From M-Bus and Modbus to Wireless Technologies: How It Works in Practice

Why Wired Networks Make Deployment and Maintenance More Difficult

Engineers are well aware of common on-site challenges:

Labour-intensive installation and approvals. Cable routing (paths, penetrations through building structures, trays) and fire-safety compliance increase deployment time and project cost.

Risk of damage and connection degradation. Cable networks are sensitive to mechanical impacts and contact quality (breaks, terminal corrosion), as well as electromagnetic influences, including induced noise and grounding issues.

Limitations when scaling. When adding new meters or sensors, additional lines often have to be installed, or the existing wiring scheme must be redesigned.

Challenges on distributed sites. On facilities with remote nodes (basements, manholes, separate buildings, temporary structures), building cable infrastructure can be technically difficult or economically unjustified.

As a result, total cost of ownership rises because the wired infrastructure requires maintenance at least as often as the metering devices themselves.

What Wireless Technologies Deliver

Wireless data transmission performs well in scenarios where deployment speed and flexibility matter:

Shorter deployment timelines. No cable installation reduces the volume of on-site work and enables faster commissioning.

Simpler system expansion. Connecting additional meters or sensors is often possible without stopping the existing infrastructure or redesigning the wiring scheme.
Connecting hard-to-reach areas. For basements, technical spaces, and geographically dispersed assets, wireless is often a more practical and economically justified alternative to cabling, supporting wireless utility metering and smart metering wireless solution roll-outs.

Support for remote monitoring and analytics. Wireless channels integrate well with server and cloud platforms, enabling telemetry collection, alerts, and link-quality control–providing an effective telemetry upgrade for smart infrastructure and utility digitalization.

Support for hybrid architectures. Existing devices with M-Bus/Modbus interfaces can be connected via gateways and concentrators, enabling wireless data transfer without a one-time replacement of the entire device fleet. This is a common way to retrofit M-Bus systems using a wireless Modbus gateway or a data concentrator.

Modern wireless solutions are not limited to a battery-powered transmitter. They are typically a full stack that includes network management, diagnostics, encryption, event logs, link-quality monitoring, and centralized data collection. These capabilities improve interference resistance and reliability in an industrial automation network.

What Migration Looks Like in Practice

Most projects follow one of three scenarios.

Scenario 1: a gateway layered on top of the existing network. Modbus RTU and M-Bus lines continue to operate, while a gateway or concentrator is installed alongside them. It collects data and sends it via radio–for example, LoRaWAN, NB-IoT/LTE, or a private radio network (the choice depends on project conditions). 

This approach enables remote monitoring and dispatching quickly, without re-laying cables or replacing meters.

Within the Jooby product line, this scenario is supported by solutions that receive data from wired interfaces and forward it over wireless channels. Devices are also used that collect data centrally and pass it to the upper layer–SCADA or an IoT platform.

Scenario 2: targeted wireless modernisation. Wired connections remain where they are convenient–for example, in a boiler room or an electrical cabinet. At the same time, complex areas are migrated to wireless: remote heat substations, manholes, distributed sensors, and temporary sites.

This option often reduces capital expenditure and lowers the risk associated with work in hard-to-access areas, while keeping the data within a single system. It is a pragmatic wired to wireless upgrade within an industrial wireless communication strategy.

Scenario 3: wireless-first on new sites. On new facilities and during major reconstructions, wireless architecture is increasingly included from the start. Sensors and meters transmit data over radio, and one or more gateways send it to a server or the cloud. Wiring is used selectively–for power supply, critical control loops, and certain local segments. 

This is where wireless sensor network industrial concepts and long-range communication technologies become foundational, alongside the use of selected battery-powered sensors where appropriate.

Key Steps for a Controlled Transition

To keep the transition manageable, projects typically follow this plan:

Equipment inventory. Record which devices are installed, which protocols are used (Modbus, M-Bus), the data rate, and how often data must be transmitted.

Radio coverage assessment on site. Consider walls, basements, metal structures, and building density. In some cases, two gateways provide more stable communication than a single gateway.

Selecting the connectivity technology for the task. If data is infrequent and distances are long, choose long-range solutions with small payloads. If more frequent transmission and higher data volume are required, choose a technology with suitable throughput. If reliable operator coverage is available, cellular networks can be used.

A pilot project with 5–20 points. Validate link quality, packet loss, delivery latency, and energy consumption.

Integration with the upper layer. Align data formats, tags, events, polling schedules, and archive storage rules.

Operating rules. Configure link-quality monitoring, event logging, updates, redundancy, as well as access and key-management policies.

Why Wireless Solutions Are Becoming the Default Approach

Metering and dispatching are increasingly part of the IoT landscape, where flexibility, rapid deployment, and timely data are essential. Wireless technologies make it easier to scale systems faster, reduce installation work and maintenance costs. They also increase transparency through diagnostics and events, and simplify integration with analytics and predictive maintenance.

More and more projects are built like this, with M-Bus and Modbus remaining at the device level, while a gateway forwards the data over radio to a server. Jooby solutions support this approach by enabling existing devices to be connected to a wireless infrastructure and allowing a gradual move to a new architecture–without a disruptive replacement of the entire equipment base.