Potential UK Smart Meter Wireless Network

Each Electricity and Gas meter contains one radio that is shared for HAN
Alistair.Morfey@CambridgeConsultants.com
and Last-Mile communications
31 Oct 2008
Meters in Flats Meters in Basement
Copyright Cambridge Consultants Ltd 2008
All rights reserved. HAN 3 = Channel 2 ? HAN 4 = Channel HAN 5 = Channel
Washing Energy 12 ? 7?
House Machine Display Washing Washing
Machine Machine
HAN 1 = Channel 5 ? Electricity Gas
Energy Meter Meter Energy Energy
PC
Display Display Display
HAN 2 = Channel 11 ?
Washing Washing Gas Gas
TV TV
Machine Machine Meter Meter

Electricity Gas Electricity Gas Electricity Electricity

Meter Meter Meter Meter Meter Meter

Channel 1
Last-Mile Network
Uses same wireless technology as HANs
White boxes are not owned by home owner. They are owned by an external
utility (e.g energy supplier or grid operator). They will be rolled out in a
revolutionary manner to many homes at once. Almost all homes will have
them.
Green boxes are owned by the home owner. They are developed and sold
Street Data
by the free market. Some homes will have them, others will not. They will
develop in an evolutionary manner. They are likely to contain wireless Concentrator
interfaces to allow communication with the White boxes. They will enable
Homes to make more intelligent energy decisions (Manually via a Display, Up to 1000
or automatically in a smart appliance such as the Washing Machine shown) houses ?
If the White boxes, Green boxes and Last Mile Data Concentrators all use
the same LAN network technology, then costs could be reduced. This would
mean that the wireless nodes are used for 3 types of communication :
1. White box to White box. Secure communications (could transfer credit or
commands to open or close a gas valve).
2. White box to Green box. Less secure. Needs to comply with data Energy Supplier’s Head
protection laws but cannot modify credit information. Note that the Green End processor
boxes should not be able to update any of the information in the White (regional or national)
boxes.
3. White boxes to Last-Mile Data Concentrator.
Ownership of networks and responsibility for their correct
operation is important.
This architecture provides a solution where the Utility is
Last-Mile Data responsible for the Last Mile Network. Each Home occupier is
Concentrator responsible for their own HAN. The Home occupier is able to
break their own HAN, but cannot break their neighbour’s HANs or
the Last Mile Network.
National Comm’s
This solution requires a wireless LAN technology that supports
multiple channels (at least 2). Every HAN must be on a different
channel from the Last Mile Network. Preferably neighbouring
HANs are on different channels (to reduce interference) but this
e.g GSM is not essential.
e.g GSM The E-meter and G-meter (both White boxes) must be able to
operate on both the HAN channel and on the Last Mile channel. If
the same radio could be used for both of these channels, it would
reduce cost and power consumption. It would also simplify
National
control strategies to prevent interference between the 2 channels.
Comm’s
The wireless LAN technology selected for UK Smart Meters
should be able to support the above functionality.