DO YOU THINK ABOUT HOW:
REDUCE THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS?
SOLVE READING WITHOUT THE NEED TO ENTER PRIVATE BUILDINGS, APARTMENTS AND GARDENS?
MONITORING CONSUMPTION IN REAL TIME?
DID YOU EVER THINK THAT YOU CAN OFFER VALUE-ADDED SERVICES TO END CUSTOMERS?
The system of remote readings of water consumption can be used not only for measuring consumption and controlling water consumption, but also for other media such as electricity, heat, cold or gas. This automated system enables remote data collection, detection of unauthorized consumption or faults at the consumer. And all this without the need of a personal visit to the collection point.
MAIN BENEFITS OF REMOTE READING OF WATER CONSUMPTION
readings can be performed without entering objects
clarification of invoicing and reduction of the number of complaints
detecting losses in the water supply system and reducing the difference between produced and invoiced water
early detection of zero consuption
minimization of leaks on internal distribution systems in large areas
online monitoring of consumption on a PC or using a mobile application
ADVANTAGES OF THE REMOTE READING SYSTEM OF WATER CONSUMPTION METERS FOR INDIVIDUAL CUSTOMER SEGMENTS
FOR WHOLESALE
– these customers usually require invoicing once a month, but are interested in ON-LINE monitoring of their own consumption of min. 24 times a day. They also require an alarm system to alert them in time to possible accidents or leaks.
● online information on consumption or emergencies
● data and graphic processing of consumption analysis
● on-line supervision of consumption in large areas
● elimination of large water leaks
FOR MEDIUM CUSTOMERS
(eg housing cooperatives)
– these customers usually require invoicing once a month, but may be interested in monitoring their own consumption, or the possibility of a higher frequency of readings (eg once a day)
● online information on consumption or emergency situations
● monitoring of non-standard conditions with immediate warning
● elimination of large leaks in the event of an absence
● remote readings without the need for the customer
FOR SMALL CUSTOMERS
– family houses
– these are customers with low consumption, but in high numbers, and with the need to read 1-2 times a year
● remote readings from hard-to-reach shafts
● remote readings without the need to enter private land
● Early detection of attempts to tamper with meters
TECHNOLOGY
Radio technologies are suitable for the implementation of remote readings from a large area, which enable the coverage of large areas of cities and municipalities, where there is a large number of energy and water meters. We are in a period of rapid development of these technologies, which use different principles of communication, different protocols and different ways of using the frequency spectrum.
WACOSYSTEM WACO TECHNOLOGY IN THE 169 MHz band
allows 24 or more meter readings per day, so it is suitable for medium-sized customers and large customers,
ie. with the need for a relatively high frequency of readings.
TECHNOLOGY WACOSYSTEM SIGFOX 868 MHZ and NARROWBAND IOT
they are suitable for customers = small customers, when 1-2 readings per year are needed, in reality the modems send up to twice a day, which provides the operator with information about the functionality of the system and enough data for analysis of consumption of individual customers.
ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS FOR THE OPERATION OF REMOTE READING TECHNOLOGY
● The typical location of the water meter is in the shaft in front of the house or in the basement of the house. In the vast majority of cases, these places are without the possibility of power supply and with limited access.
● The service life of the technology must allow operation for 6 + 1 years in order to cover the service life of the meter = water meter.
● The technology must meet the conditions of operation in an environment of IP65 to IP68.
● Technology must allow two-way communication.
SOLUTIONS USED
AMR CEM2 APPLICATIONS:
The CEM2 system consists of two parts:
I. CEM SMART application for processing remote readings of electricity, gas, heat and water meters
II. technology of remote readings of electricity, gas, heat and water meters
CEM2 application – extended variant:
● records of objects, owners, tenants, users
● creating mutual connections between objects, persons and companies
● display of read data in graphs and tables in various time intervals
● meter management, creation, changes and cancellations, the ability to enter manual readings, editing survey values
● generating reports for superior accounting and information systems, invoice attachments for customers
● profile settings for individual user groups
● secure communication
● setting of consumption limits – with the possibility of generating alarms with sending e-mail or SMS to selected persons
● integration of data and WALK-BY systems
CEM SMART – BACKEND SERVER APPLICATION
The BACKEND server serves as a universal interface converter between the network communication infrastructure and the operator’s information applications. The main task of the north is to provide contractual partners with data coming from the radio modules of various systems via either base stations (gateways) or foreign backend servers. This data is provided in the form of raw data as it comes from various technologies. The data has a uniform form. Based on the BACKEND configuration, the server decides to whom to send the data. The BACKEND server contains an extension for user configuration.
