Abstract:
A single fiber passive optical network architecture provides utility metering and control functions for residential and commercial customers. A module provides customer termination of the network, the module either replacing or retrofitting to an existing electrical power wall box. This allows the module to not only support communications functions but to use such functions to remote monitor commodity utilities used by the customer.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
       [0001]    This invention relates to remote utility metering using a passive optical network. The invention further relates to the integration of utility meter data and control information with customer voice, video, and data services through a two-way passive optical network that is terminated in an electric power meter box. 
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
       [0002]    The suppliers of electric power, gas, water and other such metered consumable utilities most typically determine a subscriber&#39;s consumption by sending a service person to each meter location to manually record the information displayed on the meter dial. However, it is often difficult for the service person to access the meter for reading, inspection and maintenance. When access to a meter is not possible, billings are made on the basis of estimated readings. These estimated billings often lead to customer complaints and the process has been time consuming, inaccurate, and expensive. 
         [0003]    In recent years many attempts have been made, largely by power utilities, to develop automated remote metering wherein a transducer unit with dedicated communications capability is used with the meters to detect the output of such meters and transmit that utility&#39;s meter information back to the utility. Such units are dedicated to a particular utility. 
         [0004]    In the prior art, various automatic meter readers have been proposed, such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,880,464, in which infrared light sensors are used to detect the shadow of a meter pointer against a meter face to enable the meter reader to determine consumption rates. In this instance, the device is placed on the cover of a watt-hour meter. While this provides a means to measure power consumption without altering or entering the basic meter, no mention is made of the means for conveying the information to the utility provider, nor is there any provision for other services, such as video. 
         [0005]    A further example of such a system is described by Lumsden in U.S. Pat. No. 3,922,492. This patent describes a system for remotely reading, storing and transmitting the reading of a power meter to a central computer. The computer automatically sends a signal by telephone to interrogate the meter which is fitted with a transponder. 
         [0006]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,035,772 issued to Takeshi teaches a system in which a central computer terminal is connected to a series of remote computer terminals which have previously stored the meter readings. In Takeshi, the terminals replace the transponders of the Lumsden invention, but there is no provision for other than electric power consumption information. 
         [0007]    U.S. Pat. No. 4,394,540 issued to Willis uses a coded signal over the telephone network to interrogate a meter reader. This system involves a microprocessor as the meter reader, a telephone isolation device, a call answering device, various detection devices, a data transmitter and a modem. 
         [0008]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,351 issued to Garcia uses a coherent fiber optic link which provides a visual representation of each digit of the meter. The visual image is then transferred to a central receiving location. 
         [0009]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,182 issued to Merriam discloses a system in which utility computers are coupled by modems to the individual sites which have meter sending units. Each meter sending unit has a microprocessor which counts the pulses emitted for each unit consumption of power and stores this count in RAM. This count is transformed into a tone which is transmitted over the phone lines to the central computer. 
         [0010]    A wireless telemetry system to provide real time reading and control of meters using the existing wireless networks connecting meter transmitting units and central receiver units is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,748,104 issued to Argyroudis. In the described embodiment, the remote metering unit is a basic transceiver coupled to a pre-existing conventional electromechanical utility meter by an interface device. 
         [0011]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,808,558 issued to Meek describes a universal data gathering system that can interact with different types of operating systems. It consists of three elements. The first element is a universal transponder which accumulates the data, the second element is a meter interface unit which connects the transponder to the data gathering system, and the third element is a universal data reader. Each part of the system can be polled by any remote unit which responds with the appropriate protocol. This invention hopes to overcome the diverse operating protocols used by different meter companies. 
         [0012]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,852,658 issued to Knight describes a remote automatic monitoring and recording system which comprises an electronic meter reader, a data module, a telephone interface, a billing computer and a telephone modem. In this, three telephone lines are required to operate the system. 
         [0013]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,767,790 issued to Jovellana also describes an automatic utility meter reader and monitor for electric, gas and water. This invention provides communication from the utility to the meter unit using a standard computer modem link which transmits commands from the utility to the meter reading system. The automatic meter unit has a compiler for interpreting commands from the host computer unit. 
