HiSilicon NB-IoT Smart Gas Meters

Challenges

New technologies such as the Internet of Things (IoT), big data, and artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the traditional energy sector, allowing us to monitor energy use so as to ensure efficient consumption. For example, by digitizing gas and water meters and reorganizing them into networks, we can read meters remotely, which represents a more efficient and accurate solution. Measures such as tiered fees can be applied for meters which are read regularly, promoting energy-efficient usage. Remote meter reading can be implemented via wired communications and unlicensed spectrums, but each of these methods leads to its own set of challenges.

Difficulty of wired communications deployment

Costly and difficult-to-install signal cables are required for wired solutions.
Low success rate of unlicensed spectrum

When unlicensed spectrum technology is used, signals are vulnerable to interference, and can be easily blocked by building structures, leading to low success rates when reading meters.

Highlights

NB-IoT is a low-power, in-depth coverage technology that improves signal coverage by up to 20 dB, and is perfectly suited for reading water and gas meters. NB-IoT is a key 5G mMTC technology. Since NB-IoT adheres to the 3GPP standard, it is more likely to conform with long-term technological changes, making it ideal for smart meter reading. HiSilicon Boudica is a widely used NB-IoT chipset that supports NB-IoT modules with standard interfaces from a wide range of vendors. It has been applied in tens of millions of smart meters. Our Boudica 200 chipset stands out in the following ways:

Excellent performance and stable connections

Features ultra-low power consumption and high sensitivity, and supports 3GPP R15 and later protocols, offering stable communications with smart gas meters.
High integration and flexible deployment

Features a built-in RF and PA, and integrates the iSIM function, greatly reducing the size and cost of modules, and providing a more flexible integration solution for smart meters.
Easy maintenance and efficient management

Supports Bluetooth low energy (BLE) and the global navigation satellite system (GNSS), for comprehensive local maintenance and high-precision positioning of smart gas meters.