter that we see on many thousands of properties in South Africa has been around for a number of years.

Black Prepaid Water Meter UIU (keypad) With Replaceable Batteries

The Water Meter unit is robust, can be buried in sand, can withstand being in water for long periods and be installed at any orientation and still work as desired. In addition the original white keypad (UIU) is also rated as water and sandproof. That does come with some ‘problems’ – chief of which is that the keypad does NOT have user replaceable batteries as it is a sealed unit.

The whte keypads have a battery life span of around 5 years – depending on the volume of use and then, at the end of life, are replaced.

Understandably these keypads then become a grudge purchase as landlords and tenants jostle over who should pay for the replacement.

BUT, help is at hand as Amanzi have released a Black Keypad with Replaceable batteries that is backward compatible with all versions of the prepaid water meter. Now, the tenants ‘pay for use’ only by replacing the UIU batteries when required.

Straton Prepaid ships these keypads all over South Africa and has gained insight and experience into trouble shooting where required.

A first for Straton Prepaid recently was a Cape Town Client who purchased two new sexy black keypads to replace the original white ones and successfully paired them, but the keypads failed to show the amount of water available or load more water with a new token.

The above problem is most likely a communication error and the way to troubleshoot this is as follows:

  • Reset the UIU using the #981# command – The UIU will display “default”
  • Then re-pair the UIU using the #999# Serial_Number### command.

After re-pairing the UIU will search for a meter using 2 different protocols.

(Explanation: It is important to take note on what protocol the UIU is on. 1 battery bar means Protocol 1 and 2 battery bars mean protocol 2. All sub-metering Rev 13 WMDs should be on protocol 1. When the WMD* is reset it starts searching for the WMD on Protocol 1 , if it cannot find the WMD the UIU will then switch to protocol 2 and continue searching. The problem is the UIU wont find the WMD (as only our Sigfox units are on protocol 2 ). The UIU will then remain on protocol 2 and not detect the WMD when you try to search again.)

*WMD – Water Management Device (Prepaid Water Meter)

Video: Fault Finding: Your New Water Water Keypad Pairs but Doesn’t accept Tokens or Water Availability Requests

Boilerplate and Editor’s Notes.
More Info on Fault Finding: Your New Water Water Keypad Pairs but Doesn’t accept Tokens or Water Availability Requests here:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MyPE
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StratonElectrical/

CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za.

Read the full article by Alan Straton here: MyPR

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