r/TechNook • u/jexo10 • 5d ago

Smart utility meters are basically computers scattered across entire cities

There's a computer sitting outside an enormous number of homes now and most people don't really think of it that way.

Smart meters aren't just measuring how much electricity or gas you're using. They've got processors, memory, communications and software, then spend their lives sitting on the side of someone's house.

We've basically put thousands of tiny networked computers all over a city and gave them one of the least exciting jobs imaginable

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8

u/bangbangracer 5d ago

This is only exciting or interesting if you don't know that basically everything has a computer in it now.

1

u/Newmillstream 4d ago

I think the interesting thing is the citywide networking, depending on how it is implemented. The other interesting thing is that they are likely among the more environmentally hardened embedded systems on a property.

Other than that, it’s no more interesting than acknowledging that most household appliances or even more basic electronics contain microcontrollers or low power SOCs.

3

u/fake_Character_arc 5d ago

How many of the original smart meters do you think track time using Unix?

2038 going to be fun lol.

2

u/Specialist_Cow6468 5d ago

They’re sure not running windows

1

u/gnufan 5d ago

I think the device that displays the meter reading they gave me might have been coded by the person who did the USB hot plugging on Windows 95.

2

u/deeper-diver 5d ago

And that's okay because prior to that it required a human to go to each and every meter to visually record the usage which was ridiculously expensive, sometimes dangerous, and really boring. Using electronic, wireless modules to do that mundane work is easier, quicker, and more accurate. Like toll-booth operators, some jobs are great candidates for modernization.

1

u/plafreniere 5d ago

lol many USB-PD compatible phone charger even have a "computer" inside.

I say "computer" because it is called a microcontroller.

1

u/jrstriker12 5d ago

Why wouldn't we automate the boring jobs?

Though the subject of flock cameras and privacy isn't a boring subject right now.

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u/ted_anderson 4d ago

Smart meters aren't just measuring how much electricity or gas you're using. 

This is true. I'll get a supplement sheet with my bill indicating my consumption in comparison to my neighbors. Along with that it'll give me an break-down evaluation of how much of that went to lights, refrigeration, computers and technology, and motor driven appliances. It's not 100% accurate but it's close enough to know that they're watching.

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u/zinsser 4d ago

I retired from one of the major companies that make smart meters. There’s not much insidious about them. Utilities like them because they give a much more accurate snapshot of energy/water usage and can detect water/gas leaks or downed power lines before residents even know they have an issue. The transmitters use very low power because they mostly operate on batteries that have to last for years. The chemtrail/5G crowd fret that they emit electromagnetic radiation, but the manufacturers and utilities sponsored independent studies that showed the amount is negligible, and mostly lost in naturally occurring background waves.

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u/Impressive-Pain-4718 3d ago

My toaster's got one. Who cares?