LoRaWAN® radio system Minol Connect – the digital basis for heating cost billing

By switching to wireless meter reading with Brunata Minol Connect, landlords and property managers increase convenience for their tenants. They also benefit from reduced workload. For example, they no longer need to organize interim meter readings when a tenant moves out: because the wireless system stores the last month-end readings, Brunata Minol can also record all interim readings during the annual meter reading. With the help of eMonitoring , landlords and property managers can continuously monitor and optimize the energy consumption and costs of their properties.

The term "Internet of Things" (IoT) describes the networking of "smart" objects that are installed, for example, in cities, industrial plants, public places, or even private homes and can be activated wirelessly. The countless application areas include, for example, industrial process control, package tracking, safety and driver assistance systems for automobiles, and intelligent energy management technology for homes.

LPWAN stands for "Low Power Wide Area Network" and describes a wireless network with a long range and low energy consumption. It connects a wide variety of devices equipped with a corresponding chip. End devices require only low bandwidth and power for data exchange via LPWAN. As a result, they consume little energy and can operate for extended periods on a single battery. This makes LPWAN a suitable transmission technology for the Internet of Things (IoT).

LoRa stands for Long Range. The LoRa Alliance® is a non-profit organization whose members – including the Minol-ZENNER Group – have set themselves the goal of establishing an open LPWAN communication standard for the Internet of Things. The brand name of the transmission standard is LoRaWAN®. The members of the LoRa Alliance® are actively driving the expansion of the network in many European countries, the USA, South Africa, and parts of Asia, and are sharing their knowledge and experience.

Brunata Minol Connect devices with LoRaWAN® use the license-free 868 MHz frequency band in Europe. The maximum size of a data packet is technically limited to 59 bytes. This transmission rate is sufficient for energy consumption monitoring and the future control of most smart devices.

Thanks to LoRa, Brunata Minol Connect offers exceptionally good penetration of walls and masonry, even reaching basements and utility shafts, so typically only one IoT gateway is needed in a building. The transmission range inside and outside buildings depends on the specific conditions on site. Brunata Minol technicians ensure optimal installation of the IoT gateways in every case, so that each end device can reliably transmit its data.

All Brunata Minol Connect devices are equipped with a unique radio identification code at the factory. Immediately after installation, the devices are activated and then establish their first connection to the network. Device identification takes place in the cloud using a security key. Data from other LoRa devices is rejected.

All data packets are forwarded from the IoT gateway to the Brunata Minol Connect network server via the mobile network. The network server identifies authorized devices and removes duplicate data packets if they were forwarded from multiple IoT gateways. From the network server, the data is then forwarded to the Brunata Minol Cloud and decrypted there. The data is now available for use in the various Brunata Minol applications. For example, Brunata Minol's billing software also retrieves consumption data from the Brunata Minol Cloud, as does the customer portal " Brunata Minol direct ".

Electronic heat cost allocators , heat meters, and hot and cold water meters can be read manually and wirelessly. Household meters, for example for gas, electricity, or district heating, can also be integrated via an external Brunata Minol communication module (such as the PDC communication module ). The prerequisite is that they are equipped with a pulse output that allows the data to be converted into radio signals. Only outdated heat cost allocators based on the evaporation principle and older electronic heat cost allocators are not suitable for wireless reading.

An IoT gateway, also known as a modem or access point, receives all LoRaWAN® data from devices, collects it, and transmits it to the cloud server. It functions similarly to a repeater. The best mounting location for an IoT gateway is at the highest point within the building. Basements are often unsuitable because their construction (e.g., fire doors, concrete) can hinder radio signal propagation. A mounting location outside the basement is recommended. Like a DSL modem or Wi-Fi router, an IoT gateway requires very little space. A power outlet with a constant power supply is required for installation.

The number of IoT gateways required depends on local conditions, such as building size and number of floors. Typically, only one IoT gateway is needed per building or group of buildings.

Yes, connectivity to a Smart Meter Gateway (SMGW) is also possible with a Connect radio system installed before 2022. The CLS interface is available on the Smart Meter Gateway (SMGW) for this purpose. Existing Connect meters can be connected to the BSI-certified (Federal Office for Information Security) Smart Meter Gateway via a special Connect Gateway, if required.

