Deveritec builds NIC for Wirepas 5G mesh
- October 21, 2024
- Steve Rogerson
German company Deveritec has built a reference network interface card (NIC) for Finnish wireless mesh network company Wirepas for use in smart electricity metering.
Deveritec’s NIC is for the Wirepas 5G mesh (wirepas.com/wirepas-5g-mesh) implementation of the NR+ non-cellular 5G standard.
The NIC, based on the Nordic Semiconductor nRF9151 chip, is available to any smart meter company aiming to accelerate their advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) development using the NR+ standard. This collaboration aims to kick-start the deployment of NR+ technology in smart meters across Europe.
Wirepas partners have already shipped around ten million devices using Wirepas mesh software technology, a vast majority deployed in smart meters. These meters are equipped with radios designed to perform optimally in regions such as northern Europe and India. Now, NR+ – a component of the 5G family of standards – has introduced an option to leverage resilient RF mesh networking in geographical areas where unlicensed frequency spectrums are not favourable for deploying large-scale RF networks. RF mesh is gaining in popularity globally and NR+ is said to be the only high-performing option with a spectrum availability in Europe.
“NR+ standard brings significant advantages to the smart metering industry in Europe,” said Jani Vehkalahti, senior vice president at Wirepas. “With the generous, dedicated licence-free spectrum, we ensure to fulfil the rising demand for near-real-time data in smart metering. Our 5G mesh implementation of NR+ outperforms the reliability and quality of service of cellular networks and matches the scalability provided with PLC standards, while at the same time securing asset and network ownership for the utility. The decentralised mesh topology mitigates risks that come with insufficient network coverage, excessive maintenance or SEP costs, and limited upgradability or interoperability. Plus, the immediate availability of NIC hardware accelerates the digitisation at the grid edge.”
Robert Stolz, COO of Deveritec, added: “By combining our hardware and application development expertise with Wirepas’ exceptional mesh networking platform, we’re offering a platform that significantly reduces time-to-market for utilities and meter vendors.”
The collaboration provides a starting point for any utility or AMI provider to integrate long-range RF as a future-proof and reliable option to meet the growing demand for higher data rates in shorter timeframes. Deveritec offers customisable NIC layouts to fit any meter design, supporting proof-of-concept and pilot phases, with options for cost-optimised large-scale manufacturing down the line. Wirepas provides a planning tool and a network management system, enabling meter vendors, metering operators and system integrators to transition seamlessly and quickly from piloting and testing to development and scaling.
The NIC is being shown at this week’s Enlit Europe (www.enlit-europe.com) in Milan. Attendees can see it featured within the Meter&Control Flexy meter at the ESMIG interoperability demo booth in Hall Six, Stand 6.A122 and at the Nordic Semiconductor booth, also in Hall Six, Stand 6.C30.
Founded in 2007, Deveritec (deveritec.net) has expertise in hardware and embedded software. The company focuses on the IoT, Industry 4.0 and deep tech.
Wirepas (wirepas.com) specialises in IoT connectivity, providing resilient, scalable mesh networks for large-scale industrial and commercial deployments.