SMART GRID WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY COMPARISON CHART

wireless choices for smart gridSmart Grid is an enabling opportunity for operators to seek new market positions and revenue streams in an all-important effort to more intelligently and efficiently address energy generation and consumption.

Smart Grid operators can use this comparison chart to clarify the various choices for wireless connectivity – from access to backhaul, for data or management transmission, using any one or combination of various technologies.

Aviat Networks offers advanced wireless transmission equipment including microwave backhaul and WiMAX connectivity. We also provide turnkey Professional Services such as network design, system integration and deployment, network managed services (including Network Operation Center services) in all areas of wireless transmission. Our advanced networking and transmission experts can help you build your foundation for Smart Grid and other intelligent efforts for enabling wireless transport around the world.

Aviat, Aviat Networks, and the Aviat logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Aviat Networks, Inc.

© Aviat Networks, Inc. (2010) All Rights Reserved. Data subject to change without notice. _z_SmartGrid_ANSI_28Sep10

wimaX (802.16 d/e/m)

Wireless metropolitan area network (MAN) ecosystem including access, ASN and CSN for end-to-end.

IEEE 802.16d-2004, 802.16e-2005, 802.16m

AMI Backhaul, SCADA Backhaul, Demand Response, Mobile Workforce, Video Surveillance.

Efficient backhaul of data - aggregating 100s access points; QoS supports Service Assurance; Battery-backup improves reliability and security; Simple, scalable network rollout and CPE attachment; Faster speeds than 3G cellular; Large variety of CPE and gateway/base station designs.

Limited access to spectrum licenses in the US; Trade off higher bitrates over longer distances; Assymetrical up and down link speeds; Bandwidth is shared among users; Competing against future 4G cellular standards for high-capacity, all-IP networks.

mesh (802.11 or 802.16)

Outdoor wireless mesh network (WMN) is a communications network made up of radio nodes organized in a mesh topology.

IEEE 802.11, 802.16, operating on FCC Part 15 Rules

Last-mile access connection to residence and building nodes; AMI backhaul, distribution automation, demand response, remote monitoring.

Non-line-of-sight, MIMO configurations, integrated antenna to handle wide range of deployment issues; Easily scalable; Mesh design allows improved coverage around obstacles, node failures and path degradation; Rapid deployment using unlicensed; Security - SNMPv1/2/3 and data encryption; QoS available.

Increased delay/latency introduced by multiple hops; Increased complexity of protocols (MAC, routing, management, security); Mesh architecture increases the cost and complexity of the network with each additional node.

lte

Enhancements to 3G Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) mobile networking, providing for enhanced multimedia services.

3GPP Release 9

AMI Backhaul, SCADA Backhaul, Demand Response, Mobile Workforce, Video Surveillance.

Low latency, high capacity; Fully integrated with 3GGP, compatible with earlier 3GPP releases; Full mobility for enhanced multimedia services; Carrier preferred protocol; Low power consumption.

Not readily available in many markets/still in testing phases in others; Equipment cost high; vendor differentiation still unclear; Lack of expertise in designing LTE networks; Utilities’ access to spectrum.

microwave 5.8, 6, 11, 18, 23, 70-80 ghz

descriptionHigh capacity point-to-point wireless transport for backhaul or backbone of telecommunication systems.

standardsFCC Part 101, Part 15

how to use in smart gridBackhaul and backbone transport for various applications such as SCADA, AMI, Distribution Automation and Demand Response.

Key advantagesWide range of available capacities, frequencies, configurations; lower cost than fiber build; well-understood deployment and ROI models; highly secure.

notable weaKnessesPoint-to-point configurations only; Frequency congestion in highly populated areas; Best for high capacity , full duplex, transmission applications.

Zigbee (802.15.4)

Low-cost, low power, wireless mesh standard for wireless home area networks (WHANs) or personal area network (PAN).

IEEE 802.15.4-2003; ZigBee Alliance maintains the standard

Home area network for energy management and monitoring: Smart meters; Smart lighting, appliances and electronic equipment.

Low cost - for inexpensive consumer devices; Low power consumption - up to 2 year battery life; Self-organizing mesh network - secure, reliable networking; Low data rates - network can support large number of users.

