ZigBee standard in the creation of wireless networks for advanced metering infrastructures

The current grid must be updated and controlled with automated systems that offer the intelligence of the smart grid. In this task the wireless networks for sensors and actuators are very important component of the future grid infrastructure, being the “nerve cells” of the entire system. The most important player in the smart grid is probably the consumer, that can use the electricity and at the same time can have its own generation to be feed into the grid. Hence, metering devices are essential components in the smart grid, monitoring the consumer´s behavior and offering valuable information to the utilities and electric entities that will adapt the generation to match the consumption in a seamless way. The ZigBee standard is getting an increased adoption for the creation of cheap wireless networks that will connect the smart grid devices with each other. Still, there are little or no works that study the actual installation approaches, minimizing possible obstacles and decreasing costs. This paper present new field tests that study the integration and installation of ZigBee capable meters, offering at the same time several installation approaches.