Cc Uk.smart.meter.network.081031

Potential UK Smart Meter Wireless Network [email protected] 31 Oct 2008

Each Electricity and Gas meter contains one radio that is shared for HAN and Last-Mile communications Meters in Flats

Copyright Cambridge Consultants Ltd 2008 All rights reserved.

HAN 3 = Channel 2 ? Washing Machine

Energy Display

Electricity Meter

Gas Meter

House HAN 1 = Channel 5 ? PC

Energy Display

Meters in Basement HAN 4 = Channel 12 ?

HAN 5 = Channel 7?

Washing Machine

Washing Machine

Energy Display

Energy Display

HAN 2 = Channel 11 ? Washing Machine

TV

Washing Machine

TV

Gas Meter

Gas Meter

Electricity Meter

Gas Meter

Electricity Meter

Gas Meter

Electricity Meter

Electricity 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 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 interfaces to allow communication with the White boxes. They will enable Homes to make more intelligent energy decisions (Manually via a Display, or automatically in a smart appliance such as the Washing Machine shown) 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 :

Ownership of networks and responsibility for their correct operation is important.

Street Data Concentrator Up to 1000 houses ?

This architecture provides a solution where the Utility is responsible for the Last Mile Network. Each Home occupier is 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.

Last-Mile Data Concentrator

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 is not essential.

e.g GSM e.g GSM

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 protection laws but cannot modify credit information. Note that the Green boxes should not be able to update any of the information in the White boxes. 3. White boxes to Last-Mile Data Concentrator.

Energy Supplier’s Head End processor (regional or national)

National Comm’s

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 control strategies to prevent interference between the 2 channels. The wireless LAN technology selected for UK Smart Meters should be able to support the above functionality.