In the preceding two parts we explained the naming of our M-Bus level converters and data concentrators (data loggers). We now proceed to our gateways.
Once again we distinguish 3 product groups: MBUS-GE20/80M, MBUS-GE125M/250M/500M and our MBUS-GE5B/20B/80B, MBUS-GE125B/250B/500B as well as the MBUS-GEWM/GEWB.
Let’s first inspect the gateways shaping the GEM family.
The demand for meter reading via M-Bus is growing tremendously in industry. More and more intelligent meters are installed in processes, installations and properties. However, the integration of the meters in a control system requires the conversion of the meter data in the world of automation technology, the defining quasi-standard being Modbus. The conversion of M-Bus to Modbus TCP is the mission of our Modbus gateways.
It is thus quite simple to interpret the names of our GEM gateways. The first part of this blog series explained the meaning of “GE”. Correct. For “gateway”. And the “M” is for “Modbus”, more precisely for Modbus TCP.
The family of GEM gateways is composed of the “smaller” variants MBUS-GE20M and MBUS-GE80M, wherein the “20” and the “80” indicate the number of unit loads. Up to 80 meters can be connected.
For large installations our MBUS-GE125M/250M/500M for up to 500 unit loads are available.
We now proceed to the family of GEB gateways.
Also in facility management and building automation, the demand for meter reading via M-Bus is rising sharply. More and more meters are installed in buildings and need to be connected to a modern building management system based on BACnet/IP. A conversion of M-Bus to BACnet/IP is mandatory. Here, our BACnet gateways come into play. This elucidates what the “B” stands for in MBUS-GEB, namely for BACnet.
Here again we offer the “smaller” models: MBUS-GE5B, MBUS-GE20B and MBUS-GE80B. And equivalently for large installations our MBUS-GE125B/250B/500B for up to 500 unit loads.
We are left with our gateways for the wireless M-Bus.
Tough robust and simple, the wired M-Bus is limited as dictated by the required infrastructure. More flexibility, a better retrofitting and a better adaptation in residential areas is provided by a wireless system. This is where the wireless wM-Bus is employed.
Our two gateways MBUS-GEWM and MBUS-GEWB transmit the wM-Bus data via the communication standard Modbus TCP in automation technology and BACnet/IP in building management.
This proposes how we defined the names of the two devices. As before, “GE” is for gateway. The “w” is inspired from the English term “wireless” and indicates the wM-Bus. And again the “M” for Modbus respectively the “B” for BACnet.
All that is quite logical and plausible.
Yet to come is the explication of the naming of our last product group, the M-Bus system components. More on that in the next and final part of this blog series.
