There are two controlling modules at the two ends i.e. is one at the energy meter end and the other at the computer based display. The communication between these two modules is taken place with the help of a Zigbee module. Zigbee is a specification for a suite of high level communication protocols using small, low-power digital radios based on the IEEE 802.15.4-2003 standard for wireless personal area networks (WPANs)
The control units which we are making use can also be termed as an onboard computers or microcontrollers. The name onboard computer is given sue to the presence of it’s built in memory (RAM, ROM) and also due to its input and output ports. The control unit at the energy meter end reads the meter readings and forwards it to the other end using this Zigbee. The microcontroller also displays the energy meter readings on LCD which is interfaced with the microcontroller. This information is received by the controller at the PC with the help of the Zigbee provided to it and prints the same into the PC (Hyper terminal). And also it gives the bill using printer.
The major advantage of this system is making use of Zigbee module which helps for a wireless transmission. Zigbee is a low-cost, low-power, wireless mesh networking proprietary standard. The low cost allows the technology to be widely deployed in wireless control and monitoring applications, the low power-usage allows longer life with smaller batteries, and the mesh networking provides high reliability and larger range.