Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: roy@phri.nyu.edu (Roy Smith)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Boston Gas "Specially-equipped Gas Meter"
Message-ID: <8341@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 28 May 90 14:03:03 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
Organization: Public Health Research Institute, New York City
Lines: 32
Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 391, Message 5 of 12


In <8329@accuvax.nwu.edu> henry@garp.mit.edu (Henry Mensch) writes:

> We will then be able to read your meter accurately by radio signal
> from a computer equipped van as we drive down your street.

	Sounds like the Cat Detector Van from the Ministry of Housing!
Anyway, I can't help with Henry's question, but have one of my own on
a similar subject.

	A few (ten?) years ago, Hackensack Water Company installed an
automated meter reading gizmo on my parents' water meter (and a new
meter, equipped for said gizmo).  There is a cable running from the
meter to a plastic box around 6" x 9" x 2" (about big enough to be a
late 1970's line-powered 1200 bps modem, I guess) and some quad cable
from there to Tip/Ring on the phone entrance block.  Anybody know
exactly how this works?  Either it is programmed to place a local call
in the middle of the night to some data-collection number, or maybe
HWCo has permission from NJBell to run some sort of data-over-voice
carrier on top of their wires?  Anybody know for sure?

	What would be more interesting if there was some sort of
standardized meter-to-recorder interface which all the various
utilities used.  Then you could design a multi-port version of the box
described above and the water, gas, and electric meters could all plug
into it.


Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute
455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu -OR- {att,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy
"Arcane?  Did you say arcane?  It wouldn't be Unix if it wasn't arcane!"