Smart Metering Technology:
Scalable Wireless Solutions for Engineers and Application Developers
As smart infrastructure continues to reshape urban ecosystems, smart metering has emerged as a critical component for utility monitoring and data-driven optimization. For engineering teams and application developers working with smart city solutions, understanding the available wireless technologies, SoC capabilities, and integration strategies is essential.
This article explores how Silicon Labs' wireless platforms support the development of robust, secure, and scalable smart metering systems for electricity, water, gas, and thermal energy.
Smart Metering at the System Level
Smart meters collect real-time consumption data and transmit it wirelessly to a centralized system. These systems typically require:
- Low-power, long-range wireless connectivity
- Secure data transmission
- Multi-protocol support for heterogeneous environments
- Scalability to handle dense deployments and millions of nodes
For engineers, the goal is not only to ensure accurate data acquisition and transmission but also to integrate metering solutions seamlessly into mesh or star networks—depending on application topology and regulatory constraints.
Silicon Labs Wireless Solutions for Smart Metering
EFR32FG25 – Sub-GHz Wireless SoC
Designed for long-range communications with minimal power consumption, the FG25 is well-suited for electricity and gas meters using protocols like Wireless M-Bus or proprietary sub-GHz stacks.
- Sub-GHz operation for >1 km range in urban settings
- Up to +20 dBm TX power and high receiver sensitivity
- Built-in energy management with low active and sleep currents
EFR32FG28 – Dual-Band (Sub-GHz + Bluetooth LE)
Ideal for hybrid metering solutions or bridging mobile provisioning with field devices.
- Seamless coexistence of sub-GHz and BLE in a single SoC
- Suitable for mobile apps to access meters via BLE while keeping sub-GHz for backend communication
- Flexible protocol stack support (Wirepas, WM-Bus, proprietary)
EFR32FG23 – Wirepas Mesh Optimized
Optimized for large-scale mesh networks where ultra-low power and reliability are key.
- Native support for Wirepas Mesh (Sub-GHz)
- Excellent for smart water and gas metering in densely populated areas
- Self-healing, scalable network topology for minimal maintenance
EFR32MG24 – Multiprotocol SoC with Enhanced Security
A versatile choice for developers requiring Zigbee, OpenThread, BLE, or proprietary stacks.
- Arm® Cortex®-M33 core with TrustZone
- PSA Certified Level 3 (via Secure Vault™)
- Ideal for environments with mixed-protocol devices or retrofitting existing systems
Secure Vault™ – Silicon Labs’ Embedded Security Platform
Security is paramount for smart meter networks, where millions of nodes transmit billing and consumption data. Secure Vault offers:
- Hardware Root of Trust
- Secure boot, secure debug, anti-rollback protection
- Tamper detection and side-channel attack resistance
- PSA Level 3 Certification for regulatory compliance
Design Considerations for Engineers
When selecting a wireless platform for smart metering, engineers must consider:
- Regional RF Compliance (ETSI, FCC, ARIB): Sub-GHz performance must comply with strict spectrum usage rules.
- Battery Life Optimization: Low-power modes, TX/RX duty cycling, and efficient MCU usage are key.
- Network Architecture: Star vs mesh topology affects protocol choice, latency, and reliability.
- Firmware OTA: Silicon Labs provides OTA update frameworks to ensure long-term maintainability.
- Security Lifecycle: Implement secure onboarding, key storage, and encrypted transport from day one.
Application Examples
- Electricity Meters: Require precision timing and robust sub-GHz communication. Secure Vault™ ensures integrity of usage data.
- Water Meters: Typically battery-operated, using FG23 + Wirepas Mesh for efficient long-range, low-power networking.
- Gas Meters: Dual-band systems with FG28 allow for secure provisioning via BLE with continuous sub-GHz metering.
- Thermal Meters: MG24 SoCs support encrypted communication over Zigbee or Thread in building automation networks.
Final Thoughts
For engineers and technical teams developing smart metering devices, Silicon Labs delivers a cohesive ecosystem: highly integrated SoCs, certified stacks, robust security, and development tools to accelerate deployment.
Whether your application needs high-volume scalability, sub-GHz mesh networking, or FOTA-ready security, Silicon Labs' smart metering portfolio provides the building blocks to bring your product to market faster—with confidence.
Start your project now and contact us now!
🔗 Learn more and explore reference designs:
Smart Metering Solutions – Silicon Labs
