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Lora-Based Smart Meter Applications in the Real World

Plate type: Use Cases
Time: 2022.11.21
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As cities and businesses seek new ways to aid in monitoring and controlling various processes, the smart metering market feels the effects of the proliferation of connected technologies. IHS Markit predicted that by 2025, one-third of all meters would be replaced by smart meters, and the company estimates that more than 700 million smart meters were installed worldwide in 2018.


Utility meter monitoring was a manually intensive process performed by a trained technician. This was a very laborious and time-consuming operation. Short-range wireless devices were used for remote reading in the early days of connective solutions.


Typically, a technician would drive around an area or neighbourhood and pick up metering data on their mobile device as they passed. As a result, remote meter reading proved exceedingly challenging in crowded urban surroundings, inside and underground, limiting its use to rural and suburban areas.


Given the obstacles, many managers, owners, and organizations have turned towards an intelligent metering system built of LoRa devices because of its capacity to penetrate dense surroundings, both above and below the ground. Deployments of Lora module Smart Meters are discussed in this article.

 

What's a Smart Meter?

Smart meters are installed to keep tabs on how much power a building or home uses. One example is a smart water meter that, if installed on a building's main, can monitor water usage around the clock, allowing for more precise billing and faster problem resolution. Additionally, it can detect and report leaks.


Whether water, electricity or natural gas, digital metering systems' smart meter technology ensures that just what's needed is drawn from a given building. The ability to remotely manipulate the smart features is a significant selling point of such setups.

 

Precisely What is "Smart Metering"?

Smart metering is the real-time monitoring of power consumption using a digital readout. This procedure digitalizes the energy system, paving the way for more eco-friendly and effective electricity distribution. The energy use of specific home appliances, such as a kettle or washing machine, can also be monitored by a smart meter.

 

How Do Smart Meters Function?

Smart meters function the same way as conventional meters by monitoring the amount of energy, gas, or water used. Smart meter technology, however, has made them more economical, as it reports precise readings to the utility company, thus doing away with the need for anticipated energy bills. Your facility's meter readings are transmitted to your provider using a signal similar to that used by mobile phones.


Remotely, network operators can check intelligent meters for any signs of fraud, power outages, or leaks in the system. Moreover, smart meters document the daily, hourly, and yearly totals for electrical power or water consumption.

 

Real-World Uses of LoRa for Smart Metering

 

LoRa Smart water meter system

Water management and metering can be made more efficient with the help of LoRa Smart water metering solutions. In the next section, we'll discuss how LoRa technology might improve water pricing and metering.


Optimize meter reading

Automatic and wireless meter readings from Lora smart water meters eliminate the need for human meter readers in high-density, high-rise buildings.


Unusual water consumption

An individual's daily water use can be monitored with the help of a LoRa smart water meter. By keeping an eye on the numbers, we may spot outliers in water consumption, like pipe leaks at individual homes, and take prompt action to fix the problem.


Water supply management

The ability to collect and analyze large volumes of data is made possible by smart metering infrastructure, allowing utilities to improve resource management and production planning.


Customer service improvement

LoRa smart water meters allow a more in-depth analysis of consumption habits as a two-way communication channel between consumers and water providers.The utility may obtain this information in case of a problem or complaint, allowing them to precisely locate usage spikes or outages and, in turn, assist customers in finding leaks in their homes.


Water conservation promotion platform:

Customers can see exactly how much water they've used thanks to the LoRa smart water meter's clear display. The creation of water conservation programs is simplified for water providers and utilities.

 

Lora Energy Meter

 

The Lora Energy Meter's Pros:


Long range

Powerful long-distance grids made possible by LoRa Energy meters are needed to connect various measurement needs for smooth and efficient operation. The primary developments in the Internet of Things are LoRa appliances and the LoRaWAN protocol. They have the proven potential to advance state of the art in equipment and telecommunications at work now. LoRa Energy Meters provide a reliable and secure network that allows users to upload data to the internet and receive instant feedback from far away.


Data in real-time

Power users can track their usage and other metrics in real-time with the help of accurate data from LoRa energy meters. The LoRa application also enables users to monitor and manage many meter features simultaneously. Flow rates of both gas and water are accounted for. LoRa energy meters enable more efficient bill monitoring at a cheaper total cost of ownership.


High accuracy

All LoRa energy meters provide reliable and consistent data on consumption thanks to the LoRa ecosystem's centralized management. This facilitates monthly financial preparation and monitoring of consumer energy consumption and trash disposal. Because of this, monthly costs are reduced, and greener practices are encouraged.


Low power use

LoRa Power meters, which employ the ISM radio, have a low environmental impact. This is done so the detector's battery life can be extended to its full potential while keeping the device's price as low as possible. Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) is used by LoRaWan power meters to keep the minimal power status and maximize transmission range.


Frequency range

Regarding data transfer, LoRa power meters are up to the task. With minimal power, their broadcasts may cover distances of over 16 kilometers, making them ideal for remote areas. Limiting the bandwidth has this effect.

As dictated by physical theory, high-frequency transmissions necessitate either a boost in energy output or a narrowing bandwidth. Therefore, increasing frequency by decreasing bandwidth results in no loss of efficiency.


AES-encrypted user data

Authentication and package validity checks sent to the web server and complete data encryption forwarded to the user interface server are all handled by AES systems.

Provisioning for these two regions enables multi-tenant joint systems while limiting the network administrator's access to users' private data. This makes the LoRaWan power meter billing system more secure and convenient for customers.


Saves time and resources

LoRa energy meters are automated, unlike the conventional billing procedure, saving substantial time and effort. Because the data is transmitted wirelessly to the users' devices, these meters, for instance, eliminate the need for an installer to take meter readings. In addition, customers can add funds or modify their payment methods directly from their mobile devices.


Tracks infrastructure needs

LoRa energy meters aggregate user data for more precise demand forecasting by utilities. The power grid's reliability is improved due to improved decisions about electricity generation and distribution. Furthermore, power firms could save significant sums of money if they were more aware of the economic need for electricity.


Conclusion

One crucial part of the development of the energy industry is the introduction of Lora module Smart Meters. When more people have installed Lora module Smart Meters, utility firms can access more data and run more efficiently.