The new generation of power metering system—that is advanced metering infrastructure (AMI)—is expected to enable remote reading, control, demand response and other advanced functions, based on the integration of a new two-way communication network, which will be referred as Smart Meter Network (SMN). In this chapter, we focus on the design principles of multiple access control (MAC) protocols for SMN. First, we list several features of SMN relevant to the design choice of the MAC protocols. Next, we introduce some performance evaluation metrics and give a survey of the associated research issues for the SMN MAC protocols’ design. In addition, we also note progress within the new IEEE standardization task group (IEEE 802.11ah TG) currently working to create SMN standards. After that, in order to emphasize the importance of the performance metrics mentioned before, we give several MAC protocol design examples which could solve the associated research issues and challenges for the SMN.
Part of the book: Smart Metering Technology and Services