WIFI Enabled Power Meter – A great telecom disruptor?

Smart Power Meters that are WIFI enabled may be able to bring budget cheap or free internet covering all of Singapore.

This telecom disrupting is an interest area and its not something not plausible consider we have Wireless@SG in Singapore but the problem is that people tend to forget their passwords.

I find it strange why would you need to set a password when the job is to offer to everyone. Are you trying to offset your telecom load or just to comply to the authority? I think it is more of the latter.

Enter Silicon Valley  Power (SVP).

SVP is a non profit California based Municipal in the midst of  implementing Smart Power Meters. These are meters that more or less i feel will eventually implement in Singapore. It tells you how much power you consume and relays back to the central power station but of course can be use to educate the public to use power in prudence.

The opportunity is that it acts as a conduit to offer FREE UNENCRYPTED WIFI to the people.

“This is just one of the major benefits our community will enjoy as a result of our advanced metering technology,” said John Roukema, director of SVP. “Now our residents, visitors and local workforce can get Internet access while waiting for a train, shopping downtown, getting their car washed or relaxing in their yard.”

When advanced meters are installed at residences starting late this year, electricity and water usage information will be highly encrypted and sent via wireless network. Security on this part of the system mimics that of banking and national defense institutions. The technology will also spot outages quickly and help customers monitor their own electricity usage.

The same SVP MeterConnect wireless equipment carries a separate channel for the free, public, and unencrypted outdoor Internet service. Users should be cautious while on any unencrypted Wi-Fi network. Outdoor access is best when unobstructed by trees or buildings and when using higher-powered laptops. The low power signal of smart phones and tablets could limit their Wi-Fi range.

Granted, many locals are addicted to their home broadband. I cannot imagine them not signing up for something like that.

But it is not cheap. If you do mainly news surfing and you already have a 3G-4G 2GB plan on your smartphone, having a 1MBps connection could greatly supplement that.

Sure you cannot watch moves or have low latency in playing games, but for a group of folks this may be a godsend.

Now imagine a coverage such as this Santa Clara implementation. It will offload your 3G data connection as well.