Radiofrequency fields associated with the Itron smart meter

This study examined radiofrequency (RF) emissions from smart electric power meters deployed in two service territories in California for the purpose of evaluating potential human exposure. These meters included transmitters operating in a local area mesh network (RF LAN, approximate to 250 mW); a cell relay, which uses a wireless wide area network (WWAN, approximate to 1 W); and a transmitter serving a home area network (HAN, approximate to 70 mW). In all instances, RF fields were found to comply by a wide margin with the RF exposure limits established by the US Federal Communications Commission. The study included specialised measurement techniques and reported the spatial distribution of the fields near the meters and their duty cycles (typically 1 ) whose value is crucial to assessing time-averaged exposure levels. This study is the first to characterise smart meters as deployed. However, the results are restricted to a single manufacturers emitters.