Three technologies are very popularly used today for AMI Systems:
Power Line Communication / Power Line Carrier (PLC) – In this technology data is transmitted through the normal power lines carrying AC. It allows for bi-directional communication between the smart meter and a concentrator which is usually located in a transformer. Last evolutions include the OFDM (Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing) technology (IEEE P1901.2) which make the signal more robust and reduce the amount of concentrators required i.e. the signal can go through the transformer.
Radio Frequency Mesh (RF Mesh) – This technology is based on the unlicensed RF spectrum using a mesh topology. In this technology smart meters act as transceiver/receivers and thereby communicate with each other. Data is collected by Data Concentrator Units (DCUs). RF mesh technology provides better bandwidth when compared to PLC and is also economically more competitive as compared to PLC.
3G/4G Cellular – 3G (WCDMA, HSPA, HSPA+) technologies or 4G (LTE) technologies are high speed data transfer technologies. These technologies are preferable where the use of PLC or RF is highly difficult or impossible to implement. These technologies allow quick service activation with very low investment cost and offer high performance.