Meter testing
Meter testing
- For more reliable operation and support
- Designed for professional meter data collection
- Suitable for connected gateways and technical systems
PiiGAB performs tests and verification of meters, sensors and other equipment to ensure compatibility. Our focus in these meter tests is entirely on M-Bus communication.
Our offering includes the option of having meters tested to determine how well they actually work. We conduct a detailed test to determine what the meter can handle and where it may have shortcomings. All data is documented in a results document that presents all test points, and we also add our assessment of the meter's overall performance.
Are you specifying, selling, installing or commissioning M-Bus meters? You can have us test the meter to verify that it actually communicates as it should, so you can be confident of trouble-free use.
In a meter test, we focus on M-Bus communication with the meter. We examine many aspects of the M-Bus communication to determine what the meter can handle and where it has shortcomings.
What does a meter test at PiiGAB involve?
The meter
- Meter identification number.
- M-Bus connection.
- Power supply (M-Bus loop, battery or external).
These points are checked to determine whether the meter can be easily identified and how to connect it to the M-Bus loop. Ideally, the meter should be so clearly labelled that there is no need to look it up in the manual. The meter's power supply is also checked.
Manual
- M-Bus standard.
- M-Bus connection.
- Number of load units.
- Number of telegrams.
- Secondary address: (manufacturer, version and medium).
- Description of meter points.
- Primary addressing.
- Secondary addressing.
- Communication speeds.
- Limitation regarding reading frequency.
The manual is assessed based on how well the meter is documented for M-Bus communication. The more detailed the manufacturer's documentation, the easier it is to use the meter and adapt the property's other products to it.
Test with primary and secondary addressing
- Initialization.
- Readout.
- Reset.
- Change primary address.
- Change communication speed.
- Search.
- Stress test.
- Two-day test.
These test points concern only how well the M-Bus communication functions from the M-Bus client via the M-Bus converter to the M-Bus meter and back. This is done using both primary and secondary addressing.
The stress test and two-day test are particularly important because we sell the PiiGAB M-Bus 900, which allows the meter to be read by four different clients simultaneously. We therefore verify that the meter can be read at a high frequency over a long period.
Measurement points and raw data
- Which measurement points are available to read?
- Do the measurement values referred to in the manual match?
- Are the measurement values realistic for the type of meter?
- What does the raw data provided by the meter look like?
We check which measurement points are actually available to read in the meter. This information is then checked against the information provided in the meter's manual. We also check whether the measurement points provided by the meter are relevant to that type of meter.
Hardware and software used in the test
We only use products that guarantee transparent M-Bus communication in the M-Bus client and M-Bus converter when testing the M-Bus meter. No external influence on the meter's raw data is accepted.
Test environment
Because we at PiiGAB have difficulty simulating a test environment in which external factors - such as heat, dust, dirt, interference, radiation and moisture - are present, our tests cannot take into account the environment to which the meters are exposed in reality.
We therefore carry out our tests in a laboratory environment, and our test results consequently relate to that environment.