Conserve Power or Water with Wireless Smart Meters
Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) enables utilities to both monitor and control their distribution system. Classical one-way metering systems provide status and usage information, but utilities utilizing AMI can also deliver additional benefits to their customers. For example, water utilities can quickly eliminate leaks and conserve water with leak detection and remote valve control.
Traditional water meters read only water usage. They are simple, but have a number of problems that can be solved with AMI technology.
“Smart” meters using two-way radio modems not only solve the traditional problems with old meters, but enable many new services and features.
- Detect system failures. Broken pipes, wires, controllers, etc…
- Manage usage. With two-way communications, pumps, heaters, valves, and the like can be remotely managed.
- Access. No more need to invade on the privacy of customers, or compromise physical security just to read a meter.
- Frequent readings. There is not a cost difference to read the meter once a month or once an hour.
- Secure. Meter data is not publicly available.
Use DART Wireless Technology
DART was developed for M2M communications using conventional no-fee narrow-band radio channels. 12kH narrow-band radio channels are available around the USA and most countries. Narrow-band radio channels are free to use once a license is obtained. In the USA, the FCC fee is only a few hundred dollars for a license.
With DART, utilities can manage and monitor millions of devices on only a few radio channels. DART is the first data radio protocol optimized for the networking of things that can manage millions of nodes operating across one to a thousand base stations. A DART system can cover a city, or a country. A DART Master Gateway centrally controls the network, making it easy to manage and monitor.
And most important: DART narrow-band radio technology covers 100 times the area of a unlicensed ISM band type radio modem, and 10 times the coverage of a typical cellular modem, and with no monthly fees.
DART Advantages for AMI over Cellular Modems
AMI often utilize cellular modems to back-haul the data. Communicating with AMI on a private DART network has many advantages over public cellular-based solutions.
- Optimized for M2m. So SCADA and telemetry protocols work seamlessly with DART modems.
- No recurring or monthly fees. You own the DART network and the channels.
- Multicast and broadcast. You can easily send messages to groups of meters or all meters.
- Static addressing of all nodes. The address of every radio modem on a DART network is static.
- Custom Addresses. Users of a DART system may assign their own addresses to any or all wireless modems on their system.
- Long range. Narrow-band radio modems such as the ones used in DART networks can communicate over many miles and up to tens of miles.
- Longevity. It won’t go obsolete with the next generation of cellular.
