LoRaWAN Metering Converters for Utilities

At the utility exhibition Enlit Europe 2026, held from 10 to 12 November 2026 in Vienna, Austria, industrial automation specialist akYtec presents its wireless data acquisition interfaces for utility infrastructure and municipal energy monitoring.

Core Technology and System Architecture
The presented hardware addresses legacy protocol adaptation and direct meter reading via long-range wireless networks. The lineup includes the CI200 pulse counter and CI201 gas meter pulse reader, alongside the IC200-MRTU Modbus RTU interface and the IC200-MBUS wired M-Bus interface. Operating under standard LoRaWAN profiles, the devices convert local serial and electromechanical pulse signals into low-power radio packets. The IC200-MRTU queries Modbus RTU slave devices over standard RS485 physical layers, while the IC200-MBUS integrates EN 13757 compliant wired M-Bus meter buses. The pulse-counting units feature high-frequency digital input filters to register contact closures and inductive impulses without mechanical switch bounce errors. Transmitted payloads conform to standardized uplink intervals to preserve battery autonomy while delivering continuous telemetry.

Deployment and Implementation
The hardware retrofits onto active metering points without requiring modifications to existing flow sensors or central communication cabling. Field engineers deploy the CI201 directly onto utility meters, capturing rotary magnet or reflective disk passes. The IC200 series integrates directly at local distribution cabinets, serving as protocol converters between multi-drop fieldbuses and the regional wireless gateway layer. Operating at the LoRa Alliance joint booth B.f120 in Hall 2, akYtec demonstrates integration workflows that transition field data across standard network servers to upstream supervisory control systems.

Industry Applications
The system serves municipal utilities, district heating operators, building management services, and industrial facilities requiring submetering. In distributed district heating and natural gas grids, the converters digitize mechanical consumption registers across large physical footprints. In industrial automation and smart building systems, the units bridge dispersed thermal, electrical, and gas meters into automated energy management databases, eliminating manual meter reading cycles and supporting leak detection through regular interval monitoring.

Operational Impact and Performance Metrics
Converting wired field signals into wireless transmissions eliminates the capital expenditure associated with trenching, conduit installation, and long-distance cabling in existing structures. Utilizing the LoRaWAN standard allows bidirectional communication across ranges exceeding multiple kilometers in suburban topologies and penetration through basement concrete structures. Low quiescent current draws permit independent operation on internal lithium cells over extended multi-year maintenance intervals. Galvanic isolation across serial interface inputs preserves process stability by mitigating ground loop interference and industrial electrical transients.

Edited by Evgeny Churilov, Induportals Media - Adapted by AI.

www.akytec.de