For smart meters, precise engineering yields optimal results. In the case of battery-powered meters, which often need to function in the field for a decade or longer, it&#;s essential to keep power consumption at a minimum. With many hardware and connectivity options on the market today, smart meter designers face a host of decisions. Here&#;s a look at some of the most critical smart meter design considerations to clear the confusion.
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7 Factors for Designing Smart Meters
1. Technology Longevity
When designers choose technology for their smart meters, they want to rest assured that the device will still connect in 10 or 20 years. Unlicensed providers of wireless wide-area networking such as LoRaWAN make that promise, contrasting their offering with the constantly changing world of cellular standards. While that&#;s a powerful story, it&#;s important to remember that cellular technology stays in place for many years, even as new standards emerge. For example, 2G was introduced in the s, but it&#;s still operational almost 30 years later. Today&#;s cellular standards will continue to be supported in the long term, making cellular LPWA a safe and viable choice for smart meter designs. Cellular LPWA operates on licensed spectrum and is governed by 3GPP standards adopted by mobile network operators worldwide.
2. Security
Since they deal with personal and sensitive data, utilities are very attentive to security concerns. While some hardware options promise to reduce power consumption, it&#;s essential to weigh those advantages against potential security threats. In IoT networks, devices are only as secure as the weakest link in their hardware and software components. Integrators should work with trusted hardware and connectivity providers that can offer proven track records to minimize vulnerabilities. They should also note government security requirements in regions where they plan to deploy. For example, some countries have specific rules for smart meters around security; in some other countries, there are bans and restrictions for mission-critical infrastructure applications such as smart meters.
3. Connectivity
Cellular LPWA suits the connectivity needs of smart meters. The choice of the right technology under its umbrella involves considerations regarding the data rate required by the smart meter application (both in normal operation and in the case of firmware over-the-air upgrades) and the geographical deployment area.
Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is capable of supporting tens of kilobits per second (Kbps) (up to over one hundred in case of NB2), while LTE-M (Cat M1) can support several hundreds of Kbps. In terms of geographical coverage, integrators should look at which technology is available in the countries where they plan to deploy and whether it&#;s wise to have a fallback connectivity option (such as 2G) if coverage is lacking in some locations. In general, cellular connectivity is available worldwide, while deployments of unlicensed technologies are region-specific.
4. Power Consumption
For battery-powered smart meters, power consumption is one of the most significant design considerations. There are several ways to optimize smart meter devices to minimize power consumption over time. Hardware is one factor &#; some chipsets and modules use more power than others, so it&#;s crucial to look closely at options, particularly noting how much energy is expended when the device is in deep-sleep idle.
Cellular LPWA offers additional strategies for reducing power consumption with operation design. LTE-M (Cat M1) and narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) include two features that can reduce consumption and stretch battery life, Power Saving Mode (PSM) and extended Discontinuous Reception (eDRX). PSM allows the smart meter to go into sleep mode when it isn&#;t actively transmitting or receiving data. eDRX is useful in case the smart meter device needs to be reachable at any time while still allowing some latency.
Once you have the above covered, it&#;s crucial to scrutinize your candidate wireless modules&#; power consumption specifications. Review vendor-published specifications to shortlist vendor options and then obtain empirical data on power measurements made at their labs and these measurements&#; conditions. This review is critical because, even though all wireless chipsets must comply with strict standards and protocols, different vendors achieve these standards with varying design strategies and technologies, which result in materially different power consumption performance.
5. Module Size
The size of the module is another design consideration, with many integrators opting for small modules. Gas and water meters are often very compact and integrated with manufacturing, making module size an important factor. Several newer form factors on the market, such as the Telit xE310 product family, are ideal for compact smart meter applications.
6. Coverage
Signal coverage is another essential consideration for smart meter designs. Some meters may be deployed underground or within buildings, while others will need coverage in remote areas worldwide. Integrators should investigate coverage in the areas they hope to deploy and determine which technologies will yield the most reliable connectivity. For example, NB-IoT and Cat M1 have coverage enhancement techniques to provide better coverage than higher 4G categories if devices are deployed underground or indoors.
7. Latency
Smart meters have distinctive needs. Unlike smartphones and similar devices, they don&#;t need to send and receive large amounts of data, and they don&#;t always need to be reachable. In this realm, long latency is allowable and can contribute to power optimization. Designers must determine how often their meters need to check in with the network and send data &#; whether that&#;s once a day or once a week &#; and then decide whether the devices will be available on demand or only able to check in at appointed times. For cellular devices, this determines whether PSM or eDRX can be used to save power. eDRX allows designers to have the best of both worlds &#; the ability to conserve energy in sleep mode while retaining the ability to summon them as needed. There will still be some latency with eDRX, and the more latency is acceptable, the more power the device will save.
The Need for Precise Engineering
How can a microamp make a decade of difference in battery life? The idea seems incredible, but such design precision yields exponential benefits over time. Today&#;s smart meter integrators perform a delicate dance of trade-offs between hardware, functionality and connectivity standards to create battery-powered meters that can see successful deployment for 10 years or longer. Telit&#;s portfolio of low-power cellular modules, global connectivity options and engineering design resources we offer from 20 years of enabling the utility industry can help you design a solution to extend device battery life materially and ensure the longevity of function for smart meters.
