Query on RF Communication in Smart Meters

By Uniyal_Harshit , 18 March, 2026
Forums
Gurux DLMS for Java

Hi Team,

I am working on implementing RF communication for smart meters and need some guidance on the following:

What are the initial steps required to establish RF communication with a meter (hardware setup, protocol, initialization process)?

What are the key variables/parameters that are transmitted during RF communication (e.g., addressing, payload structure, control fields)?

Any documentation or reference would be helpful.

Thanks.

Kurumi

2 months ago

Hi,

RF communication settings depend on the used framing. Those topics are covered on DLMS standards, but you can use, for example, Wi-SUN or LoRa. Several customers are also using Wirepas stack to read DLMS meters.

BR,
Mikko

Uniyal_Harshit

2 months ago

Hi Mikko,

Thank you for your guidance.

We will be using 6LoWPAN for RF communication, and the RF setup has already been successfully configured on our meters.

So far, we have established successful communication using both TCP and HDLC. Now, I would like to understand:

1) What are the key parameters that are sent to the meter to establish a successful connection in an RF (6LoWPAN) scenario?

2) Once the RF connection is successfully established, what parameters are sent to that specific meter?

Any insights or references would be very helpful.

Best Regards,
Harshit.

Uniyal_Harshit

2 months ago

Hi Mikko,

Thank you for your response.

We are currently working with a developed DLMS/COSEM smart meter, where RF (6LoWPAN) communication is already configured. We are now aiming to integrate the meter with an RF gateway and access it from the Head-End System (HES).

From a DLMS perspective, could you please clarify:

1) How is the DLMS client association (AARQ/AARE) handled when communication is routed via an RF (6LoWPAN) gateway?

2) What addressing scheme is typically used (e.g., logical/physical address mapping, IPv6 addressing in 6LoWPAN)?

3) What are the key DLMS parameters required at the HES side (Client SAP, Server SAP, security settings, etc.) for accessing a specific meter through the gateway?

4)Are there any additional considerations for routing or session management in such RF mesh/network setups?

Any references or examples would be very helpful.

Best regards,
Harshit

Kurumi

2 months ago

Hi,

1. The used communication channel doesn't affect for AARQ/AARE.
2. LoraWan uses its own cheme.
3. Those depend on the meter and used DLMS substandard. DLMS standards don't define those values.
4. The speed of mesh networks can cause problems with a large number of the meters.

BR,
Mikko