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INTERNET OF THINGS
APPLICATION EXAMPLES
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• The European Technology Platform for Electricity Networks for
the Future defines an SG as:
• “an electricity network that can intelligently integrate the actions
of all users connected to it—the consumers, the power
generators, and those that do both—in order to efficiently
deliver sustainable, economic, and secure electricity supplies.”
• A key element of an SG is a smart metering network that
enables automated metering capabilities on the customer side
(downstream).
• On the upstream, the utility acquires the capability for real-time
grid monitoring and for information processing of significant
network events; this includes fault detection, isolation, and
resolution.
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• Specifically, a smart metering network enables a utility
company to
• (i) remotely connect or disconnect power to individual customers,
• (ii) remotely or automatically update the grid configuration,
• (iii) collect power consumption data in variable time intervals
• (iv) modulate customer loads automatically during critical demand
periods.

• The SG is also able to automatically detect theft and is

able to notify the utility if a meter is tampered with.
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• The general goal is to monitor and control the
consumption of utilities-supplied consumable assets, such
as electricity, gas, and water.
• Utility companies deploy intelligent metering services by
incorporating M2M communication modules into metering
devices (“the thing”);
• These intelligent meters are able to send information
automatically (or on demand) to a server application that
can directly bill or control the metered resource.
• The ultimate objective is to improve energy distribution
performance and efficiency by utilizing accurate real-time
information on endpoint consumption.
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• Example of a smart flowmeter for a water utility
application
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI)
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• AMI can utilize a number of methods and communication
standards to communicate between physical service layers,
some combinations and/or refinements of existing
communication protocols are required.
• In previous slide a number of power line carrier (PLC)-based
communication approaches are
• Technically feasible, at the currently no such technologies and
protocols that have not reached the level of technical maturity
and cost competitiveness.
• Industry and/or standards organizations such as the European
Commission (EC) has given support to the following initiatives
for devices supporting :
• EC’s M/411 Smart Metering Mandate: The objective is to build
standards for European smart meters, allowing interoperability and
consumer actual consumption awareness.
• EC’s M/490 SG Mandate: The objective is to build standards for
European SGs.
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• The advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) is the electric
information service infrastructure that is put in place
between the end-user (or end device) and the power
utility.
• AMI is a system for implementing the SG (Smart Grid),
and it is the principal means for realizing DR (demand
response).
• Shipments of smart meter units were expected to
continue to grow.
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• The combination of the AMI meter and an appropriate
home area network (HAN) enables consumers
• to become aware of electricity consumption costs on a near real-time
basis
• to be able to monitor their energy usage;
• to manage their usage based on their financial metrics.
• To assist consumers manufacturers are designing products that contain
built-in communication systems that communicate with the HAN (and
the AMI meter).
• System having knowledge of the cost of electricity and of the consumer
preferences, these smart devices are able to manage appliances to
either defer operation or adjust the operating condition to reduce peak
energy demand.
• Peak reduction can save utilities money by helping them avoid the
construction of new peaking power plants or upgrading infrastructure;
that exist only to handle peak loads.
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Smart Metering/Advanced Metering

Infrastructure
• AMI complex system and HAN communication network should
preferably be based on a network technology that
• (i) utilizes open standards,
• (ii) is low cost
• (iii) consumes a minimum amount of energy
• (iv) does not require extensive new infrastructure.

• Metering devices are typically monitored and controlled by a

centralized entity outside or inside the network operator system.
• The centralized not only to control also entity will inform or poll the metering
device when it needs measurement information rather than the metering
device autonomously sending measurements.
• Depending on the nature of the metering application, low latency responses
are sometimes required (metering for high pressure pipelines, for example).
• To accomplish this, the centralized entity will need to inform the metering
device when it needs a measurement.
• Metering addressing is limitation of IPv4 address space and it is
desirable to utilize IPv6.