         [0014]    U.S. Pat. No. 5,751,797 issued to Saadeh uses a plurality of computer modems connected to a single computer and to a series of automatic meter reading devices. The single computer sequentially polls each meter reading device using the appropriate modem link. This link allows the system to send control data to the meter reading devices and also allows the meter reading devices to send data back to the central computer. 
         [0015]    A number of prior art patents utilize wireless means to convey consumable utility usage data, especially electrical power, but none have done so over the same communication channel as is also used to deliver a plurality communication services such as a combination of other utility usage data, telephony, internet, and wideband video. 
         [0016]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,289,887 issued to Rodgers provides for remote electronic meter reading by means of a LAN utilizing 802.11 or 802.15.4. However, it is limited to narrow band bi-directional wireless, and is not capable of providing for the carriage of entertainment video. 
         [0017]    U.S. Pat. No. 7,250,874 issued to Mueller et al. uses wireless to communicate utility usage data, but does not provide the multiplicity of two way services described in this present disclosure. Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 7,182,632 issued to Johnson Jr. et al. describes a means of electronically accessing metering information, but does not describe the means for communicating said information to a utility service provider. 
         [0018]    In addition, U.S. Pat. No. 7,263,450 issued to Hunter describes a means for the optical reading of a meter, but does not address the combined transmission of communication services, such as video. 
         [0019]    Several companies have developed the technology and devices that allow the energy meter to be read remotely. Most devices read the meter remotely and then transmit the signal either by hardwire, by public telephone, by wireless system, by cellular phone and even by the power transmission wire itself. 
         [0020]    As the present invention also involves the use of a passive optical network (“PON”), some background on passive optical networks is provided herein. 
         [0021]    A passive optical network (PON) is a point-to-multipoint, fiber to the premises network architecture in which unpowered optical splitters can be used to enable a single optical fiber to serve multiple premises. A PON configuration reduces the amount of fiber and central office equipment required compared with point to point architectures. 
         [0022]    Downstream signals are broadcast to each premise sharing a fiber. Upstream signals are combined using a multiple access protocol, usually time division multiple access (TDMA). A PON takes advantage of wavelength division multiplexing (WDM), using one wavelength for downstream traffic and another for upstream traffic on a single nonzero dispersion shifted fibre. In one embodiment, downstream traffic is transmitted on the 1490 nanometer (nm) wavelength and upstream traffic at 1310 nm. The 1550 nm band is allocated for optional overlay services, typically RF (analog) video. 
         [0023]    A PON is a converged network in that all of these services are typically converted and encapsulated in a single packet type for transmission over the PON fiber. For example, BPON is ATM-based, whereas EPON is Ethernet-based. Although GPON allows for a mix of TDM, ATM and GEM mode, GEM (GPON Encapsulation Method, a variant of Generic Framing Procedure or GFP) is the usual transport mechanism. 
         [0024]    A PON is a shared network, in that the central station sends a single stream of downstream traffic that is seen by all receivers. Each receiver only reads the content of those packets that are addressed to it. Encryption is used to prevent eavesdropping on downstream traffic. 
         [0025]    It will be appreciated that none of the prior art discloses a system using a PON architecture for integrating remote metering with other customer communication-based services in an easily retrofittable system associated with the power meter wall box of a customer. 
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
       [0026]    The invention provides a fully integrated electro/optical service that either replaces or retrofits onto or into existing electrical power meter wall boxes and is compatible with current consumable utility operations. 
         [0027]    A customer utilities interface module provides customer termination of a passive optical network. The module may be configured so as to incorporate the power utility meter functions and is located in the pre-existing electrical power meter wall box and or it may be provided as an expansion module for the conventional power meter wall box. 
         [0028]    The module is adapted to communicate customer utility usage data and information to a utility over the passive optical network. A single optical fiber cable enters the electric meter wall box through a connector located on the power meter wall box or on an extender ring associated with the wall box. It can also be located on a housing used to replace the conventional meter wall box. 
