Hardware Replacement Policy

Hardware Replacement Policy

  • PURPOSE:
    This hardware replacement Policy outlines the procedures and guidelines for the replacement of Augos measurement hardware. The purpose of this hardware replacement policy is to establish clear guidelines and procedures for managing the lifecycle of the devices, ensuring reliable measurement, data integrity and minimal downtime.
  • SCOPE:
    This policy applies to all measurement hardware that was manufactured from 2013, and is owned, operated, or maintained by Augos, under our standard service agreement.
    Devices included under this policy are: 
  • Power Messenger - 3 Phase smart meter with cellular modem
  • Single Phase kWh meter - Lora or NB-IoT Communication
  • Three Phase kWh meter - Lora or NB-IoT Communication
  • Three Phase kWh/kVA meter - Lora or NB-IoT Communication
  • LoRa Base Station 
  • Sigfox, Lora or NB-IoT Sensor.
  • POLICY:
  • Service Agreement: 
  • Each device sold requires a signed service agreement and is subject to a monthly service fee. 
  • Service agreements that are past the initial period and have not been renewed for a set period will still be considered valid on a month-to-month basis. 
  • This policy is only applicable to devices with a signed service agreement.
  • Warranty: 
  • All measurement hardware carries a 24-month manufacturing defect, carry-in warranty. 
  • Carry-in refers to the fact that the customer is required to send in their suspected faulty hardware to our head office in Durbanville, Cape Town for testing. 
  • Tested hardware found to have manufacturing defects will either be repaired, or replaced if repair is not feasible. 
  • Where tested hardware is found to have sustained non-manufacturing related damage, Augos will quote on the required repairs, or replacement if repair is not feasible. 
  • The hardware can then be collected from our head office in Durbanville, Cape Town.
  • Hardware Fault Finding & Resolution Procedure:
  • When a hardware issue is suspected, the following procedure should be followed: 
  • Device Assessment: 
  • Augos support staff will first remotely assess the device and exhaust all potential remote resolution options.
  • If after step 1  the device is still not communicating, a physical on site assessment of the device is  required to determine the cause of the issue. The customer has multiple options here: 
  • Someone from the site can investigate the issue. Augos support staff will assist via phone, whatsapp and email to identify the issue and determine the required resolution. 
  • The customer can arrange an electrician that is familiar with the site to investigate the issue. Augos support staff will assist via phone, whatsapp and email to identify the issue and determine the required resolution. 
  • Augos support staff can quote the customer to send one of our technical teams to site to  investigate the issue and determine the required resolution. 
  • Authorisation: 
  • Once the faults have been identified, the required resolution procedure will be recommended to the customer. 
  • The repair or replacement of the hardware shall be authorised by a mutual agreement between both parties involved, according to this agreement. 
  • Fault Resolution: 
  • The repaired or replaced meter shall be installed by qualified personnel following industry best practices, either by one of our technicians, or a qualified person onsite/preferred electrician.
  • Cost Responsibility 
  • Off-Site Device Repairs & Replacements: 
  • Devices that fall within the 24-month warranty period, that have been tested and found to have manufacturing defects, will be repaired or replaced under warranty.  
  • Devices that are no longer covered by the 24-month warranty period will be tested, and the client will be quoted for the required repairs, or replacement.
  • Where tested hardware is found to have sustained non-manufacturing related damage, Augos will quote on the required repairs, or replacement if repair is not feasible, irrespective of the warranty period. 
  • On-Site Fault Finding, Repairs & Replacements:
  • On site device inspections, device removals, device re-installations, and courier costs will be borne by the customer, irrespective of warranty or service agreement periods.
  • Technological Obsolescence: 
  • Devices that were manufactured between 2009 and 2012 are no longer viable for repairs. Any hardware issues arising on these devices will require replacement of that device. 
  • 2G Network Sunset: 
  • 2G networks are being phased out in many countries. 
  • Devices that were manufactured between 2009 and April 2022 rely on the 2G network in order to publish measurement data to the Augos servers. 
  • Devices affected by the loss of 2G network can be sent in to our  head office in Durbanville, Cape Town. Augos will replace the required modem at a nominal fee to the customer.
  • Device removal, re-installation and courier costs will be borne by the customer. 
  • Devices manufactured from April 2022 have been fitted with 4G modems.
  • Data Transfer & Storage:
  • When a device is replaced, the new device is connected to all historic data. All measured data will therefore still be available after the meter replacement has been done.
  • Data lost during the period that the device was offline will not be recoverable. 
  • Where data is lost, a request can be made to the Augos support staff for a data interpolation to be done. This will not be an accurate representation of the lost data, but rather an estimation based on previously measured data to reduce the impact of long term data views.
  • Exclusions: Notwithstanding any provision of this agreement to the contrary, Augos does not assume responsibility for:
  • Service Provider Hardware: Meters not directly supplied by Augos but provided by Augos service providers are not covered under this hardware replacement policy. 
  • Customers should consult their service provider for their respective replacement policy.
  • Any device that does not have a signed service agreement will not be covered under the manufacturing defects warranty laid out in this policy.
  • Compliance:
  • Both parties shall agree to comply with this policy and related procedures.
  • Defective hardware will not constitute reason for non payment of any invoices. 
  • Any accounts that are in arrears will be brought up to date before any warranty claims will be processed. 


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