Components
The Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) system main components can be summarized as follows:

- Digital Meters installed at the customer's place, which replaces the mechanical meter.

- Concentrator unit installed at the transformer substation and directly connected to the station main meter.

- Hand held unit used on field to conduct multiple functions over customer meters.

- Server unit running the operating software installed at EDZ offices.

Description
The system is mainly characterized by being capable of establishing two-way communication with the installed meters using a Power Line Carrier (PLC) technique. The concentrator unit manages this communication channel to the customers' meters and can transfer collected data to the server unit by the means of any transmission technique whether GPRS, UHF or PSTN.

The system main functions are:
- Scheduled automatic monthly readings of all meters.
- Daily collection of meters indices and corresponding reading date and time.
- Real time meter reading for the purpose of consumption monitoring.
- Meter status indication.
- Meter remote power shut OFF and turn ON functions.
- Meter indication recording and implementation of field functions by means of a PLC hand held unit device.
- The substation main meter reads many parameters primarily positive active/reactive energies, peak power demand, instantaneous KW / KVAR demand, voltage, current, frequency, power factor, etc...

Benefits
The implementation of an AMR would provide the following benefits:
- Reliable, accurate and fast energy readings.
- Precision in energy loss calculation, since the system simultaneously allows reading of all energy meters at the same time.
- Better fraud energy detection.
- Locate instantaneous acknowledgment of meter failure due to LV network breakdown.
- The system can connect gas and water meters as well.