Wize technology
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wize is a registered trademark referring to a low‑power, long‑range, two‑way radio communication technology operating in the 169 MHz frequency range. While originally designed for the 169 MHz frequency) band, the Wize technology is flexible and can be adapted to nearby frequency bands as well. Its current specification is built on the European standard 13757‑x, established by the European Union to support the rollout of smart metering systems[1]. Since 2017, this open standard has also been available for broader IoT applications.[2]
Wize enables the networking of connected objects that can be difficult to access[3], such as buried, isolated, or deeply buried systems. The protocol can also resolve specific technical constraints. The use of Wize is particularly notable in the energy and dedicated infrastructure sectors for the smart city: water[4], gas, electricity, air, cathodic protection, parking...
169 MHz radio frequency spectrum
The 169 MHz radio frequency band (169.4 - 169.8125 MHz more precisely), formerly known as ERMES band, was historically used by pager type services.
When this service ended, the European Conference of Postal and Telecommunications Administrations (CEPT) and its Electronic Communications Committee (ECC) decided in 2005[5] to allocate this frequency for a number of new use cases, including remote meter reading. The low value of the frequency, as well as the potential to transmit at up to 500 mW, makes this band a high-performance technical solution for remote meter reading taking into account the difficult radio access conditions (e.g. deep inside a building) and the necessity to be battery-powered for a long period of time (up to 20 years).
The ISM 169 MHz radio frequency spectrum is open and royalty-free in Europe, working as a license-free band for Short-range devices, with the common spectrum occupancy restrictions these shared spectrum have.
In 2005, Suez, a private water utility, developed an AMI infrastructure based on the 169 MHz frequency to run smart water metering deployments across Europe, mainly in France, Spain and Portugal.
In 2011, Malta's Water Services Corporation (WSC) adopted the 169 MHz frequency band for its smart water metering project, becoming the first country in the world to build a nationwide smart grid within a fully integrated water system.
The EN13757 standard communication system
The EN13757-4 European standard is part of a metering standard suite managed by the CEN TC294 technical committee. The CEN TC294 standardizes communication for gas, water and heat meters as well as for heat cost allocators. EN13757-4 defines the wireless low level interface of this standard, including physical and MAC layers. This standard includes a long list of variants.
In 2012, the emergence of the EN13757-4/N2 variant within the CEN TC294 technical committee constituted a turning point.
The EN13757-4 mode N is the physical layer of Wize technology. The application layer of the Wize protocol is referenced in the EN13757 standard family and a liaison between the Wize Alliance, created in 2018, and the CEN technical committee "TC294" was granted in 2018. The Wize protocol is now open for free access and other uses such as the Internet of Things.[6]
Technical features
Channels
The radio spectrum of the EN13757-4 mode N standard defines 6 channels within the VHF band (5 up and 1 down). The combination of a low channel bandwidth (12.5 kHz), high speed option using 4GFSK modulation,[7] bidirectionality and a high transmission power (500 mW, +27 dBm) enables the technology to achieve high radio performance.
Strong radio penetration
The communication standard is designed to connect IoT devices that are difficult to access (deep indoor).
Open source
no chip locking, no telecommunications locking for free development.[8]
Range
Per unit, the in situ coverage of Wize technology varies from 50 km outdoors, 10 km indoors and 2.5 km deep indoors[9].
Battery lifetime
The small amount of communication per day (5 to 10) enables the power consumption to be very low. Small lithium batteries cells (AA, A or C) are enough to power the devices up to 20 years for remote meter reading.
End-to-end security
Highest end-to-end security standards guaranteed. The communication between devices and gateways (link layer) is end-to-end encrypted using hash keys in AES-128 to secure the data.
Over-the-air (OTA) updates
A protocol mechanism allows to schedule and perform, via broadcasting, an update of the devices' firmware over the air wirelessly.
