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ALFA support

In the ALFA FAQ section, you will find quick and detailed answers to the most frequently asked questions regarding our ALFA products and services.

FAQ

To monitor energy consumption with ALFA, you must have installed the new generation 2.0 Open Meter meter.

All the details of the ALFA START app can be found by clicking here.
You can find the video tutorial on its use by clicking here .

Yes*, ALFA is able to provide timely information on the production of the photovoltaic system and energy flows, thus helping you to find the optimal behavior for your self-consumption.

*with both single-phase and three-phase low voltage meters, it currently works with a single production meter.

The app is available on Google Play and App Store. Download it by clicking here.

The activation times, after the request via ALFA START, depend on the distributor.
In our experience they vary from a few hours to a couple of days. In case of some problems not dependent on us, it can be up to 5/6 weeks. For longer times, we invite you to contact assistance for any checks with the distributor.

The only cost involved is that of the ALFA device, no further expenses or subscriptions are necessary.
The use of the ALFA START app and the insertion of the data required to activate the service will not give rise to any change in the contract either with the distributor or with the energy seller.

Having a 2.0 OPEN METER installed is a necessary condition to make the operation of ALFA possible.
However, not all electricity distributors have completed the preparation of their systems for the activation of the communication service between the meter and ALFA. Check it by downloading ALFA START.

We recommend that you do this check before purchasing ALFA.
To do it you need to download the ALFA START app and follow the instructions also shown in the video tutorial on the GUIDE page.

Generally speaking, if your POD starts with IT001, IT250, IT005, IT012, IT006 it means that the service can be activated by the distributor and therefore you can use ALFA.

Se il vostro POD non inizia per uno dei codici appena elencati, il vostro distributore ora non è ancora pronto ad attivare il servizio ma lo sarà a partire dall’anno prossimo.

Seguici sui nostri canali social per rimanere aggiornato sui nuovi distributori abilitati.

In order to allow you to carry out a preliminary check of the availability of the service on your electricity meter, we have decided to release an app for the sole activation of the service. Through this, even without having ALFA, you can check the availability of the service and subsequently proceed with the purchase.
ALFA START is the name of the app and it is available on Google Play and App Store.

Your consumption will be read directly from your meter and ALFA will return it to you without any margin of error.

No! ALFA works simply: once the CHAIN2 service is activated with ALFA START, just insert it into the electrical socket and connect it to Wi-Fi via the app.

First you need to carry out a few simple steps: download ALFA START, insert the POD of your meter and wait for the service to be enabled between the meter and the energy distributor.
To collect the data from the meter and to carry out the first synchronization with our cloud, ALFA will take from a few seconds to a maximum of 15 minutes.

Yes! It will be sufficient to equip each home with an ALFA device to be inserted into any socket in the home you want to monitor. You will thus be able to control the consumption of multiple homes from a single app.

Just one product is enough. Once the installation is completed, you will be able to monitor, via a single app, electricity consumption and information on the production of the photovoltaic system and the building's energy flows.*

*Attention, ALFA supports only one production counter

It will be possible to see the inputs into the grid and the consumption understood as withdrawals from the electricity grid. This data is provided by the exchange counter.
It will not be possible to identify self-consumption as the production data will be missing.

ALFA will not be able to read the data of Plug & Play balcony photovoltaic systems because they do not have a new generation production meter.

To collect the data from the meter and to perform the first synchronization with our cloud, ALFA will take approximately one hour

You need to create a profile directly from the ALFA Start app.
The credentials used for the site are not valid to access the ALFA Start app. Instead, the ALFA Start credentials are the same ones to be used in the ALFA app for data visualization.

Insert the POD as suggested by the ALFA Start app.
Generally the production POD consists of the code ITP0AE, in the case of e-distribution, followed by the same numerical digits as the main or exchange POD.

The POD code is also present on your documentation with the GSE, alternatively you can contact your distributor.

If the pairing (coupling between ALFA and Wi-Fi) is not successful, you need to make sure you have granted permissions to use Bluetooth and GPS (or localization) to the ALFA Start application before installation.
If permissions were not granted when installing the ALFA Start app, we strongly recommend installing the ALFA Start application again, taking care to grant these permissions.
You must also make sure that your WI-FI connection is in the 2.4Ghz band. ALFA is not compatible with the 5GHz WI-FI frequency band.

No, you need to make sure that your WIFI connection is in the 2.4Ghz band. ALFA is not compatible with the 5GHz WI-FI frequency band.

When the outcome of the request is negative, we must note that the service cannot yet be activated in your area or that your distributor does not yet allow the activation of the Chain2 service.
We recommend that you try activating your POD again in a few months via the ALFA START app.

We are sorry to note that the service cannot yet be activated in your area, the situation could change in the coming months.
To return the device, write an email to our service to receive the steps to follow.

Following the report to assistance, a check will be carried out and a ticket will be opened at the distributor, as the meter does not send data or sends incomplete data.
We will update you once we receive a response from the distributor.

Certainly! ALFA will warn you in time of your excessive consumption via notifications or messages within the app itself.

It is sufficient that ALFA is connected to the Wi-Fi network and to the same electricity network as the meter.
There are no distance restrictions, even if the meter is outside the building.

The connection between ALFA and the meter occurs thanks to "Power Line" technology (which uses the electricity grid), this allows operation even over long distances and does not require Wi-Fi coverage up to the meter.

* La qualità del segnale può essere degradata dal numero di derivazioni della linea elettrica che intercorrono tra il contatore e ALFA, oppure dai disturbi elettrici anomali che possono essere causati dalla presenza di dispositivi connessi alla rete che inquinano il segnale.

It uses "Power Line" technology, data travels through electrical current.

ALFA works with all the new 2.0 Open Meter meters, both single-phase and three-phase as long as they are low voltage.
In the case of a three-phase meter, insert ALFA into a socket on phase T.

The power absorbed by ALFA reaches a maximum of 1.2W.

ALFA listens on the power line and sends data to the cloud in real time whenever it receives it from the meters. The operation of ALFA follows the operating logic of the Chain2 protocol which determines the rules for data communication in 2.0 Open Meter meters. The meter does not always send the instantaneous power if there are no variations in the load: generally the communication takes place if there is a significant variation in the load, or every quarter of an hour in constant load situations.

There won't be any problem. ALFA uses the C band, while the devices found on the market work on other bands and must still guarantee the operation of other devices regardless.

ALFA tutorial

ALFA's Video Tutorial section offers detailed and precise guides on our products and services, making them accessible to everyone.

Select a shortcode

If you still have questions, contact us:

Documents

For detailed information on each product and service, visit the corresponding section in our online shop.
Here you will find the complete documentation within the page of each article.