An Open-Source Framework for Smart Meters: Data Communication and Security Traffic Analysis

In this paper, a structured methodology is proposed to define the architecture for a communication framework with multiframe capability, which can be embedded in a residential smart meter hardware for smart grid applications. This framework is based on the Transmission Control Protocol/Internet protocol, and it is considered that the data are exchanged via wireless technologies. The architectural model was based upon the state-of-the-art in software engineering, making use of the design patterns and the principles of low coupling and high cohesion, which result in a solution that is both more reliable and maintainable. A security module is also provided and the framework performance is evaluated, in terms of packet throughput and computational effort of the security layer on the processing device, via practical experiments of some laboratory scenarios. Furthermore, errors on some frames are introduced in order to evaluate the feasibility of this framework in real field applications. Results show that this framework architecture supports acceptable transfer rates even with extra computational cost due to the use of data encryption and separated processing modules, making it a feasible proposal for the considered application context.