September 18, 2008
Wavecom, Radiocrafts ready gateway for smart metering
PARIS — As part of their collaboration, Radiocrafts AS (Oslo, Norway) and Wavecom SA (Issy-Les-Moulineaux, France) have introduced a GSM/GPRS/EDGE gateway for smart metering that embeds Wireless M-Bus and ZigBee.
The codeveloped solution is based on Wavecom's Fastrack Supreme, a programmable application processor with GSM/GPRS/EDGE modem capabilities. Wavecom specified that Fastrack Supreme features a central processing unit with an ARM9 32 bit, 26-104 MHz core, programmable via any combination of AT commands, C and Lua. It supports Wavecom's Intelligent Device Services for remote monitoring and upgrade of meters in the field.
Besides, Radiocrafts said it has developed an expansion card for smart metering that adds Wireless M-Bus or ZigBee to GSM/GPRS/EDGE communications function. The expansion card, noted Radiocrafts, integrates Wireless M-Bus (868 MHz) or ZigBee (2.4 GHz, including high power) on interchangeable PCBs.
While the Wireless M-Bus standard (EN 13757-4:2005) specifies the communication between water, gas, heat and electricity meters and concentrators, Radiocrafts said ZigBee is a standard for monitoring and control applications using low power radio networking.
