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New tech emerges for smart grids – meshed Wi-Fi

Tony Chan | May 30, 2009 | 0 Comments

Smart meter developer Trilliant announced last week that it will buy up SkyPilot Networks, a provider of proprietary wireless meshed networking solutions designed mainly for city-based deployments, or so-called muni-Wi-Fi networks.

The deal now enables Trilliant to complete the value-chain of its smart meter solutions, which can now be developed to connect back to utilities’ back-end systems using SkyPilot’s technology, which, according to the company’s website, is a customised deployment of Wi-Fi that incorporates some clever switching software and multi-directional antennas to create a meshed network amongst multiple nodes.

The solution should have plenty of appeal for utilities. For starters, SkyPilot’s represents a dedicated private network that will not be prone to congestion like a public network. At the same time, it can be deployed on unlicensed spectrum – i.e. 2.4GHz of Wi-Fi. It can also be deployed on licensed spectrum in the US (4.9GHz currently allocated for public safety networks) for added reliability. The company already has customers in the public safety space, so it should be experienced in providing mission critical security and QoS. At the same time, it should be relatively cheap compared to cellular and should be easier to manage due to the use of Wi-Fi.

In fact, SkyPilot is already pitching utilities:

SkyPilot’s SyncMesh solution enables fully-automatic meter reading that is practical and affordable for virtually any water, gas, or electric utility, with an integrated wireless mesh backhaul that is self-forming, self-healing, and requires no in-ground wiring or costly backhaul services. As the SkyPilot mesh automatically creates multiple wireless paths, the network can readily overcome obstacles and interference, easily expand into new territory, and deliver mission-critical reliability.

Ideally suited for AMR, the sophisticated SyncMesh solution enables AMR applications to cost-effectively reach throughout large geographies.

SkyPilot does not stop there – it says that deploying its technology will also enable utilities to roll out commercial wireless offerings like Wi-Fi hotspots.

Ample bandwidth is available with the SkyPilot solution to support multiple applications over a common network, which allows utility companies to simultaneously support voice and data communications for field workers, video monitoring of infrastructure, and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA). SCADA can be used for real-time monitoring and control of the utility’s entire infrastructure, including valves, pumps, storage tanks, lift stations, and other remote plant and equipment. And other types of municipal meters can be read automatically, including those for parking, traffic, and commuter bridge tolls.

It remains to be seen how such a platform would work in the field. After all, the short range of Wi-Fi will required a lot more infrastructure than a WAN technology like cellular or WiMAX. While Wi-Fi infrastructure equipment might be cheaper, the maintenance of such systems, as well as the ongoing opex will likely be higher. Also, more network components ultimately mean more potential points of failure.

However, Trilliant’s decision to purchase SkyPilot does remind the market that there’s plenty of other technologies out there besides cellular and WiMAX for connecting smart meters. Motorola alone has a number of technologies that might fit the bill – remember TETRA? iDEN? Canopy? What about other data-enabled platforms such as PHS? All these platforms can be adapted to support a dedicated application like smart meters.

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