This is a technology that is widely used by power suppliers, water suppliers and gas suppliers to manage their power and water consumption and also help them to determine their production levels or optimal production levels. They involve automated data collection, reading status gauge and diagnostic of meters from these automated gadgets. The data collected has to be sent back to a central station for editing, trouble shooting and billing. The technology has enable the user to save on cost since they no longer have to travel to individual locations to be able to get the reading. Automated meter reading billing software is linked to database and it constantly updates the master file.
There many electronic devices that are used to collect and transmit data to a central computer. The first one is handheld electronic device which has an inbuilt computer with a transceiver to gather meter reading. This can be called walk by because the reader has to physically walk to gauge location as they pass through or follow their route.
Another type of indicator reader is mobile mostly known as drive by. This type of gauge is attached to motor vehicles. This indicator reader directs the car while the installed gauge reading device collects the reading automatically. Satellite based transmitters can be fixed next to already existing meters.
The satellite automated reader will be in touch with installed indicator so as to get the readings, readings are then sent through mobile satellite or fixed network. Narrow band and spread spectrum are mostly used technologies for automated reading for meters.
One type of handheld device is keypad entry where readers of these gauge read them manually and key in their readings in a handheld device. The reader then has to go back to the station and give the device to a clerk who downloads the device recorded data into electronic software for billing. This method is cost effective if applied in smaller cities where there are no many users to allow them benefit from time saving advantage of this device.
There exist other advanced that call for special indicators and hardware, these are touch and read where the reader uses a wand to touch the meter and it records automatically. The other one is radio and read where signal is sent directly to wand or laptop and it records meter reading.
This technology allows for extra service work whereby gauge readers can be able to process more than a hundred different orders and also supporting other functions such as disconnections, upgrades, collection of data, removes and transmission of information. This improves workers productivity by processing many orders within a short period of time, enhances satisfaction by customers with accurate and fast billing.
These programs can be helpful for tenant billing. Such programs are used together with reading systems that are automatic for entirely automated billing. Manual gauge readers can be used to create invoices. They allow for several rates to be used simultaneously to different users. That is minimum charges, tax rates and fixed rates based on amount of kilowatts consumed.
There are a few limitations with this system though, the first one is that utility can sometimes limit the amount apportioned to users, some programs are limited to certain geographical area hence shutting off some users, there is privacy invasion, the system can be hacked into as it is being transmitted, it minimizes reliability and promotes information redundancy.
There many electronic devices that are used to collect and transmit data to a central computer. The first one is handheld electronic device which has an inbuilt computer with a transceiver to gather meter reading. This can be called walk by because the reader has to physically walk to gauge location as they pass through or follow their route.
Another type of indicator reader is mobile mostly known as drive by. This type of gauge is attached to motor vehicles. This indicator reader directs the car while the installed gauge reading device collects the reading automatically. Satellite based transmitters can be fixed next to already existing meters.
The satellite automated reader will be in touch with installed indicator so as to get the readings, readings are then sent through mobile satellite or fixed network. Narrow band and spread spectrum are mostly used technologies for automated reading for meters.
One type of handheld device is keypad entry where readers of these gauge read them manually and key in their readings in a handheld device. The reader then has to go back to the station and give the device to a clerk who downloads the device recorded data into electronic software for billing. This method is cost effective if applied in smaller cities where there are no many users to allow them benefit from time saving advantage of this device.
There exist other advanced that call for special indicators and hardware, these are touch and read where the reader uses a wand to touch the meter and it records automatically. The other one is radio and read where signal is sent directly to wand or laptop and it records meter reading.
This technology allows for extra service work whereby gauge readers can be able to process more than a hundred different orders and also supporting other functions such as disconnections, upgrades, collection of data, removes and transmission of information. This improves workers productivity by processing many orders within a short period of time, enhances satisfaction by customers with accurate and fast billing.
These programs can be helpful for tenant billing. Such programs are used together with reading systems that are automatic for entirely automated billing. Manual gauge readers can be used to create invoices. They allow for several rates to be used simultaneously to different users. That is minimum charges, tax rates and fixed rates based on amount of kilowatts consumed.
There are a few limitations with this system though, the first one is that utility can sometimes limit the amount apportioned to users, some programs are limited to certain geographical area hence shutting off some users, there is privacy invasion, the system can be hacked into as it is being transmitted, it minimizes reliability and promotes information redundancy.
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