CONCEPT OF REMOTE READING USING SIGFOX, NB-IOT AND RF 169 MHZ TECHNOLOGIES
INVESTMENT AND OPERATING EXPENSES
We recommend comparing costs on the basis of clearly defined and comparable parameters of remote readings of water meters and other meters:
● availability of 99% reading service (outdoor and indoor coverage)
● meters (water meters) will be equipped with sensors that will provide a pulse output on the cable (MBUS protocol can also be considered, without a significant impact on costs)
● feasibility of 24 readings per day
● battery life of RF module 6 + 1 year (7 years)
● the possibility of replacing the battery after 7 years and deploying the modules in the second life cycle of 7 years
● possibility of two-way communication
● possibility of online data transfer
● training of responsible employees, customer support and supervision of RF modules
● on-site service
● prices of RF modules
● Speed and ease of installation
INDIVIDUAL COMMUNICATION SOLUTIONS
169 MHz TECHNOLOGY WITH WIRELESS MBUS PROTOCOL
WMBUS
Wireless MBUS is currently the standard in Europe and the mentioned technology was directly implemented as a part of measuring devices, mainly residential water meters in the 868 MHz frequency band. It is used for local communication and data collection in various buildings where there is a high density of meters. Data is usually read using WalkBy systems, less often using local fixed networks.
The 169 MHz band is used for outdoor use. This is due to the fact that transmitter power of up to 0.5 W (+27 dBm) can be used. In this case, data transmission can be performed over distances of the unit up to tens of kilometers. The 169 MHz band is earmarked for telemetry throughout the EU and is not subject to frequency planning. With the help of this technology, projects of area data collection from large areas were implemented in the Czech Republic. Examples are the town of Sokolov, Cheb, Mariánské Lázně, Kutná Hora, Hradec Králové or Prague.
TECHNOLOGy SIGFOX IN 868 MHz BAND
The UNB (Ultra Narrow Band) SIGFOX technology uses a transmission power of + 14dBm (25 mW) and achieves a receiver sensitivity of around -150 dB. The transmission time for the transmission of one message is 6 s, with a maximum message content of 12 bytes, which significantly affects energy consumption and battery life. The transmission time is affected by a very low communication speed, which is around 300 Hz.
TECHNOLOGIE NARROWBAND IOT
NARROWBAND
NB-IoT is a new wireless narrowband LPWA technology specially developed for the Internet of Things in the GSM and LTE bands. NarrowBand provides:
– coverage of a large area and, where appropriate, buildings
– support for a massive number of devices
– very low price of terminal equipment and their energy consumption
– optimized network architecture
Important parameters include the increased sensitivity of the receiver up to about -150 dB, the possibility of full-fledged duplex operation, the transmission speed of 50 kbps at a bandwidth of 200 kHz.
COMPARISON OF TECHNOLOGIES INCLUDING PARAMETERS
Availability of the 99% reading service (outdoor and indoor coverage), guarantee of the feasibility of the service:
● RF 169 MHz – 99% availability is a realistically achieved parameter in the implementation of existing projects, usually the location of BS (Base Station) can be adjusted according to the location of the read points so that almost 100% coverage is achieved.
● RF NarrowBand IOT – coverage is based on the possibility of coverage by mobile operator networks.
● RF SIGFOX – coverage is based on the possibility of BS location, locations outside the coverage will not be possible – see coverage map www.simplecell.eu
PARAMETER
169 MHz
NB-IoT
SiGFOX
Battery life of RF module 6 + 1 year (7 years)
It also meets the assumption of increasing the frequency of broadcasting to 48 times a day.
It meets the assumption of broadcasting 4 times a day, while the module stores up to 15 minutes of measurements.
The expected battery life is a maximum of 3 years compared to LoRa technology. When using a battery with the same capacity as 169 MHz technology, it meets the requirement.
Possibility to replace the battery after 7 years
For all technologies, replacement is possible, extending the service life for another 7-year cycle.
Two-way communication
wo-way communication is possible, the protocol allows it.
wo-way communication is possible, the protocol allows it.
It significantly increases the consumption and thus reduces the battery life.
Maximum signal coverage for outdoor installations
15 km | Real availability of the service 99%.
15 km | Real availability of the service 99%.
60 km | Real availability of the service 70 %.
Maximum signal coverage for indoor installations
2 km | Real availability of the service 99 %.
2 km | Real availability of the service 99 %.
3-5 km | Real availability of the service 70 %.
Service of RF modules at the installation site
The service of RF modules in the field is usually carried out by the client on his own.
Customer support and supervision of RF modules
It is implemented using the CEM application or using the BACKEND services.
* TO SIGFOX AND NB-IOT TECHNOLOGIES:
● It will be necessary to solve the coverage of places without a signal with another technology or continue reading manually
● The service can only be implemented where there is sufficient signal coverage
● the availability of the service cannot be guaranteed to the customer
● SIGFOX – with the constant increase in the number of RF modules for providing various services generating traffic, the risk increases that the probability of message delivery will constantly decrease and thus the availability of remote reading service will decrease, because both networks have no service prioritization mechanism