         [0029]    A companion unit is located at the utility supplier&#39;s premises or at a convenient remote location to receive utility usage data and information from the remote customer module, and to transmit control information to the customer module. This received and transmitted information is in optical form to and from the passive optical network. An electro/optical transducer is located in the companion unit. The signals are parsed such that only the required signals are routed to and from the other utility suppliers that are being serviced by the companion unit and the customer module. 
         [0030]    While telephone service has long been considered a utility, in the last few decades other communications services such as broadband services and possibly wireless, have also effectively become ubiquitous enough to be considered utilities. In this disclosure and in the claims, the term “utilities” encompasses consumable utilities such as electric power, gas, water and possibly sewage disposal, as well as communications supplied services such as telephone, CATV, broadband and can include wireless when to customer premises. The term “non-communication utilities” refers to consumable utilities such as electric power, gas and water that do not deliver communications services to the customer. 
         [0031]    In one aspect, the invention comprises a customer utilities interface apparatus comprising a module associated with customer premises that is adapted to receive utility information relating to the delivery of a non-communication utility to customer premises and to communicate that information over a passive optical network. The apparatus can also receive control information from a remote source over the passive optical network. 
         [0032]    In a more specific aspect, the customer utilities interface apparatus comprises an optical fiber transducer and a network element for facilitating communication with a passive optical network. At least one interface element accommodates an electromagnetic signal associated with a non-communication metered utility supplied to the customer premises and the signal is adapted and conditioned for transmission over the passive optical network. A plurality of interface elements allows the apparatus to agglomerate the signals from various utilities at the customer premises and to transmit them over the passive optical network. 
         [0033]    In another aspect, the invention comprises a method of installing the customer utilities interface apparatus whereby the existing wall box is detached from its associated power cable, and is replaced with the apparatus that includes a suitable housing attachable to the power cable, a power meter and a conventional cover. 
         [0034]    An alternative method according to the invention is to disconnect the cover from the existing meter base and to connect the apparatus as an extender housing to the connection means previously used for the cover, then securing the cover to the end of the extender housing. 
         [0035]    According to yet another method, the cover is removed from the existing meter base, and connecting to the meter base an apparatus that includes a conventional power meter display and a cover in addition to the elements of the invention. 
         [0036]    The scope of the invention includes the overall system by which multiple commodities at each of a plurality of customer premises are metered over a passive optical network. The PON provides a communication facility between modules at the customer premises and a hub module. Each has an optical fiber transducer for connecting them to the PON and network elements for facilitating communication with one another over the PON. 
         [0037]    In another aspect, a utilities servicing module comprises an optical fiber transducer, at least one network element for facilitating communication over the PON. The utilities servicing module is adapted to parse said electrical signals into information relating to utilities used by each of a plurality of customer premises and to communicate that information to at least one utility supplier. 
         [0038]    Other aspects of the invention will be appreciated by reference to the detailed description of the embodiments of the invention and to the claims. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0039]    The preferred embodiment of the invention will be described by reference to the drawings thereof, in which: 
           [0040]      FIG. 1  is an overview block diagram of the system of the present invention in accordance with the preferred embodiment; 
           [0041]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of a utilities servicing module located at a commodity provider&#39;s premises; 
           [0042]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the remote customer utilities interface module at the customer premises; 
           [0043]      FIG. 4  is a cross-sectional schematic of a customer utilities interface module according to the invention using a conventional glass cover; 
           [0044]      FIG. 5  is a cross-sectional schematic of a customer utilities interface module using an expander ring; 
           [0045]      FIG. 6  is a cross-sectional schematic of a customer utilities interface module using an integral weatherproof cover; 
           [0046]      FIG. 7  is an exploded view of one embodiment of a customer utilities interface module; 
           [0047]      FIG. 8  is a view of an improved anti tamper sealing ring according to the invention; and, 
           [0048]      FIG. 9  is a detailed view of the mating portions of the improved anti tamper sealing ring. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
       [0049]      FIG. 1  is a block diagram of an integrated passive optical network system for the conveyance, measuring and control of a multiplicity of consumable utility metering and control services and communications services according to the preferred embodiment. A passive optical network fiber  10  connects the utility supplier  11  to a remote customer utilities interface module  12 , the remote module  12  acting as a customer premises termination for the passive optical network. 
