System for Measurement of Electric Energy Using Beacons with Optical Sensors and LoRaWAN Transmission

Abstract: In this article, we present the results of experiments with finding an efficient radio transmission method for an electric energy measurement system called OneMeter 2.0. This system offers a way of collecting energy usage data from beacons attached to regular, non-smart meters. In our study, we compared several low power wide area network (LPWAN) protocols, out of which we chose the LoRaWAN protocol. We verified the energy consumption of a LoRa-based transmission unit, as well as the transmission range between network nodes in urban conditions. We discovered that LoRaWAN-based transmission was highly energy-efficient and offered decent coverage, even in a difficult, dense urban environment.