Measured radiation levels from wireless
smart meters of different models and technologies

Abstract

The radio frequency radiation from four models of wireless utility electrical meters was measured.Three technologies were included:mesh smart meters, AMR and ERT meters.

I'm from Ontario, and we all have these 'Focus kWh' smart meters from our electric utility. They all have Infrared ports, and mine has a 802.15.4 2.4GHz network module from Trilliant Networks. Is there any way I can collect readings from my smart meter? I'm looking to measure and chart my whole home power usage in a comprehensive, easy way. The meter was a Focus AXR model, which is identical to the Focus AXR-SD, but without a built-in disconnect switch. The measurements were performed on two consecutive days (April 30 and May 1, 2012). The results are shown in Table 2. Table 2: Hickory Creek Focus AXR mesh, frontal radiation.

It was found that the meters radiated most powerfully out through the front and less from the sides and back.

Some meters could clearly be measured more than 50 ft (16 meters) from the front plate, at levels above ambient.

The ERT meter did not transmit during the test period, as it only transmits when prompted by a radio signal.

Keywords:Smart meters, mesh, ERT, AMR, wireless, emissions, radiation, measurements

Introduction

Wireless utility meters have become common in the United States.There are models available for measuring the use of natural gas, water and electricity for individual households, though the wireless electrical meters are the most common.The meters offer a variety of benefits, such as reduced cost of obtaining billing information.Some models also offer improved blackout detection, monitoring of power quality and load reduction during power shortages.

Some models transmit nearly continuously, while others transmit a few times a minute.Some older models transmit a few times a day or even just once a month.

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Concerns and protests have been raised by the public in the last few years, based on numerous complaints from customers who claim health effects.There have also been protests from professional societies, such as the International Commission for Electromagnetic Safety (ICEMS) and the American Academy of Environmental Medicine (AAEM).

This report takes a look at the actual radio frequency radiation from four models of wireless electrical meters.

Methodology

The four meters were chosen to be far removed from other meters and other sources of interference.

The instrument used was a Tenmars TM-195 3-axis RF meter, which measures the frequency band from 50 MHz to 3500 MHz (3.5 GHz).All wireless electrical meters transmit within that range (usually around 900 MHz).

As the transmissions are not continuous, it was necessary to measure the peak value, instead of an average.According to Tenmars, the TM-195 instrument samples (measures) three times a second.As the pulsed transmissions from the wireless meters are of short duration (typically around 1/50^th second) it was necessary to measure over several minutes to make sure at least one burst coincided with the instrument’s sampling.The measurements were all 5 minutes or longer, with 5 minutes the common period.

The measurements were taken at varying distances from the front plate of the wireless utility meter.

Measurements were also taken at different angles from the front plate, to see if the radiation levels were the same in all directions.

The instrument was placed on a tripod, about 5 ft (1.3 meters) above the ground, to be level with the meter.

Measurements were not taken of the transients (“dirty electricity”) put on the household wiring, nor of power frequency (ELF) fields.

Results

The RF emissions from four electrical utility meters were measured.The meters were of three types:

•AMR “bubble up” meter (Itron/Schlumberger C1SR)

•ERT “wake up” meter (Elster AB1R)

•AMI mesh smart meter (Landis+Gyr Focus AXR and RXRS4e)

AMR “bubble up” drive-by meter

An Itron type C1SR meter was measured on a house in rural Arizona, several miles north of Tucson.The C1SR meter is also available under the Schlumberger brand.

This meter was owned by UniSource, one of the largest utilities in Arizona.UniSource owns the Tucson Electric Power utility, which operates in the area.

The C1SR meters can be programmed to communicate in various ways.This meter is programmed to transmit wirelessly every 30 seconds.¹A utility vehicle passes through the area about once a month to pick up the signals from the meters with a wireless receiver.The communication is one-way, the meters do not know when their signals are needed, so they transmit all the time.

In some areas around Tucson, the utility uses the same meters in a fixed network where the signals are received by collector units mounted on lamp posts.

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The radiation from this C1SR meter was measured at increasing distances from the front plate, as shown in Table 1.

Table 1:C1SR meter frontal radiation

Distance ft m	Radiation mW/m²
10.3	36.0
31	7.5
51.6	1.7
103.2	0.70
154.8	0.49
206.5	0.24
Ambient	0.06

The radiation from the meter drops off with distance, but was still above ambient levels at twenty foot distance.

Measurements were also taken behind the meter, which was mounted on the wall of the house.This meant that the radiation had to pass through the steel breaker panel and the 12 inch (300 mm) thick wall.The wall appeared to be standard wood-framing, thus providing little attenuation.At 3 ft (1 meter) from the backside of the meter, the radiation level was measured to 8 mW/m².This is a 60 dB reduction from the same distance from the front side.

ERT “wake up” meter

An Elster AB1R meter was measured in a remote area of southeastern Arizona.The nearest town is Rodeo, New Mexico.

The meter is electromechanical with analog dials.Only a close inspection revealed that it was a wireless ERT meter, which the homeowner was unaware of.The meter has electronics mounted on the bottom of the mechanical meter, which can only be seen from underneath.A label indicates the ERT technology, and also lists an FCC notice.

ERT stands for Electronic Receiver Transmitter.These types of meters are read by a passing utility vehicle, which has a transmitter that sends out a signal.When the ERT meter receives this signal, it transmits its data.Otherwise, it does not transmit.

To verify that the meter was not transmitting, the RF instrument was placed 3 ft from the front plate.The peak value was measured to 0.0137 mW/m² over 12 minutes.

The ambient level was comparable (0.0099 mW/m²