Chameleon Technology: Smart-meter displays, connected gateways and property energy data

Chameleon Technology makes smart-meter displays and gateways, with Nexus services for household energy data, environmental monitoring and property portfolios.

Summary

Best for
UK smart-meter and housing projects needing consumption and environmental information.
Less suited to
A general-purpose Zigbee coordinator or an industrial Modbus gateway.
Deployment
In-home displays or gateways linked to compatible meters and Nexus services.
Data in
Smart-meter electricity and gas readings, with temperature and humidity on the gateway range.
Pricing
Pricing was not established from the reviewed technical sources; request a quote for the exact configuration.

Overview

Chameleon Technology develops the devices that make smart-meter information available inside homes and to connected services. Its current product range includes screenless gateways as well as in-home displays, with temperature and humidity measurements extending the application beyond consumption totals. The hardware is paired with the company's Nexus data platform.

There are two distinct onward-data choices. Nexus Stream delivers raw energy and environmental information into a customer's existing applications, while Nexus Portfolio adds a portal, analytics and proactive alerts. This distinction is useful for organizations that already operate their own platform and for those seeking an application supplied with the devices.

Offering

The in-home display range distinguishes IHD3, IHD7-CAD-PPMID and IHD7-VWAN. IHD3 provides consumption feedback and prepayment functions. IHD7-CAD-PPMID adds a 3.5-inch touchscreen and Wi-Fi CAD capability, while IHD7-VWAN addresses no-WAN or limited-WAN situations with its own supported connection workflow.

The gateway family also separates three installations. Gateway Connect uses built-in 4G for properties without dependable household broadband; Gateway Home uses Wi-Fi; Gateway Business targets automated-meter-reading equipment and is powered by the meter. Connect and Home also collect indoor temperature and humidity. The connection method and target meter estate therefore provide more useful selection criteria than choosing solely by enclosure size or whether the device has a screen.

Products and platforms

  1. Nexus Stream

    Data service

    API-first raw data delivery into customer platforms.9

  2. Nexus Portfolio

    Property analytics

    Multi-site portal, analytics and monitoring alerts.10

Technology

The IHD3 technical overview documents a Zigbee Smart Energy smart-meter home-area-network interface. Its CAD variant transfers readings to Chameleon's cloud services. This is a metering-specific role, separate from using a general home-automation coordinator to pair arbitrary Zigbee sensors.

For newer deployments, the gateway specification summary separates 4G and Wi-Fi backhaul and describes supported UK SMETS meter generations. Nexus Stream is an API-first delivery service for raw readings, whereas Nexus Portfolio processes and presents those readings. The reviewed product pages describe these service boundaries without publishing an unrestricted local API on every gateway.

Markets

Chameleon's damp and mould application uses continuous temperature and humidity information to help housing providers identify properties requiring attention. Gateway Connect's cellular connection is relevant where a resident does not have broadband or where the housing provider cannot depend on it. The information supports property monitoring rather than replacing a physical assessment of an affected home.

Nexus Portfolio extends the reporting view across multiple sites, with dashboards, utility-cost allocation and alerts about equipment behaviour. Nexus Stream instead suits energy suppliers, asset managers and service providers feeding their own applications. The company's wider market coverage also includes utilities, commercial property and academic research into household energy use.

Company

Chameleon Technology (UK) Limited was incorporated on 27 September 2010, according to its Companies House record. Its company overview also traces its smart-device activity to 2010 and describes the expansion from in-home displays into screenless gateways and the Nexus platform. The current contact details place the company in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.

The company describes work with major UK energy suppliers and research organizations including the universities of Oxford and Salford. Its engineering focus has expanded from presenting meter information to capturing environmental conditions and supplying data to business applications. The current portfolio retains the display families alongside that newer gateway and software activity, rather than treating the original display business as a discontinued predecessor.

Alternatives in power metering and monitoring

What to look for in power metering and monitoring

References

  1. Chameleon company background and current markets (opens in a new tab)
  2. Chameleon current Harrogate office (opens in a new tab)
  3. Chameleon Technology UK incorporation record (opens in a new tab)
  4. Gateway Connect consumer product page (opens in a new tab)
  5. Chameleon damp and mould monitoring (opens in a new tab)
  6. IHD3 technical overview and smart-meter interface (opens in a new tab) (PDF)
  7. Chameleon ivie app launch (opens in a new tab)
  8. Chameleon gateway variants and connection methods (opens in a new tab)
  9. Nexus Stream API-first data delivery (opens in a new tab)
  10. Nexus Portfolio analytics and portal (opens in a new tab)
  11. Chameleon IHD3 and IHD7 display variants (opens in a new tab)

This profile does not imply a commercial relationship with Chameleon Technology and may contain inaccuracies.