New from Alpha Micro Wireless is the RF Savvy Series SMART Meter Wirelyss™ Antenna designed for electric utility SMART meters enabled for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) communications. Ideal for utility meter manufacturers and wireless SMART meter system integrators, this patented cover mount antenna (US patent #8,228,209) offers improved radiation patterns and antenna efficiency for superior network coverage.
Available as a retrofit solution (internal to the meter cover) or molded/embedded into the cover plastics, this new antenna was devised to enable developers of wireless enabled metering products to have an easier time with obtaining Over The Air (OTA) and PTCRB Certifications mandated by wireless carriers such as AT&T, Verizon Wireless and others. This performance improvement is due to the cover mounted location for the antenna, which improves the uniformity of the signal (antenna radiation pattern) from the meter, and enhances the inherent receiver sensitivity which can be degraded by other types of flexible printed antenna and modem board mounted antennas that are typically housed in close proximity to the cellular modem.
Also new is the Wirelyss™ SMART Meter RF Pogo-pin Connector from Yokowa Co Ltd, Alpha Micro Wireless’ strategic partner for this novel RF connector solution. The Wirelyss™ RF Connector provides an un-tethered RF connection designed to route the RF signal to the cover mounted Wirelyss™ SMART meter antenna from the wireless modem located inside the SMART Meter. Offering unrestricted service access to the meter, this new un-tethered connector allows utility staff to gain easy field access to the meter without risk of damaging the connection to the antenna. Yokowo Co Ltd has a strong heritage in rugged pogo pin solutions and has designed the SMART Meter Wirelyss™ RF connector in collaboration with Alpha Micro Wireless, to include high quality, durable, gold plated RF pogo pin connectors proven to operate in high humidity, high temperature environments making it an ideal solution for this application.
Commenting on these two new product launches, Norm Smith, President and CEO of Alpha Micro Wireless, said, "The introduction of our patented SMART Meter Wirelyss™ antenna and Yokowo’s durable RF connector solution furthers our goal to bring to market wireless technology that simply enables utilities to achieve 100 percent meter read rates by raising the bar on the wireless connection to the meter."