The DLMS protocol has become the global standard among smart meter designers for its interoperability between measurement systems suitable for different types of energy, such as electricity, gas, heat and water; in transmission and distribution applications; and in a wide range of communication methods such as RS232, RS485, PSTN, GSM, GPRS, IPv4, PPP and PLC; as well as for secure data access through AES 128 encryption.

The software stack has been tested and verified by the DLMS User Association to streamline and simplify the DLMS certification process and has been specifically tailored to work with all Microchip PIC® microcontrollers and 16-bit dsPIC® digital signal controllers (DSCs). Furthermore, the stack's development has ensured seamless integration with Microchip's communication protocol stacks, such as TCP/IP, ZigBee®, and PLC, to cover a wide range of energy meter applications. Its small memory footprint allows the use of more compact and cost-effective microcontrollers. For applications in Europe, the stack supports IEC 62056-21 Mode E implementation.

The Explorer 16 development board can be used to develop DLMS solutions based on Microchip's extensive catalog of microcontrollers and DSCs, which leads this market.

This new DLMS stack is now available in four versions: the free DLMS evaluation library for 16-bit microcontrollers; the DLMS-lite stack for 16-bit microcontrollers (SW500160); the DLMS stack for 16-bit microcontrollers (SW500162); and the Windows-based DLMS/COSEM client application DLMS Explorer (SW500164).

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