Design, Simulation, and Verification of Highly Portable and Flexible Communication Stacks for Automatic Meter Read- ing (AMR) Axel Sikora University of Applied Sciences Offenburg, Badstrasse 24, D77652 Offenburg, Germany axel.sikora@hs-offenburg.de Abstract: Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) is a major enabler for the upcoming smart grid. Potentially, it will be one of the first really large-scale M2M-communication solutions for sensor applications. To date, the definition of the standardized communication stacks for Local Metrological Network (LMN) in AMR is still ongoing. This holds true both for ZigBee Smart Energy Profile and for Wireless M-Bus according to EN 13757. During this process, there is the necessity for flexible, albeit optimized solu- tions, which support the different existing and upcoming versions of the communication protocols. In the case of Wireless M-Bus, the major contender for European and possibly Asian installations, this is valid not only for the different operation modes (C-, N-, P-, Q-, R-, S-, and T-modes), which work in different frequencies (i.e. 868 MHz, 433 MHz, and 169 MHz) but also for the application layer, where additional bodies, like EN137575, Open Metering System (OMS) Group, or national bodies follow their approaches. This contribution describes requirements, design techniques and experiences from the development of highly efficient Wireless M-Bus protocol stacks with support of good flexibility and portability between microcontroller platforms and RF-transceivers. The presented approach is not limited to the use of modern software engineering design processes, as such, but also includes essential additional fea- tures like testing or simulation, as well as tools for commissioning and monitoring. Key words: Local Metrological Network, Wireless M-Bus, EN13757, Software Engineering 1. Introduction Efficient, low-cost and stable communication solutions are a major stepping stone for smart metering and smart grid applications. This es- pecially holds true for the so called primary communication or Local Metrological Network (LMN) between a local sensor or actuator and a data collector or gateway. LMNs have the po- tential to become the first machine-to-machine- (M2M)-application with really large-scale multi- vendor installations. Wireless M-Bus according to EN 13757 is a major contender for LMN of Smart Metering and Smart Grid applications, as it holds the promise of a flexible, albeit optimized solution. It enjoys wide popularity in continental Europe, but in- creasingly in many other regions of the world. However, Wireless M-Bus is characterized by a wide variety of different operation modes (C-, D, F-, N-, P-, Q-, S-, and T-modes), which work in different frequencies (i.e. 868 MHz, 433 MHz, and 169 MHz). It is enhanced by extensions from groups, like Open Metering System (OMS) Group [Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert.], or national bodies, e.g. [Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert.]. 2. Wireless M-Bus and its Derivatives The Metering Bus (short M-Bus) is a field bus, which is specialized for transmitting metering data from gas-, heat-, water- or other meters. Several meter devices are sending its data to a data collector, which saves it and forwards it e.g. to a display or to an energy supplier. The data collector may be installed in the houses or it is used as mobile reading out unit. So a member of the energy supplier may drive through the streets and collect the current en- ergy data from each household for billing. The different versions of M-Bus are specified by the European Standard EN 13757, which is worked out by TC294 at CEN / CENELEC. The EN 13757 is divided into five parts. The M-Bus standard describes physical and data link layers DOI 10.5162/sensor2013/C6.2 AMA Conferences 2013 - SENSOR 2013, OPTO 2013, IRS 2013 442 2