Brunata Minol Connect devices are equipped with long-life batteries that are unaffected by potential power outages. Because data transmission between the devices, IoT gateway, and cloud occurs instantly, and no data is stored in the IoT gateway itself, a short-term power outage at the gateway does not affect data retention. The data in the cloud is backed up multiple times and remains available even if the IoT gateway is temporarily unavailable. Data transmission resumes as soon as power is restored.

No, the consent of the other residents is generally not required. The Federal Court of Justice (BGH) has also ruled that tenants must tolerate the installation of modern, wireless meter reading devices (BGH ruling of September 28, 2011, case no. VIII ZR 326/10). The court reasoned that this obligation arises from Section 4 Paragraph 2 Sentence 1 of the Heating Costs Ordinance (HKVO). Furthermore, according to Section 554 Paragraph 2 of the German Civil Code (BGB), tenants must accept measures that serve to improve the rented property. The installation of wireless meter reading devices generally constitutes an improvement in the value of the property, as the rooms no longer need to be entered for meter reading purposes.

The transmission power of wireless meters and smoke detectors is comparable to that of standard garage door openers. The transmission power ranges from 10 to a maximum of 25 milliwatts (mW). In comparison, a standard cordless DECT phone transmits at up to 250 mW. A mobile phone, depending on the network operator and device type, can transmit at 1.000 to 2.000 mW. Minol Connect energy monitoring devices comply with applicable standards and testing requirements. Compliance with the underlying Directive 2014/30/EU (EMC Directive) for electromagnetic compatibility of electrical and electronic products was tested and confirmed as part of the approval process.

A major advantage of the wireless system is that on-site meter readings are no longer necessary for residents. The wireless metering technology records consumption daily, allowing for interim readings at any time. This enables a fair distribution of costs between previous and new tenants.

Few. Only extreme structural conditions, such as reinforced concrete in the basement or metal doors, can disrupt the transmission of radio signals. Therefore, Brunata Minol technicians check the transmission reliability on-site before installing a wireless system.

The detection rate of wireless meters is generally complete. However, should a device fail or a transmission be interrupted, Brunata Minol applies the estimation methods stipulated in the German Heating Costs Ordinance.

LoRaWAN® technology and Brunata Minol Connect offer the best options from the outset for reliably reading consumption data and status reports from meters and smoke detectors. But Brunata Minol Connect can do even more. Step by step, Brunata Minol will introduce new possibilities built on the LoRaWAN® infrastructure. From energy monitoring systems to the control of smart devices, the possibilities are virtually endless. This holds great potential for homeowners and tenants, as well as for property managers and landlords. Future-proofing is ensured by the monitoring of the LoRaWAN® standard by the LoRa Alliance®, whose more than 500 members support the protocol. Together, they align components, products, and services with LoRaWAN®.

Only the data intended for the specific purpose of the device is available. For example, a heat cost allocator transmits the device type, serial number, date, device status, daily value, and annual value. Smoke detectors transmit information about whether the smoke chamber is free of debris, whether the battery voltage is sufficient, whether the device is mounted on the ceiling, and whether there are any objects in the immediate vicinity.

Brunata Minol has exclusive access to the encrypted diagnostic and meter readings stored in the cloud. Building owners and landlords can also request access to this data, for example, if it is necessary for generating reports on the energy consumption of their own buildings.

Access to this data will only be granted

• within the framework of European data protection regulations or
• If necessary, with the express consent of homeowners and tenants or
• in the case of legal requirements, which may arise, for example, from the EU's EED Directive on interim energy consumption information.

Yes. The radio data from the measuring devices is transmitted using the proven GFSK modulation method, which is also used in Bluetooth, DECT, and Wi-Fi. Without knowledge of the encryption, the radio data cannot be read by unauthorized persons.

The wireless meters store the consumption data for the last two billing periods. Up to 19 month-end readings are also available.

The LoRaWAN® specification describes a Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN).
LoRaWAN operates in license-free radio frequency bands and is characterized by a long range of up to 15 km in rural areas, very low energy consumption and the ability to integrate a large number of end devices within a single network.
The system architecture consists of end devices, gateways, network servers and application servers, thus forming the basis for a scalable, flexible network suitable for a wide variety of IoT applications. More information on the Lora Alliance® website.