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How Smart Gas Meters Communicate in Real-time?
Smart Gas Meters
The energy infrastructure of India is truly witnessing a revolution, and it is not just limited to the power grids. In the recent times, the government of India is working actively to power smart gas meter installations across the country, empowering consumers with transparency and convenience.
While these smart meters continue to reshape how utilities and consumers track, manage and conserve energy, there’s a lot that goes behind the tech that powers these meters. Let’s deep dive into the technology that not only makes these meters durable but also revolutionary. Through this piece, we’ll help you understand how exactly data is fetched from your meters and is transformed into actionable insights that are delivered right to your fingertips through the Polaris Consumer Connect app.
A smart gas meter isn’t just a device that records how much gas you use. It’s an intelligent node in a connected network.
Each meter is embedded with an electronic communication module that continuously collects and transmits data about gas flow, pressure, and consumption. This real-time data is sent securely to the Head-End System (HES), which is the digital command centre for CGD companies.
The HES then aggregates, processes, and validates this data before forwarding it to the Meter Data Management System (MDMS), which transforms raw readings into actionable insights. These insights ultimately appear on consumer apps and dashboards, enabling end users to monitor their gas consumption almost instantly.
To facilitate the consumers with accurate readings in real-time, the smart gas meters are packed with a variety of communication technologies. Some of the major communication technologies that are used are as follows:
Radio frequency or commonly known as RF Mesh, where the meters are connected to each other & send data to a central repository. The meters on this mode of communication form a mesh sort of network with data hopping from one meter to another until it reaches a meter with data connectivity. This mode of communication is preferably used in meters installed at locations that are difficult to reach.
The LTE communication technology basically transmits data in small packets by wirelessly connecting to the nearest available cellular tower. It is extensively used for its secure & stable communication path across a wide area and is an optimal choice for remote or hard-to-access locations.
Optimal for large scale smart meter deployment projects, LoRaWAN is a low-powered, long distance wireless protocol. This communication technology allows data to be sent over long distances without relying on cellular networks. It offers excellent coverage, long battery life, and secure communication, making it ideal for remote or hard-to-reach areas. LoRaWAN helps utilities achieve efficient, real-time monitoring and scalable smart metering.
Bluetooth Low Energy more commonly known as BLE is a short-range, wireless communication module that allows data exchange between smart meters & a central point or user’s mobile device. Courtesy of its low-power, minimal energy usage, it is a prominent choice for smart meters as it allows them to function for longer periods of time on a small battery.
NB-IoT is a cellular communication technology operating on licensed frequency bands. This communication technology is widely used by companies manufacturing & deploying smart gas meters, it can transmit data remotely, reach deep indoor or underground meters and can easily run for 10-15 meters on batteries without replacement. A single NB-IoT base station can connect & manage up to tens of thousands of meters, making it ideal for large smart grid rollouts.
The Nebula smart gas meter range from Polaris supports RF / LTE / BLE / LoRaWAN / Nb-IoT for communicating data safely from the meter to the HES. The primary communication technology used in Polaris smart gas meters is Nb-IoT while BLE is used as the secondary communication technology.
