Survey on Wi-Fi and Cellular Communication Technology for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) in a Developing Economy

Traditional energy meters have suffered from a lack of automated analysis and inaccuracy in reading energy consumption, which has brought about smart metering systems. Developing economies such as in Africa. still experience a setback in electricity monitoring and load distribution because of existing traditional meter systems in use. Communication technologies play an important role to improve the monitoring of energy consumption and ensure a road map toward a smart grid. This paper reviews communication technologies used for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) emphasizing Wi-Fi and Cellular technologies. Metrics used to evaluate their performance include cost, energy efficiency, coverage, deployment, latency, payload, and scalability. The review presents a benchmark for research on AMI communication technologies in developing economies. When adopted, the expected AMI benefits are reduced energy theft, cost efficiency, real-time analysis, security, and safety of energy supply in developing economies

Direct monitoring methods of overhead line conductor temperature

The concept of conductor temperature monitoring has gained in importance with development of advanced electricity networks whose main objective is to increase the capacity, efficiency and reliability of modern power systems. The methods applied to the conductor temperature monitoring of overhead lines can be roughly classified as direct and indirect. In direct methods for conductor temperature monitoring, the temperature is measured directly or by measuring a particular conductor parameter, which is temperature dependent such as sag, tension, conductor resistance, conductor distance from the ground, etc. In indirect methods for the conductor temperature monitoring, the conductor temperature is obtained by applying a specific mathematical model that as an input uses the measured values of weather parameters and line current. Basically, this paper focuses on the issues of direct methods for conductor temperature monitoring, thus providing an analysis of advantages and disadvantages of each method

A methodology for obtaining More Realistic Cross-Layer QoS Measurements in mobile networks: A VoIP over LTE Use Case

Los servicios de voz han sido durante mucho tiempo la primera fuente de ingresos para los operadores móviles. Incluso con el protagonismo creciente del tráfico de datos, los servicios de voz seguirán jugando un papel importante y no desaparecerán con la transición a redes basadas en el protocolo IP. Por otra parte, hace años que los principales actores en la industria móvil detectaron claramente que los usuarios no aceptarían una degradación en la calidad de los servicios de voz. Es por esto que resulta crítico garantizar la experiencia de usuario (QoE) en la transición a redes de nueva generación basadas en conmutación de paquetes. El trabajo realizado durante esta tesis ha buscado analizar el comportamiento y las dependencias de los diferentes servicios de Voz sobre IP (VoIP), así como identificar configuraciones óptimas, mejoras potenciales y metodologías que permitan asegurar niveles de calidad aceptables al mismo tiempo que se trate de minimizar los costes. La caracterización del rendimiento del tráfico de datos en redes móviles desde el punto de vista de los usuarios finales es un proceso costoso que implica la monitorización y análisis de un amplio rango de protocolos y parámetros con complejas dependencias. Para abordar desde la raíz este problema, se requiere realizar medidas que relacionen y correlen el comportamiento de las diferentes capas. La metodología de caracterización propuesta en esta tesis proporciona la posibilidad de recoger información clave para la resolución de problemas en las comunicaciones IP, relaciolándola con efectos asociados a la propagación radio, como cambios de celda o pérdida de enlaces, o con carga de la red y limitaciones de recursos en zonas geográficas específicas. Dicha metodología se sustenta en la utilización de herramientas nativas de monitorización y registro de información en smartphones, y la aplicación de cadenas de herramientas para la experimentación extensiva tanto en redes reales y como en entornos de prueba controlados. Con los resultados proporcionados por esta serie de herramientas, tanto operadores móviles y proveedores de servicio como desarrolladores móviles podrían ganar acceso a información sobre la experiencia real del usuario y sobre cómo mejorar la cobertura, optimizar los servicios y adaptar el funcionamiento de las aplicaciones y el uso de protocolos móviles basados en IP en este contexto. Las principales contribuciones de las herramientas y métodos introducidos en esta tesis son los siguientes: - Una herramienta de monitorización multicapa para smartphones Android, llamada TestelDroid, que permite la captura de indicadores clave de rendimiento desde el propio equipo de usuario. Asimismo proporciona la capacidad de generar tráfico de forma activa y de verificar el estado de alcanzabilidad del terminal, realizando pruebas de conectividad. - Una metodología de post-procesado para correlar la información presente en las diferentes capas de las medidas realizadas. De igual forma, se proporciona la opción a los usuarios de acceder directamente a la información sobre el tráfico IP y las medidas radio y de aplicar metodologías propias para la obtención de métricas. - Se ha realizado la aplicación de la metodología y de las herramientas usando como caso de uso el estudio y evaluación del rendimiento de las comunicaciones basadas en IP a bordo de trenes de alta velocidad. - Se ha contribuido a la creación de un entorno de prueba realista y altamente configurable para la realización de experimentos avanzados sobre LTE. - Se han detectado posibles sinergias en la utilización de instrumentación avanzada de I+D en el campo de las comunicaciones móviles, tanto para la enseñanza como para la investigación en un entorno universitario

