Seminar Nasional Ketenagalistrikan dan Aplikasinya

SENKA 2015

A Study of SMS Based and GPRS Based Remote

Switching System Performance for Electric Power
Distribution Network in Remote Areas
Muhammad Said Al Manshury, Guntur Supriyadi
PLN Research Institute
Jakarta, Indonesia
m.said@pln.co.id
AbstractThis paper presents a study on the comparative performance of SMS and GPRS as a communications media for remote
switching in remote areas. The research method used is quantitative method by taking samples and conduct tests on samples. Four
points of switching is taken in Payakumbuh and Lampung as samples, respectively 2 switching points. Result of the 4 switching points
shows that there are two switching points that use SMS have a higher success rate and there are two switching points using GPRS has a
higher success rate. This means the level of success depends on the quality of the signals and the cellular network at the location. As for
the duration of switching, switching system which uses GPRS has a faster duration of switching than switching system using SMS.
Keywords-remote switching, GPRS, SMS
Abstrak Penelitian ini melakukan kajian tentang perbandingan kinerja SMS dan GPRS sebagai media komunikasi switching pada
daerah terpencil. Metode yang digunakan adalah metode kuantitatif yaitu dengan mengambil sampel dan melakukan ujicoba pada sampel
tersebut. Sampel yang digunakan ada 4 titik switching yaitu di Payakumbuh dan Lampung, masing-masing 2 titik switching. Hasil dari ke 4
titik switching ini diketahui bahwa ada 2 titik switching yang menggunakan SMS memiliki tingkat keberhasilan lebih tinggi dan ada 2 titik
switching yang menggunakan GPRS memiliki tingkat keberhasilan lebih tinggi. Hal ini bisa diartikan bahwa tingkat keberhasilannya
tergantung dari kualitas sinyal dan jaringan seluler di lokasi tersebut. Sedangkan untuk durasi switching, sistem switching yang
menggunakan GPRS, memiliki durasi switching lebih cepat dibanding dengan sistem switching menggunakan SMS.
Kata kunci-switching jarak jauh, GPRS, SMS

I.

Switching on the equipment, such as Recloser and Load

Break Switch (LBS), which is done manually for remote areas
take a long time. It is because, to perform switching, the officer
must go to the location where the equipment is located,
especially if the location is quite far away. The
communications media available in remote areas is limited.
While radio communication is not simple due to frequency
license and the pilot cable or fiber optic are uneconomical,
communications media that easy to use and relatively cheap are
SMS communication and GPRS. This study will examine the
comparison between using SMS and GPRS for remote
switching system in remote areas.
II.

TABLE 1. HARDWARE SPECIFICATION

INTRODUCTION

REMOTE SWITCHING SYSTEM DESIGN

Switching system consists of hardware and software.

Hardware specification of remote switching system in this
study can be seen in Table 1, while the software specification
can be seen in table 2.

Hardware
Server

Type
Windows server

Modem
PC Lokal

CINTERION
TC65T
Mini desktop

Dummy

User defined

Function
- Hardware where software sistem
switching system software is run
- As event log storage media on
the sender side.
For sending and receiving SMS in
both the receiver and sender side.
As event log storage media on the
receiver side.
The controlled devices.

Seminar Nasional Ketenagalistrikan dan Aplikasinya

SENKA 2015

Flowchart of the software is described in figure 2 and figure

TABLE 2. SOFTWARE
Software
Delphi 7

Java

Function
As the interface on the sender
side
to
perform
control
commands and receives feedback
status from the client by using
SMS communication media.
As the interface on the receiver
side to receive control commands
and
forwards
the
control
command to the dummy and
transmit the status of the dummy
to the server using SMS
communication media.

3.
Explanation
Installed at server

Start

Intialize the modem :

Installed at Modem

The system is made has the following specification:

Communication Media: SMS/GPRS
Control Function:
Able to control the switch/relay;
Control can be done manually (by selecting the
equipment) or automatically (scheduled);
The control log along with the time is recorded in
the event logger (on both the server and the local
PC);
Monitoring Function
Obtain the status of the equipment when there is
change of status or status of equipment (sent if
requested by the server). Status is sent along with
the time;

Setting the parameter of port RS232

Setting the parameter of modem
Setting the periodic time for sending command via SMS

Periodic time has been

reached?

