Smart metering, the first step in a smart grid transformation, has so far been a wireless affair. Ranging from old-school RF meters that required a reader to pass withing close proximity, usually in the back of a van touring the neighborhood, now to advanced protocols like Wi-SUN, and the likes of LoRaWAN and LTE Cat-NB now looking to challenge, there hasn’t been much scope for wired connections. This seems to have largely been because of the need to connect gas and water meters, which can’t draw power from the product they supply – although there have been some attempts. However, with electricity metering, this is not a concern, and more importantly, the use of gas within homes and buildings is…