EkaNet™ Smart Networks enable utilities to transform their operations by turning isolated meters that require manual reads into a rich information network of intelligent meters. As part of a self-managing, self-healing mesh network, EkaNet™-enabled meters and devices communicate with the utility in near real-time, providing data tools and control mechanism such as: detailed usage data, time-of-use (TOU) pricing, remote connect/disconnect, Home Area Network (HAN) access, and more. Building upon the EkaNet™ foundation, utilities can give customers energy management tools that allow individual households to tailor their energy consumption to meet their needs while helping balance demands on the overall energy distribution system. In turn, utilities can use the robust stream of data to help forecast and manage energy usage during peak demand periods and maximize operational efficiencies to boost bottom line performance.
EkaNet™ is 100% self-forming and self-maintaining, unlike products offered by any other Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) provider in the market today. There is no hierarchical network architecture and the Nodes can communicate with any Gateway. The network self-segments and reorganizes itself, which means that the network is able to automatically respond to changes in the environment such as new homes and change of seasons. These kinds of changes would interfere with traditional AMI networks with a hierarchical architecture. And because EkaNet™ is self-healing and self-maintaining, the network requires no manual oversight resulting in much lower operational and maintenance costs for utilities compared to other AMI networks.
EkaNet™ Smart Networks provide a proactive response to service issues. Instead of waiting for customer calls to determine the extent of an outage, EkaNet™ based AMI solutions provide real-time alerts, identification of affected service areas, and prompt data to analyze and isolate the root cause of a fault. In addition to tracking energy usage, EkaNet™ Smart Networks can also be equipped to identify power quality problems such as voltage sags, spikes, short duration interruptions and other power issues. With EkaNet™, utilities are better positioned to pinpoint and address potential issues before they become customer complaints.
Low cost of management and maintenance
EkaNet™ Smart Networks are self-organizing and require no manual address/route/channel assignments. It is simple to manage thousands or millions of devices resulting in the lowest total cost of ownership (TCO).
Scalability means flexibility and lower costs
EkaNet™ Smart Networks are self-organizing and allow true scalability. Utilities can easily add Nodes and Gateways as their customer base grows.
• No inherent limitation on number of hops
• No network address configuration
• No managed hierarchical architecture
• No hard limitation on number of Gateways
• No hard limitation on number of Nodes per Gateway
Near real-time network means speed and efficiency
EkaNet™ high bandwidth and low latency allows quick access to data for on-demand reads, outage notifications, remote service disconnects and other applications. In addition, EkaNet™ technology supports automated “over-the-air” upgrades that spread automatically to increase efficiency and lower operation costs.
IPv6-compliant network
In addition to the existing support for standard IP connectivity provided to the utility head-end system, Eka Systems is also working toward full support for IPv6 standards within the wireless network. This upgrade will offer expanded IP address space, simplified management and will permit full end-to-end network interoperability with future utility network applications when and where applicable.
In the area of IP networking Eka has continued to be engaged in the development of Internet standards for wireless sensor networks through participation in the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) 6LowPAN, 6LowApp, and Routing Over Low Power Lossy Networks (ROLL) working groups. Along with other technical contributors, Eka Systems was an author of RFC 5488, “Routing Requirements for Urban Low-Power and Lossy Networks” and the lead author of the Draft “Framework for Routing over Low Power and Lossy Networks”.
Along with companies such as Cisco, Duke Energy, Sun Microsystems and others, Eka Systems has been founding member of the IPSO (IP for Smart Objects) Alliance, an industry alliance formed for the promotion IP education, marketing, and interoperability testing.
Low cost of management and maintenance
EkaNet™ Smart Networks are self-organizing and require no manual address/route/channel assignments. The simple management of thousands of devices dramatically reduces the time and effort required to operate the system, resulting in a low overall total cost for the system.
EkaNet™ Smart Networks for AMI and the Smart Grid