Smart meters vary widely, making careful antenna selection crucial
When choosing the ideal antennas for smart meters, there are some crucial distinctions to consider to ensure optimal selection. There’s really no such thing as a typical smart meter. Your decision starts, then, with the type of meter you need the antenna for and the use cases it will support. There are significant differences between various meters in terms of projected lifespan, for instance. Water meters have lifespans of two decades or more and rely on batteries for power, and electricity meters have lifespans of about a decade, powered from the electricity supply they monitor.
The ability of antennas to remain connected to the networks they need to function must be planned carefully. The metering industry in Europe in particular is therefore using the 450MHz band with multiple radio access technologies including NB-IoT, Cat M and LTE, with future introduction of 5G being planned in some markets.
A common factor for all types of meters however is that they are typically located in hard to-reach places such as basements, so their ability to connect to networks needs to be planned carefully. Quectel’s off-the-shelf and customized antenna portfolio boosts wireless connectivity significantly for smart meters by offering the industry’s highest-performance products. Our durable antennas fit a range of smart meter deployment scenarios, mounting options, and environmental requirements. As your smart meter development progresses, Quectel’s engineers will help you through the cycle, making the antenna design journey easier and faster.
Relevant products
Some of the largest connected device deployments in the world are now smart metering systems. The Indian market alone is targeting deployment of 250 million smart meters by 2027. To ensure you make the right choice in your next smart metering project and secure the opportunities available in this vast and growing IoT market, read our free antenna selection guide. And, if you’d like to discuss your requirements with us so we can help you make the right choice, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.