Abstract: Disclosed are handheld or portable apparatus subject matters and associated methodologies for providing local communications to metrology devices within an Advanced Metering System (AMS). The metrology devices may be associated with AC supplied device that are configured with mailboxes for associated battery powered devices or with other home or customer premises area network devices. Battery powered metrology devices may include such as water, gas, and oil meters collocated with electricity meters. Communications between the handheld or portable device may be by way of direct wired or radio frequency connections for providing communications and diagnostic services for home area network coupled components in an Advanced Metering System.

Abstract: Disclosed are methodology and corresponding apparatus subject matters for providing improved efficiency in the collection of data from a large number of metrology devices associated with an Automated Meter reading (AMR) network. AMR network operation produces randomly spaced transmissions from individual nodes in the network. When an AMR system wishes to retrieve data from a large number of points over an AMR network, a broadcast or multicast request is transmitted to appropriate nodes. A time window is defined either in such request or in the devices themselves such that start and end offsets from the time of the request are received by the node. The start offset provides a quiet period to insure request delivery to all the appropriate nodes. The end offset provides a time by which the requested data must be returned. Responses are sent randomly within the window established by the start and stop offset times.