1.

Design of Wireless Smart Metering and Home Automation System (Supervisor: Branka Vucetic and Yonghui Li) The aim of the project is to design smart metering systems, which will replace manual expensive methods of gathering meter data. The proposed technology will use low cost, wireless networks for building customer area and last mile communication networks. The systems will monitor power, water and gas consumption. Traditional electrical/gas/water meters only measure total consumption and produce no further information on timing, tariffs etc. Smart meters provide an economical way of measuring and transmitting detailed information on energy/water/gas use. They will enable consumers to make more informed choices and better manage their electricity/water/gas use and greenhouse gas emissions, reduce demand with potential infrastructure savings, and drive efficiency and innovation. Home automation provides control of home appliances remotely by hand held devices, mobile phones or computers. The essential system components are power/water/gas sensors, WiMAX or LTE and Zigbee, WiFi or power-line communications devices, data loggers, hand held communications/control devices and data collection/processing/display software as well as the home automation control units. The students participating in this project should have Background in hardware or software design Ability to work in a team

(1) A System for Wireless Control of Motor Operated Objects (1 student) This project is to develop a system for radio remote control of motor operated objects, such as blinds, windows, etc. The student needs to program microcontrollers or digital signal processors to control various types of motors via Zigbee or WiFi wireless technology. (2) Advanced Data Logger for Wireless Smart Metering (1-2 students) Data loggers are devices that collect and store signals coming from a smart meter and provide interface with communication networks. The aims of the project are to upgrade an existing data logger by designing advanced data concentrator functions, including data storage by using a USB flash drive, data stamping and formatting for communication with various last mile networks, including WiMAX, LTE and Wavenis. (3) WiFi Interface of Smart Meters to the Internet (2 students)

In this project we will design a WiFi network that will enable smart meters and home appliances embedded products to communicate with the Internet. The project consists of building a web server by using a microcontroller to build up a web server. A client such as a cell phone or PC can access the information on the web server by a web browser. (4) Zigbee Smart Meter Network Design (1 student) The aim of this project is to design a smart meter and home automation network by using the latest Texas Instruments Technology, referred to as CC2480. As opposed o the previous generation of Zigbee products, which required complex software design for implementing networks, this one has a Zigbee communication protocol embedded in its hardware. Thus, it simplifies deign of large scale Zigbee networks. The main tasks are to evaluate the new products and build a medium scale smart meter and home automation Zigbee network. (5) Wavenis Wireless Technology Evaluation (1 student) Wavenis is an ultra low power, long range, wireless sensor network technology. Wavenis has been quite widely used in smart meter networks due to its large coverage. The task of this project is to integrate Wavenis technology into smart meter networks. (6) RF Remote Control for Consumer Electronics (1 student) RF4CE is a new RF remote control standard for consumer electronics, replacing the traditional IR remote control, issued by the Zigbee Alliance. The aim of this project is to design a RF4CE system and a universal RF remote control which could be used in home/building automation and smart metering system. (7) LTE System Configuration and Integration (2 students) LTE is a new 4th generation cellular mobile standard. This project is to design an LTE based last mile wireless network. In this network, LTE mobile stations will serve as transmission nodes from smart meters, which will communicate with LTE base stations co-located with power substations. Further transmission from power substations is carried via optical backbone networks. The main task is to configure an LTE mobile- base station pair, design an interface between the Zigbee home area and the LTE networks. (8) Design of Power Line Smart Meter Networks (2 students) Home Plug is a powerline based communication standard. The aim of this project is to design a Home Plug home area smart meter and home automation network and an interface with a last mile WiMAX network. (9) Development of Collection Center Database and GUI (1 student) This project is to develop a data base for data collection centre of a utility company and GUI for smart metering applications.

2. Wireless Control of LED Lights and Light-Music Show (2 students) (Supervisor: Yonghui Li and Branka Vucetic)

This project is to develop a wireless remote-controlled LED lights. The basic idea is to remotely change and control the lightness and colors of LED lights through a wireless remote controller. The essential system components involved in this project include Zigbee or RFID wireless transceiver devices, microcontroller, configurable LED lights, etc. For demonstration it is suggested to integrate light with music and control the intensity and color of lights according to the rhythm and sound intensity of music.