Send command via SMS

Save command event in the

logger

Changes of the status of the equipment along with

the time are recorded in the event logger (on both
the server and the local PC).

The system is made has the following restrictions:

Any new SMS?

The equipment is controlled using dummy

equipment;
The control system is text-based.
Y

A. Remote Switching System Design Using SMS

Remote switching system using SMS is a system that has
functions to control remotely from one place to the equipment
installed in other places and gets feedback on the status of the
installed equipment using SMS communication media.

Read the SMS

Save the event in the logger

Via

SM

Via

SM

PC Lokal
Via RS232
Modem

Provider

Modem
Via GPIO

Server

Module I/O
Digital Input

Digital Output

Switch

Switch

LED

LED

Figure 1. Remote switching system using SMS

Figure 2. Flowchart of remote switching system software

using SMS on the server side

Seminar Nasional Ketenagalistrikan dan Aplikasinya

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Start

Start
Intialize the modem :

Setting the clock

Setting the parameter of URC (Unsolicited Result Codes)
Setting the parameter of SMS
Setting the parameter of GPIO (General Purpose Input Output)

Intialize the modem :

Any incoming SMS atau

Any status change?

Setting the socket parameter in the server

Setting the polling parameter
Create socket connection at a port
T

SMS :
Check Status

SMS :
command ON

SMS :
command OFF

status change

SMS :
SMS :
command SHUTDOWN command RESTART

Check Status at
input

command ON at
output

command OFF at
output

Read status change

at input

SHUTDOWN
modem

RESTART
modem

Send status change

to server
via SMS

Send status to
server via SMS

Any request connection

from the client?

Setting the periodic time for

sending command

Send data to PC via RS232

End

Figure 3. Flowchart of remote switching system software

on the client side

B. Remote Switching System Design Using GPRS

Remote switching system using GPRS is a system that has
functions to control remotely from one place to the equipment
installed in other places and gets feedback on the status of the
installed equipment using GPRS communication media.

Via

R
GP

Via

GP
R

Periodic time has been

reached?

Send command to the client

PC Lokal

Save command event in the

logger

Via RS232
Terkoneksi ke internet
Dan memiliki IP public

Provider

Modem GPRS
Via GPIO

Server

Module I/O
Digital Input

Digital Output

Switch

Switch

LED

LED

Figure 4. Remote Switching System Design Using GPRS

Flowchart of the software is described in figure 4 and figure

5.

Any new data from

client?

Save the event in the logger

Figure 4. Flowchart of remote switching system software

using GPRS on the server side

Seminar Nasional Ketenagalistrikan dan Aplikasinya

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IV.

Start

The parameters will be compared are including the success

rate and duration of switching. To be able to calculate the
success rate and duration, the following switching data is
needed:

Intialize the modem :

DATA COLLECTING AND PROCESSING

Setting the clock

Setting the parameter of URC (Unsolicited Result Codes)
Setting the parameter of GPRS
Setting the parameter of GPIO (General Purpose Input Output)

Time command (control); and

Create connection to server

Time receive feedback (status).

Calculation of the rate of success is done by comparing the

number of feedback (status) that is successfully received by the
server and the total number of switching commands.

Any command from server or any

Status change ?

command POLLING

command ON

command OFF

Status change

POLLING the
modem

command ON at
output

command OFF at
output

Read status change

at input

command SHUTDOWN command RESTART

SHUTDOWN
modem

RESTART
modem

To calculate the switching duration, time tag of command

sent and command received are needed. The switching duration
is the lapse of the time when command sent and command
received.

Send status change

to server
via GPRS

SERVER

CLIENT (Modem)

T1

Send data to PC via RS232

Time command

End

Figure 5. Flowchart of remote switching system software

using GPRS on the client side

Dummy

Time receive
feedback
T3

III.

