Just How Smart Are These Meters? Consumers Have Privacy, Hacking Fears Part 2
www.emfnews.org www.emfnews.org CenterPoint, in fact, has said its system, known as Energy InSight, is more than simply a meter. It’s a complicated grouping that integrates various technologies. Data is transmitted from the meters to cell relays, which are wireless devices installed on power distribution poles. Cell relays pick up signals from meters in the vicinity and transmit the data by radio. What the system is not is a Home Area Network, which allows customers to connect up to five electrical appliances to it in order to take readings on energy use by specific appliance. “Right now, they are not available, but we are testing the technology,” said CenterPoint spokeswoman Alicia Dixon. “It might be something a regional provider would offer. They may, eventually, be available at a big box stores.” 1.7 million smart meters CenterPoint has installed 1.7 million smart meters in the greater Houston area since 2009, with technicians working their way from the heart of the city outward. By 2012, roughly 2.2 million of the devices will be in place. With such a large amount of new technology, security is of “paramount importance,” Dixon said. “While actively monitoring the security of our systems, we also employ multiple third-party vendors to audit our security practices and test the protection of our systems on a regular basis.” Still, some computer security experts say it is the interactivity of these systems and power grids that make them targets in the first place. They …
