By Nancy Gardner


This is a technology that is widely used by power suppliers, water suppliers and gas suppliers to manage their power and water consumption and also help them to determine their production levels or optimal production levels. They involve automated data collection, reading status gauge and diagnostic of meters from these automated gadgets. The data collected has to be sent back to a central station for editing, trouble shooting and billing. The technology has enable the user to save on cost since they no longer have to travel to individual locations to be able to get the reading. Automated meter reading billing software is linked to database and it constantly updates the master file.

There many electronic devices that are used to collect and transmit data to a central computer. The first one is handheld electronic device which has an inbuilt computer with a transceiver to gather meter reading. This can be called walk by because the reader has to physically walk to gauge location as they pass through or follow their route.

The first type is the handheld device which is a computerized gadget used record the gauge status and transmitting the data back to central station for analyzing. There is a host computer that uses various software to manipulate data into useful information.

Handheld gauge reading device is a relatively small computer and it can also be equipment that that are utilized by meters to keep track of indicator reading from meters. The readings after they are recorded by this small computer they are transmitted electronically into a central database. Then some installed software enables the user to carry out some formatting and editing on the transmitted data.

Another way of data transmission is through the use of power line. This method enables electronic data to be sent through power line to a nearby substation, and then the substation transmits the data back to the central computer located in main office. This is a fixed network.

Automated reader has converted physical, labor intensive commercial, residential and industrial collection of data to a simple exercise with little physical movement by use of computerized devices to collect data with minimal supervision. This has cut down expense associated with meter maintenance, eliminated errors in the system and the chances of malicious data manipulation, fastened data transmission and enable accurate information to be relayed to customers.

This technology allows for extra service work whereby gauge readers can be able to process more than a hundred different orders and also supporting other functions such as disconnections, upgrades, collection of data, removes and transmission of information. This improves workers productivity by processing many orders within a short period of time, enhances satisfaction by customers with accurate and fast billing.

This radio transceiver will send a signal to transmitter booting it up. The transceiver attached to gauge will send radio signal and receive the same. These transmitters can either transmit data one way or use continuous broadcast where the data is sent continuously as it occurs. There is a hybrid system that integrates both two way and one way technologies.

These meter readers have solved the problem of gauge readers having to travel many miles to the said location to get indicator reading. The system saves money through efficient and effective reading of meter, it has reduced the liability and riskiness of meter readers from entering homes and other private properties.




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