What is the wize technology of Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology?
The development of wireless communication network technology has driven the development of scaled-up networking for thing-connected networks, which is an inherent development need of Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN).
Wize definition
Wize technology is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technology derived from the European standard EN-13757 Wireless M-bus. Wize is an IoT standard defined by the Wize Consortium and is mainly oriented to applications such as wireless metering, smart cities, and industrial IoT.
Wize technology works in the 169 MHz band, which is a license-free band in Europe. Due to its use of a low-frequency band with long wavelengths, strong building or obstacle penetration, and reduced path loss transmission distances of up to 20 km.
The Wize technology protocol is bi-directional, sending and receiving messages of up to 246 bytes and allowing firmware updates to be made remotely to network devices.
Because Wize transmits short messages, devices only need to be turned on for a few seconds per day and have a battery life of up to 20 years. In addition, Wize technology features end-to-end encryption to ensure the highest level of security.
What are the Wize technology key technical features?
The frequency band range is 169.4 MHz-169.475 MHz, with a total bandwidth of 75 kHz;
The radio spectrum is divided into 6 channels (5 uplink and 1 downlink) with 12.5KHz per channel;
Two-way communication, up to 256 bytes uplink and 256 bytes downlink;
Scalable debugging and demodulation, software-defined radio (GFSK, 4GFSK);
Communication time, duty cycle 10%, 6 min/hour;
Communication rate 2400bps – 6400bps;
Communication distance up to 50km or more outdoors, up to 10km or more indoors, indoor depth coverage ranging from 2.5km;
Security encryption, AES128;
Low daily communication volume (5 to 10 times), very low power consumption, and small lithium batteries (AA, A, or C) can power remote meter reading equipment for 15-20 years;
The protocol mechanism allows scheduling and execution of device firmware updates via broadcast radio.
History of Wize technlogy
ERMES (European Radio Messaging System) is a European universal radio paging standard developed by ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) in 1990, using the 169 MHz radio frequency band.
In 2005, the Conference of European Postal and Telecommunications Authorities (CEPT) and its Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) decided to allocate the frequency to other new use cases, including remote meter reading.
The ISM 169 MHz radio spectrum in Europe is open and license-free and can be used as a license-free band for short-range devices.
In 2005, the WM-Bus protocol was released (aka EN13757-4, 433 MHz, and 868 MHz).
Suez developed an AMI infrastructure for smart water meters based on the 169 MHz frequency, which started to be deployed in Europe.
In 2008, Suez released the first wireless module for remote water metering at 169 MHz.
In 2012, GRDF decided to select the 169 MHz frequency band for its project and made significant improvements.
In 2013, the first edition of the AFNOR (French Association for Standardization) Guide for Gas Applications was released
2014-2015, High performance 169MHz multichannel modem based on SDR (Software Defined Radio).
Telecom grade infrastructure, water, and gas meters
2017, Wize Alliance releases Wize Protocol 1.0.
AFNOR Water and Gas Metering Application Guide released.
Wize Alliance Link established – CEN TC294
In 2018, EN13757/2018 is released.
2019, Wize Alliance releases Wize Protocol 1.1.
2020, large-scale deployment of Wize gas and water meters in Europe, with approximately 10 million to date
Wize Alliance
In 2017, French gas companies GRDF, Suez, and French operator Sagemcom announced the formation of the Wize Alliance, an open, not-for-profit association that aims to drive international standards for the Internet of Things. The organization brings together key international players from the industrial and utility sectors to support the implementation of a long-range WAN technology called Wize technology.
Wireless metering of water and gas meters was the starting point for the start of the consortium, thanks to the business expertise of the founding members of SUEZ, Sagemcom, and GRDF.
The network using Wize technology connects more than 9 million devices worldwide and continues to expand, notably through the rollout of 11 million GRDF smart gas meters.
Various causes have been brought to scale, such as energy or water smart metering (AMR), waste collection, air monitoring, etc.
The goal of the Wize Alliance is to ensure the stability and sustainability of Wize technology through technology export and entry into new markets.
How is Wize net market?
2018, 3+ million devices, 15 countries, 500 cities
2019, 9+ million devices, 15 countries, 500 cities
10+ million devices, 15 countries, and 10,000 cities by June 2020
What are the Wize technology applications?
Wize technology applications in Water
Smart gas meters & smart water meters have transformed the relationship between Suez and its customers by eliminating the need to schedule meter readings and by basing bills on actual consumption.
In addition, customers can check their daily water consumption online and receive email or SMS alerts in case of leaks or over-consumption. They can also monitor energy costs by tracking the cost of hot water for public sanitation.
By monitoring delivered water volumes, and abnormalities (leaks, backflows) in real-time, smart meters can manage operating revenues for public water services, often improving overall water network performance.
Governments use water data management to achieve economic and environmental benefits. Thanks to smart water meters governments are able to adjust billing frequency based on seasonal or social pricing and control various flow consumption in buildings to protect water resources. It can also help governments monitor housing occupancy rates and analyze activity in the tourism or economic sectors.
Automatic remote water disconnection
Hydrelis proposes a solution to automatically and remotely shut off the water supply in a building in the event of a leak, which Suez uses in its ON’Connect™ solution.
The device prevents suspected leaks in real-time and automatically issues alerts to mitigate water damage.
In addition, automatic and remote management of the building’s water supply based on usage (weekends, evenings, holidays, etc.) enables consumers to reduce water usage and cut costs by up to 30 percent.
Chlorine Sensor Monitoring
The Wize chlorine sensor monitors chlorine levels in water in real-time.
