Blog
M-Bus, Modbus, MQTT and LoRa in practice
Technical articles from project work: how to calculate bus loads, integrate other manufacturers’ meters, name topics and decode payloads. Written for planners, electricians and integrators – without marketing filler.
Calculating M-Bus load: how many meters fit on one master
The figure 250 is on the data sheet, but what counts is the supply current. Here is how to work out the bus load of an M-Bus segment properly – with unit load, reserve and cable length.
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Integrating third-party meters: untangling mixed meter estates
Meters from three decades, four manufacturers and three protocols in one database: the approach, the pitfalls, and the role of the M-Center as the central collection point.
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From M-Bus to BACnet IP: meter data in the building management system
How meter values from M-Bus and Modbus reach a BACnet control system: object model, BBMD, naming conventions and what to settle before talking to the control engineer.
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Meter data in the cloud: MQTT connection with the EMU M-Center
Why MQTT is the simplest route out of the building, what the firewall has to do with it, and how to set topics, QoS and TLS sensibly for energy data.
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Commissioning without PC software: meter discovery and validation in the browser
Why a data logger’s configuration should not live on a laptop, how automatic meter discovery shortens the survey, and what belongs in validation before handover.
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LoRa or LoRaWAN? The two terms cleanly separated
LoRa is the radio modulation, LoRaWAN the network protocol. What spreading factor, duty cycle, Class A, OTAA and ABP mean – and why the distinction matters in metering projects.
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Decoding the LoRa payload: TTN template, decoder and test tools
From a block of bytes to a named measured value: why the payload decoder is the critical step in LoRa projects, how the TTN template helps, and how to test the chain before installation.
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MQTT for energy data: broker, topics and QoS explained plainly
MQTT without the jargon: how broker, publish, subscribe, topics, QoS, retain and last will work together – and why the protocol suits meter data from buildings so well.
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Planning MQTT topics: a scheme that survives a device replacement
Topic trees decide how usable energy data is. Which structure has proved itself, which five mistakes get expensive, and how to build a scheme that tolerates extensions.
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Modbus RTU over RS-485: the five most common mistakes in building a bus
Star wiring, missing termination resistors, duplicate addresses, swapped conductors and inconsistent parameters – the five causes that explain almost every RS-485 fault.
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Modbus TCP or Modbus RTU? A decision aid for metering projects
Same data model, different transport: what separates Modbus TCP from Modbus RTU, which questions decide it, and when bundling through a gateway makes more sense.
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Look terms up instead of googling them
Unit load, spreading factor, reactive power, MBAP, retain, BBMD: the glossary explains 100 terms around current, energy and interfaces – short, searchable and cross-linked.
Frequently looked up
- Unit load – how many meters fit on one M-Bus
- Load profile – why “when” costs more than “how much”
- QoS – delivery guarantee in MQTT
- Duty cycle – why LoRa does not transmit every second
- Reactive power – and what it costs