Smart energy specifications are still under development; Developer must join ZigBee Alliance.

wlan (802.11b/g/n )

Indoor wireless local area network (WLAN ); home area network (HAN).

IEEE 802.11b/g/n; IEEE Working Group provide support and update.

Home area network, home automation.

Low-cost chip sets - inexpensive consumer devices; Widespread use and expertise - low-cost application development; Stable and mature standards.

Small coverge and short distances limit widespread use; Security issues with multiple networks operating in same locations.

power line carrier

Systems for carrying data on a conductor that is also used for electric power transmission.

Several competing: G.hn/G.9960; IEEE P1901 (draft)

Substation Automation, AMI Backhaul, Remote Monitoring, Distribution Automation.

Piggyback onto existing network of power transmission cables, as long as cables can easily reach population centers, residences, businesses, etc. Viable business model for municipalities because of close proximity to customers.

Specilized equipment remains high cost; Owned by power companies that might prefer to use microwave or fiber and sell/lease excess capacity; Standards in draft stages; Electromagnetic interference because power lines are unshielded.

3g cellular

description3G includes wide-area wireless voice telephone, video calls, and wireless data, all in a mobile environment.

standardsUMTS, CDMA2000, EV-DO, EDGE

how to use in smart gridAMI Backhaul, Communications Network, Mobile Workforce

Key advantagesWidely deployed, stable and mature; standardized; equipment prices keep dropping; Readily available expertise in deployments; cellular chipset very inexpensive; Large selection of vendors.

notable weaKnessesTechnology is in the transition phase to LTE deployment; Public cellular networks not as stable/secure for mission critical/utility applications; Not well-suited for large data/high bandwidth applications.

Microwave 5.8, 6, 11, 18, 23, 70-80 GHz WIMAX (802.16 d/e/m) Mesh (802.11 or 802.16) LTE 3G Cellular Power Line Carrier WLAN (802.11b/g/n) Zigbee (802.15.4)

general usagePoint-to-point wireless transport for voice, data, video, etc. for various network configurations including Radio access network (RAN), WAN, backhaul, backbone, trunking, etc.

Mobile broadband or at-home broadband connectivity across whole cities or countries (alternative to GSM, CDMA); Cost-effective delivery to sparsely populated or underserved areas; Triple play delivery - broadband Internet, VoIP and IPTV services.

Popular for last mile, broadband access in municipal and rural areas; Mesh networks support improved reliability and scalability, can overlay or replace copper-DSL or FTTH

Mainly for mobile carrier adoption; Next-generation network for mobile telecommunication providing high spectral efficiency, very low latency, improved user experience.

Mobile handset, tablet connectivity for voice and video calling, internet access and Mobile TV.

Also known as power line communication, Broadband over Power Lines; Systems for carrying data on a power conductor, for WAN applications; Popular in Europe where power grid design supports residential access.

Wireless networking for LAN and WAN; Widely used for indoor wireless LAN; Outdoor networks implement mesh-like architecture for more resilient coverage.

Targeted radio frequency apps requiring low data rate, long battery life and secure networking; In-between WiFi and Bluetooth.

frequency range 5, L6, U6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15, 18, 23, 26, 32, 38 GHz; E-band 70-80 GHz; Unlicensed: 2.4, 5.8, GHz

2.3, 2.5, 3.5 GHz licensed bands; 450 MHz, 700 MHz also used

900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5.8 GHz (unlicensed) 700 MHz, AWS 1700/2100 MHz, IMT 2500 MHz, GSM 900 MHz, UMTS 1900/2100 MHz, GSM 1800 MHz, PCS 1900 MHz, Cellular 850 MHz

GSM: 380 MHz-1.9 GHz; CDMA/EV-DO: 800 MHz to 1.9 GHz;

The RF frequencies travel at frequencies of 1.7-80 MHz. Most providers rely on the 1-30 MHz spectrum bandwidth for BPL transmission.

Unlicensed: 2.4 and 5 GHz; Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS), OFDM

ISM: 868 MHz , 915 MHz, 2.4 GHz (unlicensed); Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum coding.

channel bandwidth5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 80 MHz (ANSI/FCC) Typical channel bandwidth allocations are 20 or 25

MHz (United States) or 28 MHz (Europe)20 MHz for 802.11 a/g; 20/40 MHz for 802.11n

1.4, 3, 5, 10, 15, and 20 MHz, scalable carrier bandwidths, supports both FDD and TDD.

