Metering Technology Case Study

Quadlogic Controls is North America’s leading provider of Power Line Communications metering technology. The company’s digital electric Advanced Intelligent Smart Submetering Systems are in use in high-rise office, residential, commercial, and industrial facilities across the U.S. and Canada. In the face of rising energy costs, deregulated markets and complex energy pricing, the data provided by Quadlogic’s metering systems is critical to an organization’s energy management decisions. Quadlogic’s patented Power Line Communications technology utilizes a building’s existing power lines to transmit metered data, so no additional wiring or meter readers are required. When the system was first developed more than 25 years ago, it used a serial device via a telephone modem to enable communications with the outside world. As technology advanced and customer preference shifted from telephone service to Internet, the ability to offer network-enabled metering technology became an imperative if Quadlogic was to remain competitive. The decision was made to integrate the capability into its next-generation Power Line Communications system.

Incorporate the Lantronix UDS1100 device server into the design of the company’s next-generation submetering system to establish the serial-to-Ethernet connection. Quadlogic reviewed several competing Ethernet device servers extensively before selecting the Lantronix UDS1100 for its conversion needs. This singleport external device server is a quick, simple and economical way to bring the advantages of remote management to equipment not currently connected to a network. With the UDS1100, virtually any piece of equipment can be added to an Ethernet network in a matter of minutes, with support for RS232, RS422 and RS485 communications. “When we compared the devices, the Lantronix UDS1100 was more configurable and allowed for more protocols at the same price level,” says Thomas George, Director of Technical Services at Quadlogic. In addition, the UDS1100’s built-in web server enables Quadlogic to access and configure the device from a standard web browser using Lantronix’ development tools to easily customize the product for unique applications. “Set-up takes maybe 25 minutes, from powering up to connecting over the internet to our metering data,” says George. “In fact, the manual we created to show customers how to configure the system themselves has about 10 pages — and most of those pages are diagrams.”

• [Data Management - Data Integration]
  Quadlogic was able to achieve its top goal of more satisfied customers due to better integration with existing systems, more reliable communication, and faster connection/ data transfer speeds.
• [Cost Reduction - Customer Service]
  Quadlogic customers will benefit from dramatically reduced support costs.