STMicroelectronics Introduces Stackforce's wM-Bus smart meter bus protocol stack

     STMicroelectronics and licensed partner Stackforce Corporation have jointly released a wireless remote meter reading system M-Bus(wM-Bus) bus software stack. Using the sub-GHz RF module integrated with the STM32WL microcontroller and various supported modulation schemes, the communication protocol stack can collect meter data wirelessly and remotely, saving material costs and improving design flexibility for smart meter system developers.

     The wM-Bus stack was developed by Stackforce and complies with most of the EN 13757-3/-7 standards, including the top and bottom layers of the Wireless M-Bus protocol (EN 13757-4), as well as the S, T, and C modes of wM-Bus used across Europe on the 868MHz band. A 169MHz N mode is also available. In addition, the software stack complies with several other metering standards, including the most commonly used Open Metering System (OMS) specifications, as well as special metering standards, such as the Dutch Smart Meter Requirements (DSMR) or the CIG Italia Gas Board specifications.

     Hakim Jaafar, STM32 Wireless Product Market Manager at ST, said: "By working with Stackforce, the STM32WL has reached a new level of multi-protocol compatibility. The wireless wM-Bus stack will make the STM32WL a key component of smart meters such as electricity, gas and water."

     David Rahusen, President of Stackforce, said: "We are proud to have been named by ST as a development partner for the next phase of embedded systems integration. "We will soon add the wM-Bus stack to the LoRaWAN stack, leveraging the unique capabilities of the STM32WL to combine the benefits of wM-Bus' seamless integrated metering infrastructure with the much-needed LoRaWAN remote communications capabilities of metering applications on a single chip."

     Relying on the STM32 development ecosystem, the STM32WL ultra-low power microcontroller uses a range of technologies and design approaches from ST to meet the needs of smart meter designers. The sub-GHz RF module inside the STM32WL has a wide linear frequency range, dual power output, and meets EN 300 220, FCC CFR 47 Part 15, ARIB T108 and other radio equipment regulations, including Chinese radio regulations. To assist equipment manufacturers to develop products suitable for the global market. Other important features include integrated switching power supplies (SMPS) and hardware crypto accelerators.