         [0050]    The customer module  12  is used to convey the usual communication services typically provided over a passive optical network, such as telephone, CATV and broadband but also conveys non-communication utility meter data and control information. For example, in the case of the electric power utility, the module  12  interacts with the utility supplier  11  to exchange measuring, monitoring, and control information by means of passive optical network fiber  10 . In such case, the information transmitted and received over PON fiber  10  may include measurement of electric power delivered to the customer premises, monitoring of the status of the electrical parameters at a remote location, and bi-directional control of the flow of electrical power to the remote location, for example to effect electrical power load shedding, reduction of utility service, increase in utility service or disconnection of the utility from the customer premises. 
         [0051]    Remote module  12  can also provide for bidirectional control, measurement and monitoring of other utility suppliers&#39; services (water, gas, etc.) by means of appropriate routing and terminal facilities provided in the remote module  12  and in the utility supplier hub  11 , as will be described below. 
         [0052]    As will also be detailed below, the module  12  is preferably physically located at the wall-mounted electrical power meter wall box and is powered by the power supplied to the premises through the electric power meter wall box. 
         [0053]      FIG. 2  is a block diagram of module  11  located at a utility supplier&#39;s premises or at some other convenient hub. Hub module  11  includes various network elements as described below to facilitate communication between the module  11  and the passive optical network. Ethernet connector  200  connects module  11  to multiple utility suppliers each of which is assigned a unique VLAN identifier to facilitate the separation and isolation of packets. Block  202  conditions and converts the Ethernet physical interface signals. VLAN switch  203  separates received packets according to VLAN. Monitoring, management and configuration packets are VLAN bridged by VLAN bridge  204  to the remote CPU in module  12  (via buffer  213  and ultimately to transducer  207  and onto fiber  10 ) or the local CPU  220 . Buffers  211 - 216  permit multiple unsynchronized clocks within module  11 . VLAN packets transmitted to module  12  are bandwidth shaped and policed in bandwidth shaping and policing block  205  which can add delay or destroy packets to limit the peak data rate to each remote module  12 . Packets are encrypted in encryption block  206  and converted to light in transducer  207  and transmitted over fiber  10  attached with connector  222 . 
         [0054]    Received optical signals from fiber  10  are converted to electrical signals in  207  and unencrypted in  208  and defragmented, if required, in  209 . VLAN switch  210  separates packets by VLAN to Ethernet signal conditioner  202  or VLAN Bridge  204 . Packets are VLAN bridged to CPU  220  or Ethernet interface  202  via VLAN switch  210 . 
         [0055]    VLAN Bridge  204  receives and transmits VLAN packets for CPL  220  over fiber  10  or Ethernet connector  200 . 
         [0056]    CATV diplexer  201  filters the CATV signal from connector  221  into upstream and downstream frequency bands. Signals from  201  connect to fiber transducer  207  which modulates the analog optical downstream wavelength and demodulates the analog optical upstream wavelength in fiber  10 . Fiber  10  has four optical wavelengths; two for digital communication and two for CATV communication. 
         [0057]      FIG. 3  is a block diagram of module  12  located at the customer&#39;s premises. As will be described below, module  12  includes various networks elements adapting the module to communication over the passive optical network, various interface elements for interfacing module  12  with electromagnetic signals associated with various utilities used by the customer premises, and means for processing the signals, and for conditioning, aggregating and transmitting the electromagnetic signals over the passive optical network. It also includes means for parsing incoming signals using VLAN coding into the information intended for the individual utility interfaces associated with module  12   
         [0058]    Customer broadband Ethernet interface connector  48  connects to Ethernet signal conditioner  34  which conditions and converts the Ethernet physical interface signals. Customer broadband data packets are classified for transmit priority and a VLAN is added in  302 . Bandwidth shaping and policing  303  can add delay or destroy packets to limit the peak data rate. Packets are assembled into data blocks where a packet can be fragmented spanning two optical transmit data bursts in  304 . Transmit blocks are encrypted in encryption block  305  and buffered in buffer  320 . The PON burst controller  312  commanded by remote module  12  sends data bursts to transducer  32  that optically bursts the data over fiber  10 . Buffers  321 ,  322 ,  323  permit multiple unsynchronized clocks within module  12 . 