Because the water flowing through the pipes is not fresh, the water must be treated with chlorine to prevent bacterial invasion. However, excess chlorine can be harmful to health if ingested, so water utilities must control the amount of chlorine in the water.
Hydrant Monitoring – Fire hydrants are critical in cities and must always be in good working order when a fire occurs, which requires regular maintenance and management.
In addition, hydrants are prone to theft, and AllWize proposes a solution that measures water flow sensors inside hydrants connected to the water company’s back office, allowing real-time monitoring of hydrants for illegal use or leak detection.
Audible Data Logger Leak Detection
Sewerin and Seba developed an acoustic monitoring sensor that uses a 169 MHz (Wize) frequency to detect leaks in real-time.
The logger is installed in the underground water supply network and records noise and compares it to measured data, signaling a leak when a change in data is detected.
Wize technology applications in Energy
Energy Gas Metering
The objectives of GRDF’s smart metering project are to
- Improve customer satisfaction – automatic and daily reading of gas consumption data
- Improve energy management – increase the frequency of delivery of consumption data
- Optimize network operations – modernize and improve the performance of the gas distribution network
The new smart gas meter provides useful information such as daily consumption, consumption alerts, and comparison systems. For local authorities and property owners, it provides access to regional or house building aggregated and anonymous data.
Gas network monitoring and energy collector
AllWize and Naturgy propose a gas network monitoring (GNM) system connected to the Wize technology network.
This device allows Naturgy to remotely monitor working parameters (flow, pressure, leaks, etc.) at a low cost.
The system is designed to help Naturgy perform predictive maintenance of the network, improve the performance of the gas network and prevent energy fraud. In addition, GNM is equipped with thin-film thermoelectric harvesting technology, which exploits the temperature difference between the gas and the room temperature.
Converting thermal energy to electrical energy can power the entire system, including sensors and Wize communications, thus enabling IoT devices to be autonomous.
Other gas use cases, such as riser pressure drop detection, detection of gas manhole covers during operation, pipeline cathodic protection monitoring, the connection of gas shut-off valves, methane, carbon monoxide, smoke detection, etc.
Wize technology applications in Waste
Garbage collection
French startup SigrenEa is reinventing waste collection services with the Wize Alliance technology for the Internet of Things. Sensors are placed inside waste collection bins and are able to measure their fill rate in real-time through ultrasound and infrared light.
The configuration of these sensors depends on the type of waste collection container (organic waste, paper, glass, etc.) and its volume and configuration.
Thanks to these sensors, waste collection and collection routes are optimized and the number of trucks on the road is reduced, meaning less labor and CO2 emissions.
This information is sometimes analyzed together with other data, such as traffic, weather forecasts, or data collected from other connected utilities (water or gas consumption).
Dumpster Monitoring
AllWize has developed a solution to connect bins to the Wize network: the Wize bin monitoring system. The networked bins monitor how many waste households throw away and whether they comply with local recycling policies, a system called “Pay as you throw”.
Air Quality Monitoring
AllWize has developed an inexpensive solution called the Wize Air Quality Monitor: a compact air quality monitoring station installed throughout the city, along with a set of advanced cloud models to map air quality as accurately as possible.
This connected system can help cities establish pollution reduction mechanisms and policies.
The solution includes PM1, PM2.5, and PM10 sensors for particle suspension.
NOx, SO2, and O3 sensors for gas concentrations.
Temperature, pressure, humidity sensors, and microphones.
The solution is connected to a dashboard configured with alarms.
Wize technology applications in Smart City
Urban Irrigation
AllWize’s Wize Irrigation System Monitor remotely controls irrigation in parks and public gardens based on soil moisture. The solution reduces water waste by watering plants only when needed. In addition, the solution can detect leaks in real-time.
Street Light Maintenance
A simple sensor from AllWize is mounted to each street light to automatically detect street light pole failures. With the Wize Street Lighting Maintenance solution, maintenance companies can remotely know which street lights to replace, increasing efficiency and safety.
Street Lighting Control
AllWize’s Wize Street Lighting Monitor is installed on street light poles and controls when street lights are turned on and off and applies a dimming schedule based on natural light, which can reduce the city’s electric bill and reduce energy waste. Streetlights account for a large portion (about 40%) of a city’s electricity bill, and in many cases, turning them on during the day wastes a significant amount of power.
What is Wize technology protocol?
The Wize protocol is based on EN13757-4 Wireless M-Bus Model N.
What is the Wize technology network system architecture?
The Wize technology wireless network is a wireless local area network that forms a wide area wireless access network through LAN modems and Gateway.
Wize Devices are connected to the wide area wireless network via LAN modems, and then the Gateway (Gateway) is connected to the IP protocol network via WAN (wide area network, such as cellular network 3G/4G) to connect to the server.
What are the Wize operators and networking modes?
Wize technology offers three types of networking: first, private network; second, hybrid network; and third, operational network.
A private network is one where the devices, gateways, and servers are owned and operated by the user. The hybrid network is where the devices and gateways are owned by the subscriber and the network is operated by the Wize operator.
An operational network is one in which the gateway, server, and network are all owned by the operator.
With the opening of the original 169MHz paging service in Europe in 2005, Wize technology gained access to the wireless spectrum resources for development and more opportunities for more IoT applications.
Wize technology is not starting from scratch but based on the existing WM-BUS standard, its industrial ecology is relatively mature, and Wize technology has the foundation for stable and sustainable development.
The Wize Alliance uses this as a basis to expand more industry applications and promote the development of Wize technology.
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