GSM: 200 kHz; CDMA: 1.23 MHz (1.25 MHz for EV-DO)

Wide band 1200 (Hz); Medium band 600 (Hz) 20 MHz for 802.11 a/g; 20/40 MHz for 802.1n Nominal bandwidth of 22 MHz

coverage capabilities Depends on frequency and terrain, but point-to-point links are achievable up to 40 miles

3-4 miles; longer distances capable with lower bit rates

Coverage at access points is similar to 802.11 b/g/n. Distance between radio nodes varies between frequency and line of sight (0-15 miles) or non-line of site (0-3 miles) between links

2-3 miles radius (urban area) 5-7 miles radius (rural)

3-5 miles (hilly terrain) up to 30-45 miles (flat terrain)

Distances of more than 15 km can be achieved over a medium voltage network; In-building data rates for Internet access, limited to short distances <1000m

Indoor: up to 100 meters; Outdoor: up to 250 meters

Up to 50 meters

peaK single user data rate Capacity/throughput (per channel, per polarization): typically up to 310/360 Mbit/s TDM/Ethernet; Beyond 1 Gbit/s using cross polarization, etc.

Typical 4-16 Mbps Data rates dependent on link distance; Optimal data rates similar to 802.11 b/g/n (54, 48, 36, 24, 18, 12, 9, 6, 4,5, 3, 2.25, 1.5 Mbps); as high as 300 Mbps for outdoor.

SISO peak rates of 100 Mbps (DL), 50 Mbps (UL), min; 2x2 MIMO 172.8 Mbps (DL);57.6 Mbps (UL); 4x4 MIMO 326.4 Mbps (DL) 86.4 Mbps (UL)

GSM/HSPA+: Up to 28 Mbps (DL), 22 Mbps (UL) CDMA/EV-DO: Up to 14.7 Mbps

Data rates vary broadly - approximate DSL speeds. Low-frequency (100-200 kHz) carriers: Few hundred bits per second; Higher data rates mean shorter ranges. Speeds up to 10 Mbps have been achieved.

802.11b: up to 11 Mbps; 802.11a/g/h/j: up to 54 Mbps; 802.11n: >100 Mbps

20 to 250 kbps, depending on frequency band.

cost Low - Moderate. Lower cost compared to fiber with greater ease of deployment. Cost/capacity equipment costs declining; Infrastructure costs including labor, tower space rent are increasing.

Moderate - CapEx is moderately high, OpEX is low; various CPE designs available at commodity pricing; Chip prices continue to drop in price.

Moderate - Mature technology: Low to moderate CapEx, depending on capacity and advanced QoS and routing features. Integrated antenna and zero-footprint means installation costs depends on number of nodes and gateways deployed.

High - early adoption stage in pricing for equipment, products availability and development; Spectrum costly.

Moderate - High. 3G cellular deployments will incur growing, recurring costs per megabyte. No control over network can lead to downtimes.

High - not widely adopted in North America: High cost of implementation and lack of vendors. Typical US city grid system is poor design for BPL - will need 10x repeaters compared to similar size European city.

Low - widely used and deployed in the consumer market; Commodity pricing on chip sets.

Low - intended as a low cost, low power product for low bandwidth applications.

technology maturityUtilities have deployed microwave networks for decades due to its high reliability and high performance network requirements.

Mature; 500+ deployments worldwide. New 802.16m standard is proposed - up to 4x current speeds.

Mesh is a mature technology with large variety of vendors and devices, already widely used for Smart Grid apps.

Technology demonstrations worldwide starting in 2010; Deployments currently in trial phase; large scale deployments in 2-3 years.

Very mature but will be phased over to future standards such as LTE over the next few years.

More popular in Europe than North America. Both one-way and two-way systems have been successfully used for decades.

WiFi is a mature, proven interoperable technology. Wide variety of vendors and pricing structures available.

Fairly new; specifications ratified in 2004, ongoing specifications still in process.

SMART GRID WIRELESS TECHNOLOGY COMPARISON CHART