> US Smart Meters use RF to shout out their values everywhere like an RF beacon. A power company vehicle drives around the neighbourhood, collecting the values, storing them and moves on.
> Source: I did smart metering software for L+G.
How long ago? I believe that was how the earliest meters that did not require someone to actually look at the dials worked, but many or most have moved on.
For example the meters that Puget Sound Energy is in the middle of upgrading too (they did mine a couple months ago) (Landis+Gyr meter using their Gridstream RF system) form a mesh network to communicate with the mothership, which they describe thusly [1]:
> At the center of the Gridstream RF Mesh solution is a true mesh, peer-to-peer network where each endpoint, device and router communicate in a peer-to-peer fashion, extending the coverage and reliability of the network. The asynchronous, multi-channel communication structure allows for increased data throughput and opens more paths to the data collector.
> The self-healing network features dynamic routing messages that automatically adjust for changes to endpoints and the introduction of obstructions, such as foliage or new construction. System routers utilize one Watt of power to increase transmit distance and throughput, while data collectors support up to 25,000 meters, further minimizing infrastructure and maintenance costs.
The documents tab on that page has PDFs with product sheets for the various components (endpoints, collectors, routers).
The previous meters PSE used looked like traditional analog meters, but my account page at PSE showed my daily usage, updated daily, so they definitely had some kind of remote reading capability. I'm sure it was not someone driving around the neighborhood daily because it continued updating even whenever weather made it so it was very difficult to get a vehicle into my area for several days. I don't know if those were a mesh network--they were installed sometime in the very early 2000s I believe which seems a little early for that. Could have been cellular or power line networking. I know that both of those techniques have been used fairly widely--I just don't know what my particular meter was using.
The RF stuff is old, I didn't touch those that much. Americans had their own systems, did hear the stories though.
Meshnets are the newer system, but still use RF and have their own issues (like car keyfobs in the same frequency either freezing completely or randomly opening/locking car doors :D)
> Source: I did smart metering software for L+G.
How long ago? I believe that was how the earliest meters that did not require someone to actually look at the dials worked, but many or most have moved on.
For example the meters that Puget Sound Energy is in the middle of upgrading too (they did mine a couple months ago) (Landis+Gyr meter using their Gridstream RF system) form a mesh network to communicate with the mothership, which they describe thusly [1]:
> At the center of the Gridstream RF Mesh solution is a true mesh, peer-to-peer network where each endpoint, device and router communicate in a peer-to-peer fashion, extending the coverage and reliability of the network. The asynchronous, multi-channel communication structure allows for increased data throughput and opens more paths to the data collector.
> The self-healing network features dynamic routing messages that automatically adjust for changes to endpoints and the introduction of obstructions, such as foliage or new construction. System routers utilize one Watt of power to increase transmit distance and throughput, while data collectors support up to 25,000 meters, further minimizing infrastructure and maintenance costs.
The documents tab on that page has PDFs with product sheets for the various components (endpoints, collectors, routers).
The previous meters PSE used looked like traditional analog meters, but my account page at PSE showed my daily usage, updated daily, so they definitely had some kind of remote reading capability. I'm sure it was not someone driving around the neighborhood daily because it continued updating even whenever weather made it so it was very difficult to get a vehicle into my area for several days. I don't know if those were a mesh network--they were installed sometime in the very early 2000s I believe which seems a little early for that. Could have been cellular or power line networking. I know that both of those techniques have been used fairly widely--I just don't know what my particular meter was using.
[1] https://www.landisgyr.com/product/gridstream-rf-2/