Tampa, FL, Feb. 10, 2006 — Announced as a collaborative development project in September 2004, Landis+Gyr Inc. and Comverge Inc. have completed the adaptation of Comverge’s Maingate C&I CDMA cellular gateway – migrating from an external enclosure to an under-glass module – for full integration into the Landis+Gyr S4e C&I meter platform. The first 500 units of the complete, redesigned endpoint are scheduled to ship in March.
Designed for demand response, load profile and analysis, key account customer care programs and other advanced metering applications, the Comverge Maingate S4e endpoints can be read by Comverge’s PowerCAMP data warehouse. In addition to supplying robust, packet-switched real-time AMR data transport, PowerCAMP enables web-based solutions including: feeder/load analysis, load trending and visualization; direct load control, management and scheduling; price-response demand; and remote asset monitoring, analysis and diagnostics. Comverge Maingate S4e endpoints can also be read by legacy meter reading software such as Landis+Gyr’s 1132COM and Itron’s MV-90.
A key function of the Comverge Maingate S4e endpoint is over the air, upgradeable module firmware which is designed to allow a utility to update features and programming without a site visit. The Comverge S4e under-glass endpoint also provides an easier initial field installation than its external counterpart, meter display of the module status, three communications modes for a wide variety of communications and software configurations and the ability to report real-time power outage notifications and power quality alarms to the utility.
The S4e meter platform itself offers the following functional enhancements over previous S4 family meters—flash memory for firmware upgrades: an ANSI C12.19 standard protocol, transformer loss compensation option and on-board load profile option.
S4e meters also meet industry standards for accuracy—achieving 0.2% accuracy on socket and A-base meters and 0.5% accuracy for K-base meters. These levels of accuracy, along with the range of meter configurations available, enable a utility to custom build its S4e network, tailored to the exact specifications of its various applications from small C&I demand to substation metering.