         [0059]    Optical signals received from fiber  10  are converted to electrical signals in  32 . Packets are decrypted in  307 . VLAN switch  308  forwards management packets and packets with data for peripheral interface or metering devices  33 ,  35 ,  36 ,  314 ,  315  to CPU  311 , and customer broadband Ethernet packets to VLAN remover  309 . Ethernet speed adaptation buffer  310  stores the received packet if slower data rates are used by the customer over the broadband Ethernet interface connector  48 . Ethernet interface  34  electrically conditions and converts the data into signals for the Ethernet interface connector  48 . CPU  311  executes software drivers to adapt the peripheral signal conditioner data to and from TCP/IP using a different VLAN for each interface. 
         [0060]    The outputs of the signal interface adapters, signal processors or measuring devices  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  314 ,  315 ,  316  are provided at output terminals  37 ,  48 ,  49 ,  334 ,  335 , or antenna  337 , each output terminal being dedicated to a particular service at the customer premises. According to the invention, such services include at least one non-communication commodity utility, for example electrical power, natural gas, water, etc. As each service operates under different signal conditions, the signal conditioners  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  314 ,  315 ,  316  will each be configured to condition the signal  37 ,  48 ,  49 ,  334 ,  335  or antenna  337  to suit the particular service for which it is intended. For example, element  35  may be an off-the-shelf SLIC chip used to convert VOIP to telephony signal standards, and element  314  may be an off-the-shelf root hub adapter for USB devices. 
         [0061]    Signal interface elements and conditioning components  33 ,  34 ,  35 ,  314 ,  315 ,  316  are each associated with respective terminals  37 ,  48 ,  49 ,  334 ,  335 , or antenna  337 , which also act as interface elements, and they are otherwise connected to appropriate slots on a motherboard  30  that houses the electronics of  FIG. 3 . TCP/IP and VLAN peripheral adaptation software in CPU  311  detects the addition or removal of a peripheral module and reconfigures the VLAN tables and TDMA control parameters accordingly. This allows modular expandability of the ranges of commodity services supported by the module  12 . 
         [0062]    CATV diplexer  320  filters the CATV connector  340  into upstream and downstream frequency bands. Signals from  320  connect to fiber transducer  32  which modulates the analog optical upstream wavelength and demodulates the analog optical downstream wavelength in fiber  10 . 
         [0063]    The PON fiber  10  is connected to an electro/optical fiber transducer  32 , simply referred to herein as an optical transducer. Transducer  32  operates in a bidirectional mode, accepts outgoing electrical signals and converts them into optical signals which can be transmitted over PON fiber  10 . Conversely, optical signals entering utility supplier  11  from PON fiber  10  are converted into electrical signals by means of transducer  207 . 
         [0064]    In the preferred embodiment, the electronics for implementing the functionality described above are housed on a motherboard  30  to which power is supplied through an uninterruptible power supply  31 . UPS  31  draws power from the pre-existing power control module  40  associated with the customer&#39;s power meter wall box. The PON fiber  10  is connected to bidirectional electro/optical transducer  32  located on motherboard  30 . 
         [0065]      FIG. 4  illustrates a wall box  57  according to one embodiment of the invention that is designed to replace a conventional electric power meter wall box. As in the conventional case, the wall box  57  is mounted on a wall at the customer premises and includes an opaque, usually metal, housing  50  (also called a meter base), a glass cover  41  and a sealing ring  42 . The weatherproof entrance and exit fittings  43  and  44  respectively, and the entrance and exit electrical cables  45  and  46  respectively are examples of the existing art, and are included herein for purposes of clarity only. Weatherproof fiber optic connector terminal  47  permits connection for the PON fiber  10  of  FIG. 1 . Connectors  48  and  49  are weatherproof terminals for providing connection to other utility suppliers&#39; measuring, monitoring and control systems, and/or other services such as video, telephony, or data. The service types are not limited to the aforementioned, and any form of signal may be accommodated by an appropriate terminal connector. For simplicity of illustration, only two such connectors have been shown. In practice, any number can be accommodated. While connectors  47 ,  48  and  49  are shown located on the side of electric wall box housing  57 , any location on the wall box can be used, including circumferential displacement around the wall box. As is illustrated in  FIG. 7 , the wall box housing or meter base  50  includes therein the motherboard  30  containing the electronics needed to implement the invention. 
