User's Manual

Understanding Silver Spring Networks Access Points 1 About Access Points
Understanding Silver Spring Networks Access Points 4 March 2013 Silver Spring Networks 8
Cellular Modem
Currently,themodemisaSierraWirelessAirLink,RavenX,RavenXT,orRavenXE
dependingonAPmodelandcountrylocation.
Addressing Schemes
SilverSpring’saddressingschemeisbasedontheInternetProtocol(IP)suite.Eachnetwork
devicehasoneormoreIPv6addresseswithintheLAN.TheAccessPointwilltypicallyhave
anIPv4addressassignedtotheWANside.A6in4tunnelcarriesthedataoveracellular
carrierorEthernetbased
backhaultotheheadend,wherethetunnelisterminated,andIPv6
trafficiscarriedthroughtoUtilityIQ,GridScape,orHCM.Ahighlevelconceptualizationof
theNANtoWANnetworksthatAPtraffictraversesisshowninFigure3.
TheAccessPointisthecentrallinkbetweentheutility’s
enterprisemanagementsystemsand
theendpointdevicessuchasSilverSpringenabledelectricity,water,gasmeters,bridges,
ExternalCommunicationsModules,andFaultCircuitIndicators.
TheAccessPointisavitalpartofthesmartgridnetwork,whichextendssecure,realtime
measurementandcontrolinterfaces(withfull,twowaycommunications)throughout
the
networkandtothecustomerpremises.
TheAccessPointprovidesahighlyreliableconnectiontoRFdevicesoveraNAN.It
communicateswithintelligentendpoints,includingmetersandBridges.TheAccessPoint
canalsopassinformationthroughmultipleSilverSpringRelaysorthroughSilverSpring‐
enabledelectricitymetersor
MasterBridges.Anditoffersmultiplepathstoeachendpoint,
throughsophisticatedmeshnetworkroutingthatensuresgreaterreliabilityandredundancy.
TheAccessPointalsoprovidesWANconnectivitytoyourutility’smissioncritical
applicationsthroughdigitalcellularorEthernetconnections.
Figure 3. APs in the Silver Spring Network