Wired vs Wireless meters
Wireless open standards
| Protocol | Frequency | Range | Data Rate | Topology | Power Usage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zigbee | 2.4 GHz, 915/868 MHz | Short | Up to 250 kbps | Mesh, Star | Very Low |
| LoRaWAN | 868/915 MHz | Long | 0.3–50 kbps | Star | Extremely Low |
| Wi-SUN | 868/915 MHz | Medium to Long | 50–300 kbps | Mesh | Low to Medium |
| Bluetooth LE | 2.4 GHz | Short | 125 kbps–2 Mbps | Star, Mesh | Very Low |
| IEEE 802.11ah | Sub-GHz (~900 MHz) | Medium | Up to Mbps | Star, Tree | Low |
| IEEE 802.15.4 | Various | Short–Medium | 20–250 kbps | Mesh, Star | Very Low |
| Thread | 2.4 GHz | Short | 250 kbps | Mesh | Very Low |
Recommended for Residential Microgrid Applications in Uganda:
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LoRaWAN: If covering a large geographical area (kilometers), due to its excellent range, penetration, and low power use.
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Wi-SUN: For robust, medium-to-large-scale smart metering networks, especially if a mesh topology is desirable.
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Zigbee/Thread: Ideal for dense residential areas where devices (meters) are closer together, benefiting from low power and reliable mesh networking.
Wired Open standards
| Protocol | Standard | OSI Layers | Medium | Topology | Range | Data Rate | Typical Application Areas | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G3-PLC | ITU-T G.9903 | Layers 1-2 | Power Lines | Mesh, Star | Up to several km | 2.4–35 kbps | Smart grids, AMI, smart meters | Robust, designed for noisy environments; supports IPv6, strong security |
| PRIME | ITU-T G.9904 | Layers 1-2 | Power Lines | Mesh, Star | Up to several km | 21–128 kbps | Smart metering, distribution automation | Optimized for higher-speed PLC, widely used in European smart meter rollouts |
| IEEE 1901.2 PLC | IEEE 1901.2 | Layers 1-2 | Power Lines | Mesh, Star | Up to several km | 2.4–500 kbps | Smart grids, smart cities | High interoperability, IPv6 support; ideal for utility and smart city deployments |
| M-Bus (Meter-Bus) | EN 13757 | Layers 1-2 | Twisted pair cable | Bus | Up to ~1 km | 0.3–38.4 kbps | Meter reading (water, heat, gas) | Widely used in Europe; reliable, low-cost wired solution |
| KNX | ISO/IEC 14543-3 | Layers 1-2 | Twisted pair cable | Bus, Star, Tree | Up to ~1 km | 9.6 kbps | Building automation, home control | Open standard for building automation, popular in Europe |
| BACnet MS/TP | ASHRAE 135 | Layers 1-2 | RS-485 twisted pair | Bus | Up to ~1.2 km | 9.6–115.2 kbps | Building automation, HVAC controls | Common in building and industrial automation; robust, scalable |
| Ethernet | IEEE 802.3 | Layers 1-2 | CAT5/CAT6 cable | Star, Tree | Up to ~100 m | 10 Mbps–100 Gbps | Networking backbone, smart buildings | High-speed, standard networking; widely supported across industries |
| RS-485 (EIA-485) | EIA-485 | Layers 1-2 | Twisted pair cable | Bus | Up to ~1.2 km | Up to 10 Mbps | Metering, industrial control systems | Simple, robust, widely used for serial data transmission |
| CAN Bus | ISO 11898 | Layers 1-2 | Twisted pair cable | Bus | Up to ~1 km | Up to 1 Mbps | Automotive, industrial automation | High reliability, robust error detection, common in harsh environments |
Recommended Wired Protocols for Residential Microgrid Metering (Uganda)
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PLC-based (e.g., G3-PLC or IEEE 1901.2):
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Ideal due to existing infrastructure (power lines).
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Good for scalable, reliable deployments.
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RS-485:
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Robust, simple wiring suitable for smaller clusters.
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Common for direct-wired connections (local clusters).
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M-Bus:
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Suitable if integrating gas, water, or heat metering alongside electricity
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Comparison between wired and wireless
| Aspect | Wireless Option (Wi-SUN/LoRaWAN) | Wired Option (G3-PLC, RS-485) | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation Cost | 🟢 Lower | 🔴 Higher (cabling, labor) | Wireless ✅ |
| Maintenance Cost | 🟡 Moderate (battery replacements) | 🟢 Low (no batteries required) | Wired ✅ |
| Reliability | 🟡 Medium (environment dependent) | 🟢 High (consistent, stable) | Wired ✅ |
| Scalability | 🟢 High (easy additions) | 🔴 Moderate to low (harder additions) | Wireless ✅ |
| Range/ Coverage | 🟢 Good (with repeaters) | 🟢 Excellent (using PLC) | Wired (PLC) ✅ |
| Security | 🟡 Good (depends on setup) | 🟢 Very Good | Wired ✅ |
| Installation Time | 🟢 Short | 🔴 Longer | Wireless ✅ |
| Physical disruption | 🟢 Minimal | 🔴 High (trenching, wiring) | Wireless ✅ |
💡 Recommended Choice: Hybrid or G3-PLC
📌 Primary Recommendation: G3-PLC (Wired)
Given your scenario (dense apartment blocks with existing electrical infrastructure and meters located closely on the ground floor), G3-PLC offers significant advantages:
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Low Ongoing Maintenance: No batteries to manage.
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High Reliability: Stable signal leveraging existing wiring.
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Cost-effective (long-term): Minimal ongoing costs after initial installation.
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Robust & secure: Highly suited for apartment complexes.
📌 Alternate Recommendation: Hybrid (PLC Backbone + Wireless Endpoints)
If flexibility or future expansions matter, consider a hybrid setup:
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Use G3-PLC within each block to connect meters reliably to a local gateway.
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Connect block gateways to a central system via wireless (Wi-SUN or LoRaWAN). This reduces physical disruption between buildings while maintaining the reliability within each block.
This hybrid method provides the best of both worlds—flexibility and low maintenance.