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The world is getting smarter. Long before the internet of things (IoT) was here, phones were the only way we could easily connect with the world. They made and received calls and texts, and that was about it. Then the internet connected the hardware in your hand to an enormous web of devices, people, and information. Ask your almost any question, and it has the answer. That's pretty smart.
IoT hardware design brings this smart revolution into the built environment. Smart building technology makes the unseen visible and allows us to ask some powerful questions: how is your building consuming energy? What is the risk of a water leak or equipment failure? What is in the air you're breathing?
What Is IoT Hardware?
An IoT hardware platform includes any electronic device that connects a "thing" to the internet. So, for example, if the thing you want to monitor is air quality, the hardware consists of the air monitoring sensing modules, the processing module, and power management modules.
What Sets Apart One IoT Device From Another?
With so many choices on the market, finding the right IoT device can be challenging. To make sure you get the most from your IoT solutions, consider these five requirements.
1. Smooth Network Connectivity
An IoT device without a reliable network connection has fallen at the first hurdle. But the type of connection depends on the project's requirements. You should consider:
- How far your smart device needs to transmit data
- The expected volume, speed, and frequency of the data
- Whether the hardware component is mobile or stationary
Most IoT devices will use a combination of Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, RFID, and LPWAN technology. Fixed devices in automated homes and smart buildings can use a wired connection.
Some IoT hardware devices will store data in the module and connect intermittently to the servers. But other IoT solutions, like real-time energy monitoring, need a continuous connection.
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For example, indoor air quality (IAQ) monitoring in the workplace may require an immediate response. You will want to fix an issue as soon as possible and not wait hours or days for results. Any delay could mean unhappy or sick tenants, employees, or other occupants. An IoT platform that prioritizes smooth connectivity for real-time updates avoids this risk.
2. Quality Array of Sensors
Sensors are the eyes of an IoT platform. Without them, your system is blind. When choosing your sensing modules, you'll need to consider what you want to measure and the accuracy of sensor readings.
Using the latest technological advances, Senseware's IAQ sensors detect particle pollution with organic compounds as small as 0.3 micrometers. Such specific readings ensure you comply with regulations and meet environmental standards. And they give you confidence in your IoT application.
Be ready to think big and scale up. At first, you may only require CO2 sensors. But what happens when you need to monitor bioaerosols to prevent infection? Or if you need protection from mold growth with real-time temperature and humidity readings?
New technology and changing standards can quickly outpace your system. Already, the industry has developed air pollution sensors for particulate matter, volatile organic compounds, formaldehyde, ozone, and carbon monoxide.
To retrofit your IoT platform, flexibly update your solution with the next generation of sensors, and ensure the highest possible data quality, your best bet is to use modular IoT hardware.
3. Strong Processor and Processing Power
Powerful sensors need a robust processor module. The more sensors connected to your system and the higher resolution of the data, the greater your processing needs will be.
Low volumes of raw data in a wired and connected device can be sent upstream to a server for processing. But high volumes of complex data must be processed and analyzed at or close to the source. This is the case for common industrial IoT solutions like real-time fault detection and real-time HVAC monitoring.
In IoT systems, the local modules are known as the "edge." Instead of waiting for the data to be sent to a centralized store or uploaded to the cloud, data is processed and analyzed more efficiently at the edge. Therefore, your IoT hardware modules must have sufficient processing power to meet your requirements.
4. Efficient Digital and Physical Signal Sharing
A digital transformation platform is all about turning analog signals &#; like temperature, humidity, and movement &#; into digital data. The software analyzes these digital signals and can send automated instructions to change the physical environment. Therefore, IoT products must be able to flexibly and efficiently switch between digital and physical signals.
The best IoT hardware solutions will be able to capture data from a wide range of existing meters, devices, and equipment. This allows them to support modern and legacy infrastructures and future-proofs the hardware platform for the latest development in sensors and modules.
5. Great Software With Low Power Consumption
So you've got world-class sensors, faultless connectivity, and strong processing power. But all this fantastic hardware is wasted without great software.
IoT hardware design should integrate seamlessly with its software. And cobbling together third-party hardware can create significant inefficiencies with data conditioning and cleaning. To avoid these pitfalls, consider a platform of integrated IoT products that pair hardware to cloud core software.
More data, sensors, and connectivity make for a better user experience. But a complex system demands more power and creates more heat. So IoT software must be optimized for low power consumption. In addition to being lightweight, IoT products should contribute to sustainability and use low-power modes effectively.
Invest in Indoor Air Quality Monitoring With Capable IoT Hardware
The industrial IoT is making the world smarter, safer, and greener. Meanwhile, IAQ has risen up the environmental, social, and governance agenda. COVID-19 has made everyone aware of the threats posed by airborne pathogens. But even before this, building stakeholders knew that poor indoor air quality in commercial buildings, offices, and schools negatively impact health and wellbeing.
Senseware is a sensor-based technology platform with 43 patents and offers the only customizable indoor air quality solution on the market. Senseware uses the latest developments in hardware and sensors to provide the best real-time monitoring. Learn more about how Senseware is helping industry leaders stay connected to their spaces.
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