Metering Communication

In this era of communication, the metering domain is also engulfed in exploiting the advantages of various communication technologies to make meters smarter by integrating communication technology. As labour costs are increasing world-over, the drive is to have an infrastructure that, once in place, can do the job of getting metering data back to energy suppliers.

ESL India has successfully integrated various communication technologies, both wired and wireless with the energy meters. The wired technologies include PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network), DLC (Distributed Line Communication), PLC (Power Line Communication), etc. In wireless communication, GSM, GPRS, Radio (low powered) and CDMA are few examples.

These communication technologies serve as the backbone of the AMI initiative, now gaining momentum, which requires data to be transported back and forth between the meter and an in home device and the meter and the Data Collection Centre. This needs communications using Home Area Networking (HAN), Local Area Networking (LAN) and Wide Area Networking (WAN). ESL India has developed expertise in this arena using both Public and Private Networks.

Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN): This kind of network is common in older installations. Communication is through the telephone exchange or Leased Lines.

GSM, GPRS & CDMA: ESL India leverages the latest communication technology for remote data collection over these networks by providing meters with in-built GSM/GPRS capability as well as integrated system. The data is collected over any of these media from a centralized data collection centre.

Distribution Line Communication (DLC): This is a means of transporting metering data to the collection centre through Low Tension (LT) power lines. This technology uses existing power transmission lines for data communication. In this case the data from the meters is collected by a concentrator in the LT line and then transferred to the Data Collection Centre through a packet switched network like GPRS.

Power Line Communication (PLC): This is a means of communication that uses low tension and high tension power lines to communicate information. It is based on the same principal as DLC, the difference being that it does not need individual data concentrators for every LT segment.


Radio: ESL has developed Low Power Radio (LPR) solutions for meter reading within licensed bands as well as license free ISM bands. These radio devices are used in LAN applications to interface with various home automation networks, thus facilitating optimum utilization of energy within the premises.

Mink is an metering communication industry expert and has been associated for many years with www.eslindia.com, the leading site which provides automatic meter reading, utility revenue protection and network mapping software, energy monitoring system, remote meter reading, electricity billing software etc.