REMOTE SWITCHING SYSTEM

IMPLEMENTATION

For implementation, the equipments on the receiver side

should meet the following installation criteria:

Location is remote

Communication signal for SMS and GPRS is not

stable

220 VAC supply is available.

The data that has been collected is in 4 switching locations.

They are:

Batu hampar, Payakumbuh, West Sumatera;

Aur Kuning, Payakumbuh, West Sumatera;

Pring Sewu, Lampung; and

Metro, Lampung.

In each of these switching point, the switching equipments

(either using SMS or communications media that uses GPRS
communication media) are installed. So the number of
switching systems that will be processed there are 8 systems (4
switching systems using SMS communication media and 4
switching systems using GPRS communications media).

T = switching duration = T3- T1

Figure 6. The Calculation of Switching Duration

The processed data results information as shown on table 2
TABLE 2. RESULT OF PROCESSED DATA
BATU HAMPAR

AUR KUNING

PAYAKUMBUH
SMS

GPRS

SMS

GPRS

AVERAGE (second)

15,54

8,77

14,50

3,99

MIN (second)

12

10

MAX (second)

257

95

257

26

The number of control

2237

1114

4244

2207

Failure

32

41

62

50

Success

2205

1073

4182

2157

The percentage of
success

98,57%

96,32%

98,54%

97,73%

The percentage of failure

1,43%

3,68%

1,46%

2,27%

Seminar Nasional Ketenagalistrikan dan Aplikasinya

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PRING SEWU

communication media. It happened in Payakumbuh - Batu

Hampar and Payakumbuh - Aur.

METRO

LAMPUNG
SMS

GPRS

SMS

GPRS

AVERAGE (second)

14,25

3,53

14,84

3,74

MIN (second)

12

10

MAX (second)

58

15

254

26

The number of control

3317

3143

4745

3960

Failure

94

12

66

10

Success

3223

3131

4679

3950

The percentage of
success

97,17%

99,62%

98,61%

99,75%

The percentage of failure

2,83%

0,38%

1,39%

0,25%

The last two switching systems, on the table above, that

use SMS communication media have a lower success rate
compared to the switching system using GPRS
communication media. It happened in Lampung-Pring
Sewu and Lampung-Metro.

B. Switching Duration
The duration of the switching system using SMS compared
to GPRS is shown on Table 4 and Figure 8.
TABLE 4. SWITCHING DURATION

V.

ASSESMENT

SWITCHING DURATION (SECOND)

SMS

GPRS

Payakumbuh - Batu Hampar

15,54

8,77

Payakumbuh - Aur Kuning

14,50

3,99

Lampung - Pring Sewu

14,25

3,53

Lampung - Metro

14,84

3,74

A. Switching Success Rate

The success rate of switching systems that use SMS
communication compared to the switching system using
GPRS communications media is shown on table 3 and Figure
7.
TABLE 3. SWITCHING SUCCESS RATE COMPARISON
SWITCHING SUCCESS RATE

SMS

GPRS

Payakumbuh - Batu Hampar

98,57%

96,32%

Payakumbuh - Aur Kuning

98,54%

97,73%

Lampung - Pring Sewu

97,17%

99,62%

Lampung - Metro

98,61%

99,75%

Figure 8 Switching Duration Average

From the table and figure above, it is seen that all
switching system using GPRS communication media, has
shorter duration compared to the one using SMS. This is
because the system using GPRS communication media is
connection oriented communications system. It means the
communication a path between two end-terminals is
established built before the data is being sent.
VI.

CONCLUSION

From the comparison, it can be concluded that :

Figure 7 Switching Success Rate Comparison
The data above shows that:

The first two switching systems, on the table above, that

use SMS communication media have a higher success rate
compared to the switching system using GPRS

The success rate of switching system using SMS

communication or using GPRS communication depends on
the quality of the signals and the cellular network at that
location. Furthermore, to determine the switching system
which is most suitable for a given location, it is necessary

Seminar Nasional Ketenagalistrikan dan Aplikasinya

SENKA 2015

to measure the success rate of switching using SMS and

GPRS first.
Switching system using GPRS communication media, has
shorter duration compared to the one using SMS. Because
the system using GPRS communication media is
connection oriented communications system.

[9]

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