Looking to bolster its presence in the smart meter segment, HPL Electric & Power Ltd (“HPL”), a longstanding leader in electric equipment and smart meters, has launched India’s first “Wirepas certified In-meter gateway” in collaboration with global IoT connectivity provider Wirepas for RF mesh technology in advanced metering infrastructure (AMI). The offering is expected to reduce bottlenecks in conventional gateways and ensure citizens get seamless access to 24/7 electricity.
Smaller in size, cost-effective and easy to install, there is also no need to take special permission from authorities for installation. With a production capacity of 1 crore smart meters a year, HPL is looking to take the product to global markets after rolling it out pan-India.
Speaking on the product’s unique features, Rishi Seth, Managing Director, HPL: “By embedding a fully certified gateway into the smart meter itself, we are simplifying deployment for utilities that routinely contend with patchy cellular coverage. In addition to ensuring reliable data collection, this approach significantly reduces the total cost of ownership and simplifies rollout, potentially transforming the AMI landscape in India.”“Our proven mesh technology combined with HPL’s high-quality meters offers a powerful, scalable, and future-proof AMI solution. We are delighted to introduce a system that can adapt to ever changing network needs without adding costly, dedicated hardware,” said Teppo Hemiä, CEO of Wirepas.
Wirepas currently supports millions of devices worldwide, including smart metering networks operating at an impressive 99.9% reliability.
This innovation embeds dual-radio functionality directly into selected HPL smart meters, incorporating both an 865–868 MHz RF mesh and an LTE modem. The RF radio collects data from up to 300 smart meters via a multi-hop mesh, while the LTE modem transmits data seamlessly to HPL’s head end system. By integrating the gateway inside the meter, the solution removes the need for standalone gateway devices, helping utilities avoid costly and complex site surveys, installation procedures, and maintenance overheads.