Laptop computers with USB ports or RS-232 / 485 ports are used to download data locally from the recorder and update recorder configurations or firmware on-site. Local serial communications are common if a customer site is located in an area where cellular or wireless reception is poor or non-existent. Enetics software can be programmed to automatically detect the proper RS-232 / 485 baud rates for serial communication, but typically 38,400 bps is the default data transmission speed.

Enetics products have the optional capability to utilize cellular modems for data telemetry. Many products have this feature integrated while some earlier products use external modems. Depending on the location of use, multiple cellular protocols exist and Enetics can support all of them. Contact Enetics to discuss the optimal cellular protocols for your region of the world.

The two primary protocols used worldwide are GSM and CDMA:

GSM – Used widely across Europe, Africa, Middle East, Asia, Canada and the United States.

• AT&T and T-Mobile are carriers of GSM technology in the United States
• Requires a SIM card for user identifications and network access
• Also referred to as UMTS service

CDMA – Also used worldwide, includes 3G (CDMA2000) technology:

• Verizon, Sprint, and US Cellular are carriers of CDMA technology in the United States
• Prominent in South Korea, Japan, Latin America and the United States

4G LTE – This is termed the Long Term Evolution of UMTS technology and is deploying worldwide. The majority of new cell phones sold will utilize 4G LTE technology and almost all carriers are equipped to support 4G LTE. Enetics will adopt this technology as it matures for all cellular modem communications.

Both GSM and CDMA protocols are highly reliable and well adopted. Typical applications would involve the transport of data from non-volatile memory to the cloud (and vice versa in the case of configuration or firmware updates). The cloud can physically be an .ftp site residing on existing customer servers, a third party server, or servers provided by Enetics with a data hosting arrangement.

Enetics provides optional RJ-45 connected, TCP/IP based, 10/100 Ethernet communication on many metering products.

A laptop computer or device equipped with Bluetooth 802.15.1 wireless communication hardware and running Enetics’ software can establish a wireless connection within 10-20 meters of the recorder and download data. Commonly used for walk-by or drive-by data interrogation and collection, this option allows the user to perform recorder configurations and firmware updates without removing the recorder from service.

Enetics provides 802.11 b/g wireless WiFi LAN connectivity as an option on many metering products. The protocol supports the complete TCP/IP networking stack, and is WiFi Alliance certified for secure authentication via WEP, WPA-PSK (TKIP), and WPA2-PSK wireless protocols. Connecting to a wireless network requires knowledge of the intended wireless network’s SSID and Passphrase.

In the event that local or wireless communications are not an option, data can be obtained from the recorder by simply removing the optional internal Secure Data (SD) memory card. This option ensures the recorder can operate for years without filling the memory by using SD cards up to 32 Gbytes in memory. SD cards can be “hot-swapped”: remove and replace the SD card with a new one without powering down or interrupting recording. Data stored on the original SD card is available at the user’s convenience. Note: Recorder software updates are not available locally using this option.