Low-power wide area networks: Changes for smart grid

Abstract

Nowadays, a hybrid of communication technologies including a variety of wired and wireless technologies have been used in smart grid. Each wireless communication technology has its advantages and disadvantages. Short-range links, high power consumption, high cost, or a mesh topology are the main characters for wireless technologies. Due to wireless connection problems in mesh topology and a large amount of infrastructure required to build a reliable network, the costs of deployment for smart grid are still amazing. Recently, a new wireless technology Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) has challenged typical wireless connection. It is characterized by low-cost and long-range transmission technologies, and enables power efficient communication over very long distances using a simple topology. In this paper, we introduce the new wireless technology to implement the applications in smart grid, and discuss its advantages and the potential opportunities and challenges that can bring to smart grid.