DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF LARGE-SCALE AUTOMATIC METER READING SYSTEMS

This paper discusses the requirements imposed on the design of an AMR system expected to serve a large (> 1 million) customer base spread over a large geographical area, Issues such as system throughput, response time, and multi-application expandability are addressed, all of which are intimately dependent on the underlying communication system infrastructure, the local geography, the customer base, and the regulatory environment, A methodology for analysis, assessment, and design of large systems is presented. For illustration, two communication systems a low power RF/PLC system and a power frequency carrier system - are analyzed and discussed.