Mobile Internet Usage - Network Traffic Measurements

Perustavanlaatuisia muutoksia on tapahtumassa tietoliikennetoimialalla kun Internet ja mobiili konvergoituvat. Matkapuhelimet ovat kehittymässä multimediatietokoneiksi ja kannettavat tietokoneet muuttuvat pienemmiksi ja sisältävät kasvavissa määrin liitettävyyden matkapuhelinverkkoon. Kun samaan aikaan mobiililaajakaistojen hinnat ovat laskeneet ja tarjotut kaistannopeudet kasvaneet, mobiilin Internetin käyttö on lisääntynyt nopeasti viimeisten parin vuoden aikana. Uusia tulonlähteitä etsiessä teollisuuden eri sidosryhmät ovat kiinnostuneita mittauksista jotka voivat auttaa ymmärtämään mobiilin Internetin käyttöä. Tämä diplomityö keskittyy mobiiliverkon liikennemittauksiin ja niiden soveltuvuuden tutkimiseen markkinatiedon tuottamisessa eri sidosryhmille. Työssä analysoidaan suomalaisissa mobiiliverkoissa tehtyjä liikennemittauksia ja tuotetaan statistiikkaa mobiilin Internetin käytöstä. Lisäksi nykyisen mittausjärjestelyn ominaisuuksia analysoidaan, mahdolliset mittausten kehittämisalueet luokitellaan ja suosituksia esitetään mittausten kehittämiseksi. Statistiikat Suomen mobiilii-Internetin käytöstä osoittivat että tietokoneet generoivat suurimman osan Suomen liikennevolyymistä, kun taas matkapuhelinten tuottaman liikenteen osuus on alle prosentti. Symbian-käyttöjärjestelmä dominoi matkapuhelinten käyttöä joka on web-orientoitunutta. Muitakin web-liikenteen luokkia kuin web-selailua, kuten email- ja muuta synkronointiliikennettä, huomattiin käytettävän matkapuhelimilla. Perinteiset kotimaiset mediatalot, sosiaalisen median sivustot ja Nokia ovat suosituimpien web-sisällöntuottajien joukossa. Koska eri mittauspisteet mobiiliverkossa tuottavat eri tarkkuustason tietoa, täytyy mittausprosessiin liittyvät valinnat tehdä mittauksen tavoitteiden mukaan. Jos kehittynyt analyysi on tarpeen, mittausten olisi suositeltavaa suoritettavan pisteessä jossa käyttäjien tunnistaminen on mahdollista, kun taas pelkästä IP-liikenteestä saatavat tulokset ovat riittäviä yleisempään markkinan kuvaamiseen. Mobiilioperaattorin kannalta yhtäjaksoiset ja automatisoidut mittaukset mahdollistaisivat tulosten hyväksikäyttämisen useissa eri yrityksen toiminnoissa. Yleisesti liikennemittausten mahdollisuudet ovat laajat, mutta toisaalta täyden hyödyn saavuttamiseksi resurssivaateet saattavat olla suuria. Liikennemittaukset voivat kuitenkin tuottaa tietoa ja tukea operaattoreita päätöksenteossa ja liiketoiminnan kehittämisessä.Fundamental transformations are taking place in the telecommunication domain as the Internet and mobile industries are converging. Mobile phones are developing into multimedia computers and laptops are getting smaller with cellular connectivity, increasing the amount of mobile Internet capable devices. Furthermore, as mobile broadband prices have decreased and offered bandwidths increased, also the usage of mobile Internet has been increasing rapidly during the past couple of years. In search for new revenue sources, various industry stakeholders are interested in measurements that can help understanding the mobile Internet usage patterns. This thesis focuses on mobile network traffic measurements and studies their applicability for providing market understanding for the different stakeholders. First, measurements from operational Finnish mobile networks are analyzed to provide factual statistics on the usage patterns of the Finnish market. Second, the properties of the existing measurement organization are analyzed, possible measurement design and development areas are classified, and recommendations are provided for further development of the measurements. The factual statistics showed that most of the Finnish mobile Internet usage traffic volume is generated by computers, whereas the share of mobile handset generated traffic is less than one percent. Symbian operating system dominates the web oriented mobile handset usage. Traditional Finnish media houses, social media sites, and Nokia are among the most popular content providers for web usage. In addition, also other web traffic classes than web browsing, such as email and synchronization, were observed to be used by mobile handsets. As different measurement points in a mobile network provide different data granularity, the choices related to the measurement have to be made according to the objectives of the measurement. If advanced analysis is needed, the measurements are recommended to be conducted at a point in the mobile network where user identification is possible, whereas total traffic level patterns from IP traffic are adequate for general market description. From a mobile operator viewpoint, automated and continuous data collection and analysis could enable utilization of the results in multiple corporate functions. In general, the possibilities of traffic measurements are vast. On the other hand, they may require a lot of resources to succeed in their full potential. Nevertheless, mobile network traffic measurements can provide intelligence and support for operators in their decision making and business development

