Netmore has announced LoRaWAN Relay interoperability testing for smart water metering, connecting Itron’s Cyble 5 RF module, Abeeway’s battery-powered relay, and its LoRaWAN network.
The companies tested the components together as an end-to-end advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) system. Netmore described the resulting integration as production-ready for utilities with meters in locations that existing network coverage cannot reach.
Justin Patrick, SVP of Device Solutions at Itron, said: “The ability to pair the Itron Cyble 5 with a LoRaWAN Relay and maintain full connectivity is a meaningful step forward for utilities seeking complete AMI coverage. Open standards make this kind of interoperability possible, and this validation puts it into practice.”
LoRaWAN Relay connects isolated water meters
The integration uses a relay to carry communications between hard-to-reach meters and the existing LoRaWAN network. Netmore presents this approach as an alternative to installing additional gateways to reach those devices.
Abeeway developed the battery-powered relay around the LoRa Alliance TS011 1.0.0 specification. According to the firm, it complies fully with that spec and supports up to 15 devices in isolated locations. The company says the relay can serve those devices with no modifications to the end devices.
At the meter, Itron’s Cyble 5 communication module connects compatible mechanical water meters to the network. Its specs include a 15-year design life and simultaneous support for automated meter reading (AMR) and AMI connectivity.
Andreas Eriksson, Executive Director of Abeeway, commented: “The Abeeway Relay was built to eliminate coverage dead spots cost-effectively, without the infrastructure overhead of network densification. Validated interoperability with Itron’s Cyble 5 and Netmore gives utilities a complete, tested relay solution from a single open-standard ecosystem.”
Earlier this year, Netmore acquired Actility and its ThingPark platform. ThingPark provides native relay management and operators can configure the relay remotely through standard MAC commands, placing relay configuration within the same platform used for the LoRaWAN network.
Netmore outlines water utility coverage costs
Vadim Lyu, Global Practice Lead for Water Utilities at Netmore, commented: “Near-100% read rates across a utility’s entire meter population, including the hardest-to-reach devices, is the standard our customers require. This validation proves that LoRaWAN Relay delivers on that requirement within the open standard and on the Netmore platform.”
For public-network rollouts, Netmore estimates that reaching the final 10 percent of devices through network densification can add 30 percent or more to overall network capital expenditure. Those figures describe the company’s assessment of the conventional approach; the release does not report measured savings from this relay integration.
Netmore says the tested combination offers utilities a standards-based option for extending coverage through relay devices. The validation covers the Itron Cyble 5 RF module, the Abeeway LoRaWAN Relay, and remote relay management on Netmore’s network.
See also: Visionaize targets utility outages with AI digital twin platform
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