Wireless sensor networks for smart metering

Smart metering will change the way we assess and control energy consumption. The necessary two-way communication between energy utilities and smart meters yet requires further research. In particular, cheap, low-maintenance, and reliable alternatives to existing approaches must be analyzed. We believe that self-organizing wireless sensor networks are a promising candidate. In this paper, we perform a requirement analysis for smart metering using wireless sensor network technology; we propose an architecture including a set of protocols; and we conduct a real-world evaluation with a testbed of 64 smart meters. With regard to latency and network formation time, the system was able to fulfill the identified requirements. The results show that the attained reliability for some traffic patterns is low. Further analysis revealed the use of link-layer broadcasts for one-to-many communication as a cause.