Transmissions from a smart meter could be intercepted, or more alarmingly, a hacker could issue commands to the meter and take control of utility systems. Without robust IoT security, every smart meter becomes a potential entry point for other devices on the network, and other devices could connect to the meter. While smart utilities open the door to massive savings and optimization opportunities, IoT devices can also create risk. Manufacturers and providers will need to choose connectivity solutions that can facilitate communication on a larger scale. Cellular network infrastructure is already globally deployed, offers high data throughput, and excellent indoor coverage.Īs utility and service providers strive to provide their customers with real-time data, maintain security, and implement new features, the data needs for smart utilities will continue to grow. So for gateways, cellular connectivity is the most popular solution. And since they receive data from many smart meters and then transmit it to an application, they have greater data needs. Gateways can be hardwired to a power supply, so they don’t need power-saving features or low-power networks. Most smart meters use M-bus, wireless M-bus, Zigbee, or LORAWAN networks to transmit and receive data to the gateway. As a result, they depend on low-power connectivity solutions that can penetrate dense materials. Smart meters are battery-powered, and often located indoors or underground. But smart utilities have unique connectivity needs, and often use a combination of solutions. Without a connection to a network, the devices, gateways, and applications can’t communicate.
This suite of Internet of Things (IoT) technologies depends on connectivity.
#SMART UTILITY SOFTWARE SOFTWARE#
In some cases, the software application can also transmit commands to a specific meter. Each gateway collects data from smart meters within a given area, then transmits that data to a software application. Smart meters use sensors to transmit data from the meter itself to a gateway. Smart utilities depend on several key pieces of technology. This enables predictive maintenance, preventing small problems from growing into expensive repairs or shutting down operations. With time-stamped usage data, smart utility software can analyze a customer’s resource consumption to recognize patterns and detect abnormalities humans can easily miss, such as efficiency loss from corrosion or mineral scaling. Smart submetering can also help building owners pinpoint problems and waste by isolating the abnormal usage to a specific unit or even piece of equipment (such as a cooling tower, sprinkler system, or boiler room).
A single instance like this can save millions of liters of water and thousands of dollars in waste and damage. The software can flag this abnormal usage so the building owner can solve the problem fast. If a business has a water leak or an open water valve, the software that retrieves the data from the building’s smart water meters can detect that the building is using an abnormal amount of water, taking into account the facility's normal water usage patterns. They also create significant savings opportunities for customers and providers alike. Smart utilities are vital to energy conservation efforts.
0 kommentar(er)
