The prevailing wisdom is that the current public wireless 3G networks don’t have the capacity for data intensive smart grids.
SmartSynch says meter communciations have been 99.96 percent successful at an early Texas smart meter trial using AT&T's public wireless network
SmartSynch would like to prove the theory wrong. The maker of smart meters and network hardware says that an early stage trial in Texas is experiencing remarkable success transmitting date over the AT&T network.
The Jackson, MS, company said it has measured a “99.96 percent average daily read rate” in the 10,000 meter trial since last fall,
The trial, being conducted with Texas-New Mexico Power, is using the public network for the two-way transmission of energy-use data.
“During the last 10 months, we consistently achieved a near-perfect, uninterrupted read rate regardless of where the smart meter units were deployed,” said Neal Walker, vie president of operations at the Texas-New Mexico Power. “The success of this deployment completely validates using public wireless networks for residential smart metering,” added Stephen Johnston, SmartSynch’s CEO.
Many utilities have shied away from public networks for smart grid pilots, favoring privately managed alternatives or using powerline technology over existing electrical wires. Experts say this may change as 4G public networks are deployed, especially LTE networks.
The pilot has allowed utility technicians to remotely read meters, turn on and off service and obtain immediate notification of outages. The trials will be worth watching as 10,000 meters become hundreds of thousands or millions.
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