DLMS - Reading data from an utility meter
Thursday, July 11. 2024
DLMS/COSEM or Device Language Message Specification / Companion Specification for Energy Metering is something IEC 62056 set of standards define. The use case is to enable a consumer to access readings of a smart meter. Technology is robust, it was introduced in Netherlands nearly 30 years ago. Accessing data is also very straightforward, DLMS.dev has instructions for this.
Port and magnet-attaching reader look like these:
Simple & robust. Then there is the but -part. (there always is one)
My electricity meter (let's state the obvious: provided by my utility company) looks like this:
Unit is a Landis+Gyr E450 and it has the port ... aaand the port doesn't work. In my books "work" would indicate some sort of data flow. To sort this out, I contacted tech support with questions. The reply I got was astonishing! DLMS is disabled for all units because of expensive license fee. The greedy bastards at Landis+Gyr want more money for (EU) 2019/944 given consumer rights. As the price is steep, my provider chose not to comply, which translates into no data for me.
Given EU laws and regulations, the story does not end there. In their infinite wisdom, L+G license fee for HAN P1 interface makes commercial sense, so:
Now I'm running a Landis+Gyr E360.
Obviously, the HAN P1 doesn't work yet. It needs to be enabled from network control. For the mentioned license fee. I'll get back to this when I have any data.
DisplayPort Cables - Follow up
Sunday, July 7. 2024
Last month I bumped into an incompatible DisplayPort -cable. There are many different speeds and DP 2.0 requires so much more on your cable to achieve those speeds 4K, 5K and 8K monitors require.
A famous phrase states "Go big or go home!" So I did that. Went big:
These two cables with 8K and 10K spec should have the oompf required to run any of my future monitors.
Color-coding is puzzling to me:
No matter how much I do looking & searching, there isn't anything I can find on those colors. My obvious assumption is for the manufacturer Deltaco to mark 8K with a red connector and 10K with a blue. Exactly what cable speed that translates into, I dunno. My speculation is with UHBR13.5 and UHBR20, but that's only my guess.
In my previous post on the topic I did complain on lacking markings. The boxes have semi-reasonable markings, cables have none. Besides the undocumented color coding.
I you'd compare USB-A -connectors:
Or USB4-connectors:
Both have well documented system. DisplayPort, not so much.