A Perspective on Wireless M-Bus for Smart Electricity Grids

Abstract

The Internet of Things (IoT) enables long-range outdoor networks, such as smart grid and municipal lighting, as well as short-range indoor systems for smart homes, residential security, and energy management. Wireless connectivity and standardized communication protocols become an essential technology baseline for these diverse IoT applications. The focus of this work is wireless connectivity for smart metering systems. One of the recent protocols in this field is Wireless M-BUS, which is being widely utilized for remote metering applications across Europe. Therefore, in this paper, we detail a novel multi-platform framework designed to serve as a data generator for the protocol in question. The developed software allows to construct Wireless M-Bus telegrams with a high level of detail according to the EN 13757-4 specification and then schedule them for periodic transmission. The evaluation of the data generator is done in real scenario by using previously developed prototype equipped with IQRF TR72DA communication module acting as a smart meter with implemented software framework. As a result, the evaluation of communication distance between the developed Wireless MBus prototype and commercial gateway was tested in case of indoor scenario at Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication.