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ESB Networks Live Outage Info Online

  • 16-04-2012 1:50pm
    #1
    Priori
    Closed Accounts Posts: 421 ✭✭


    Just got a tip off on twitter that ESB Networks are launching something called PowerCheck tomorrow - check it out here. Not sure if they plan to make it an app - can imagine it being a lot more popular that way.

    It worked when I checked the link on my Android phone, but it wouldn't work for me when I checked it from my work PC (IE 8). Anyone else have problems viewing it?


Comments

  • #2
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Tip off? :p It's no big secret and was released to the press yesterday.


    PowerCheck

    ESB Networks now provides real-time supply interruption information :
    ESB Networks is delighted to announce PowerCheck – a new self-service option designed to allow our customers to view real-time information about supply interruptions and estimated restoration times on their home computer or Smartphone. A web-based version of PowerCheck is now live and can be checked out on your home PC by clicking on the link below.
    We have also developed PowerCheck Apps, for both iPhone and Android Smartphone users, which are available for download from App stores from April 17th.
    PowerCheck gives Customers access to real-time service interruption information :
    PowerCheck is innovative and progressive and offers our customers a new option and greater choice in how they receive information from ESB Networks. It is a new communication channel which provides an additional option for customers to obtain the type of information already provided over the telephone from NCCC. This option will greatly benefit customers by putting real-time status information about most supply interruptions directly onto our customers’ PC’s and smartphones. (Note: supply interruptions affecting small numbers of houses or premises will not be included in this service).

    I tried it on the PCs here (IE 7 & IE8) and it works fine. I don't use apps pr smartphiones, so no comment on that angle.


  • #3
    Priori
    Closed Accounts Posts: 421 ✭✭Priori


    Ha, and here I was thinking I was letting the world (well, boards.ie) know about it! :o

    Ah well.

    So it's the app they're releasing tomorrow - fair played to them. I can see quite a lot of people downloading that, including myself!
    Graysen Alive Headset wrote:
    tried it on the PCs here (IE 7 & IE8) and it works fine.

    Must be my settings, will see if I can figure it out.


  • #4
    MOH
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,465 ✭✭✭MOH


    Maybe I'm missing something, but what's the point in having real time supply restoration information available from your home computer?

    I'd imagine most people wouldn't go looking for the info until they experienced a power cut, at which point their home computer wouldn't be working.

    The mobile options could be useful though.


  • #5
    Priori
    Closed Accounts Posts: 421 ✭✭Priori


    MOH wrote:
    I'd imagine most people wouldn't go looking for the info until they experienced a power cut, at which point their home computer wouldn't be working.

    Yeah I was thinking that too, but the main thing would be if their modem had no power. People could be on a laptop with some juice left.

    To get the full benefit of this (unless you just like to lurk and see which areas are without power) you'd have to have a 3G connection.


  • #6
    Tow
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,099 ✭✭✭Tow


    Priori wrote: »
    you'd have to have a 3G connection.

    and hope your local cell site still had mains power or it's UPS had not died.

    When is the money (including lost growth) Michael Noonan took in the Pension Levy going to be paid back?



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  • #7
    dudara
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 33,518 ✭✭✭✭dudara


    Moved to Electrical

    dudara


  • #8
    Priori
    Closed Accounts Posts: 421 ✭✭Priori


    Just downloaded it (the Android version), quite impressed. Nice and simple.


  • #9
    Catalpa1
    Registered Users Posts: 138 ✭✭Catalpa1


    Very interesting, I have friends in Casttletownbere saw they had no supply this evening and as they were in Cork they came to my house for dinner. Nice one ESB


  • #10
    plodder
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,402 ✭✭✭plodder


    What are people's experiences with this app/system? I've found it an interesting curiosity at best, but when actually experiencing a power cut (as I am now) it doesn't work at all. There isn't much point in these toy apps that aren't scaled to deal with real levels of traffic that might be expected when a real powercut is happening.


  • #11
    jamesd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,454 ✭✭✭jamesd


    Found it to be excellent, always works for me when we get a powercut.


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  • #12
    Wearb
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 6,304 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wearb


    Useful, though sometimes when power-cut, I had to inform them before it appeared on the app. So it appears that it isn't connected to any real-time monitoring.

    Please follow site and charter rules. "Resistance is futile"



  • #13
    emtulsk
    Users Awaiting Email Confirmation Posts: 21 ✭emtulsk


    The app is fed directly from the internal outage management system, which, since we don't have smart metering in Ireland yet, is only fed from people calling in to report an outage.

    But I find it always loads up fairly fast and is kept accurate throughout an outage.

    Estimated restoration times come directly from the crew on the job so they are also mostly accurate.


  • #14
    coylemj
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 25,492 ✭✭✭✭coylemj


    plodder wrote: »
    What are people's experiences with this app/system? I've found it an interesting curiosity at best, but when actually experiencing a power cut (as I am now) it doesn't work at all.

    Can you explain what you mean by 'it doesn't work at all'??

    The system is simple as they keep repeating on Twitter - if your power outage doesn't show on the app, they don't know about it so call them. That's pretty much all there is to it - the purpose as I see it is that if your outage shows on the app, there's no point in calling them because they already know about it.

    And as anyone who works in IT can tell you, phoning to ask when service will be restored is usually a complete waste of time.


  • #15
    plodder
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,402 ✭✭✭plodder


    coylemj wrote: »
    Can you explain what you mean by 'it doesn't work at all'??
    Can't connect to the server error messages from the Android app. While 3G connectivity was slower generally, due to more traffic, I could connect to other sites okay (like this one).

    I eventually found a page on their website that provided a simple low bandwidth text feed and that worked. [edit]To be clear. The problem isn't the app or web service as such, more with the infrastructure supporting it.


  • #16
    Ceist_Beag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,922 ✭✭✭Ceist_Beag


    Has anyone any experience with this for planned outages? We received a card in the door a couple of weeks back for a planned outage tomorrow but it is still not showing on powercheck.ie or via the app. Would it not be expected to show there as well as it is a planned outage?


  • #17
    Willywally
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Willywally


    It wont show up on the PowerCheck app until the outage actually starts


  • #18
    Ceist_Beag
    Registered Users Posts: 2,922 ✭✭✭Ceist_Beag


    Thanks. I just confirmed the same with them on Twitter. It seems a bit silly to me given that planned outages are, well, planned! It would seem much more logical to publish that information once it is planned rather than only doing it when the outage is actually happening so we'll see if they take that on board or not.


  • #19
    Willywally
    Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭Willywally


    The problem with planned outages is they be can be cancelled for a number of reasons often at the last minute. The PowerCheck team wont actually know if the outage is going ahead until the computer system is updated at local level to say the outage has commenced and that that section of the network is now unavailable until the estimated restoration time


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