Mobile Web Usage: A Network Perspective

With recent advances in mobile devices and network capabilities, Mobile Internet subscription has caught up to and in some markets even surpassed that of the traditional fixed-line Internet. Hence, in order to sustain future growth and improve their business model, there is a need for the stakeholders to understand the ever evolving Mobile Internet user behaviour. This thesis analysed data collected from a mobile cellular network in Finland during a week in 2010 using a modified version of the Tstat traffc classifier tool to capture HTTP header and network flow data. Since this was the first time this tool was used for the network measurements, the main aim of the thesis was to test the reliability of the data and then to create an analysis process to build in-depth understanding of the traffic usage patterns. Another goal was also to identify mobile handset devices using the new dataset available. First, a study of the traffic symmetry and diurnal pattern of the traffic flow was done, which showed downlink dominating the traffic with periods of high traffic during the evening hours. Comparison with the port-based classification showed that the Tstat traffic classifier was more capable in identifying modern Internet applications correctly. The results also found HTTP to be the dominant protocol in Mobile Internet. These information rich HTTP headers enabled detailed study of the HTTP traffic. The Operating System (OS) information available in the User-Agent (UA) header validated the fact that most traffic is indeed from PC based devices and thus enabled separate study for mobile handset based traffic. For identifying the handsets, the UA headers were mapped to the WURFL database. From this study, Nokia devices were found to have the highest traffic volume and flows followed by the iOS and Android OS platforms. However, there were lot of malformed and non-standard UAs, which means there is a need to further refine the handset identification methodology

Developments of 5G Technology

This technology is the future of current LTE technology which would be a boost to the future of wireless and computer networks, as the speeds would be way higher than the current LTE networks, which will push the technology to a new level. This technology will make the radio channels to support data access speeds up to 10 Gb/s which will turn the bandwidth radio channels as WiFi. Comparing it with other LTE technology\u27s it has high speed and capacity, support interactive multimedia, voice, internet and its data rate is 1 Gbps which makes it faster than other LTE’s . This is much more effective than other technology’s due to its advanced billing interfaces. This paper provides detail explanation of 5G technology, its architecture, challenges, advantages and disadvantages, issues and ends with future of 5G technology

Performance evaluation of information and communications technology infrastructure for smart distribution network applications

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Master of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Current electrical networks require secure, scalable and cost-effective Information and Communications Technology (ICT) solutions to facilitate the novel functionalities required by Smart Grids. Countries around the globe are investigating alternative energy sources to mitigate the current energy crisis and environmental issues experienced by many countries due to global warming, rapid growth of population, inefficient energy management, dwindling fossil fuel resources, etc. Therefore, alternative or renewable energy sources, such as wind, solar, hydro, combined heat and power, etc., are required to mitigate such a crisis and such sources will also need to be integrated in to the power grid in a distributed manner. Such distributed energy sources are mainly connected to the distribution networks and introduce huge challenges to the distribution network operator (DNO). Many of these challenges cannot be dealt with effectively using existing network operation mechanisms therefore the research and development of novel ICT solutions to support smart distribution network operation is required. This research investigated suitable ICT solutions to enable the Smart Grid to tackle these challenges and proposes ICT infrastructure models that can be used for simulation studies in order to investigate cost-effective, scalable and secure solutions for the DNOs. Initially, a Quality of Service (QoS) monitoring test-bed was proposed to evaluate the performance of bandwidth intensive applications, such as smart meter data transmission. Simulation studies for different communication technologies, cellular and Power Line Communication (PLC), were also carried out and the simulation models were verified using experimental test results. Finally, the modelling and analysis of smart metering infrastructure was carried out using simulation and extensive studies were performed to evaluate the data transmission rate performance for different configurations of smart meters and concentrators