"Ron D." writes:

Electric meters are likely a Zigbee (peer to peer) network and eventually communicate via a cell phone data stream. The meters are TWO-WAY. The power company can disconnect power remotely.

Water meters have batteries. Supposedly they are "truck" activated and only talk back when prompted. Yes, they have a battery.

The gas meters, I don;t know, but they may operate the same way as the water meters. They contain batteries.

The big stupidity in PGE-land is while the line-powered KWH
meters do peer-to-peer to the node with cell backhaul; the gas
meters, on battery power, must talk straight to a node...needing
far more power.
--
A host is a host from coast to
& no one will talk to a host that's close..........................
Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433
is busy, hung or dead....................................20915-1433