An Integrated IoT Architecture for Smart Metering

TLDR

Advanced meter infrastructures (AMIs) measure, collect, and analyze utilities distribution and consumption, communicate with metering devices, and are becoming essential for utilities networks and Smart City development. The authors propose an integrated IoT architecture for smart meter networks to be deployed in smart cities. The architecture incorporates electricity, water, and gas smart meters, defines communication protocols, data formats, gathering procedures, and a big‑data decision system. Real‑world measurements demonstrate benefits for both customers and utilities.

Abstract

Advanced meter infrastructures (AMIs) are systems that measure, collect, and analyze utilities distribution and consumption, and communicate with metering devices either on a schedule or on request. AMIs are becoming a vital part of utilities distribution network and allow the development of Smart Cities. In this article we propose an integrated Internet of Things architecture for smart meter networks to be deployed in smart cities. We discuss the communication protocol, the data format, the data gathering procedure, and the decision system based on big data treatment. The architecture includes electricity, water, and gas smart meters. Real measurements show the benefits of the proposed IoT architecture for both the customers and the utilities.