         [0066]    The apparatus of  FIG. 4  replaces the pre-existing conventional electric power wall box that is attached to a power cable supplying power to the customer premises. The conventional wall box includes a power meter base and a cover. The pre-existing wall box is detached from the power cable and is replaced with the apparatus of  FIG. 4  that is adapted to attach to the power cable  45 ,  46 . 
         [0067]      FIG. 5  illustrates the components of a conventional power meter wall box on which an expander module ( 51  and  52 ) has been retrofitted in accordance with the preferred embodiment of the invention. The conventional power meter wall box includes metal housing or meter base  50 , sealing ring  58  and glass cover  41  housing the original power meter. The glass cover  41  is typically secured to the meter base  50  by the sealing ring  58  in conjunction with connection means such as threads for screwing the cover onto the base. The weatherproof entrance and exit fittings  43  and  44  respectively, and the entrance and exit electrical cables  45  and  46  respectively are examples of the existing art, and are included herein for purposes of clarity only. Expander housing  51  and associated sealing ring  52  are added between the wall box housing  50  and the original power meter housed within glass cover  41 , with motherboard  30  and associated terminals  37 ,  48 ,  49 ,  334 ,  335  and antenna  337  (see  FIG. 3 ) being housed within expander housing  51 , but that are not shown in  FIG. 5 . In a typical case, the expander housing  51  is screwed to the threads normally used to connect the cover  41  to the base  50 . Weatherproof fiber optic connector  54 , mounted on expander housing  51  provides connection to the PON fiber  10 . Connectors  55  and  56 , also located on expander housing  51  are weatherproof electrical connectors for providing connection to other utility suppliers&#39; measuring, monitoring and control systems as discussed above. 
         [0068]    The expander module  51 ,  52  is installed by disconnecting the connection means (unscrewing the cover from the base), and removing the cover  41  from the power meter base  50 . The expander housing is then screwed to the base  50  and the cover  41  is attached to an end of the housing that similarly includes connection means such as threads corresponding to the connection means on the conventional base  50 . 
         [0069]      FIG. 6  shows yet another physical realization of a housing for the remote module  12  wherein the original sealing ring and glass cover are discarded and replaced with a sealing ring  42  and a new glass cover  60  in which are housed the motherboard  30 , terminals  37 ,  48 ,  49 ,  334 ,  335 , and antenna  337  and optionally, conventional power meter readings displays, but that are not shown in  FIG. 6 . Weatherproof fiber optic connector terminal  61 , mounted on weatherproof housing  60  provides for connection to the PON fiber  10 . Connectors  62  and  63 , also located on weatherproof housing  60  are weatherproof electrical connectors for providing connection to other utility suppliers&#39; measuring, monitoring and control systems. 
         [0070]      FIG. 7  shows an exploded view of remote module  12  by reference to the embodiment of  FIG. 4  where the pre-existing power meter wall box is replaced with a wall box according to the invention. Entrance cable  45  and exit cable  46  pass through entrance and exit fittings  43  and  44  respectively, located on wall box housing  50  and are connected to electric power control module  40 . Motherboard  30  is housed in housing  50 . In actual deployment, motherboard  30  is preferably secured by means of mounting brackets, which are not shown herein for reasons of clarity. Various mounting means may be employed without departing from the objects of this invention. 
         [0071]    Cable  70  is used to provide transfer of information between power service module  33  and electric power control module  40  by means of electrical connector  37 . This information is the voltage and current signal used to calculate the electrical energy consumed by the customer. An option to disconnect power to or from a customer is an electromechanical switch or relay mounted inside module  40  and activated by module  33 . AC power cable  71  provides AC supply for uninterruptible power supply  31 . Power cable  72  provides DC power to the motherboard  30  from uninterruptible power supply  31 . 
         [0072]    PON fiber  10  enters wall box housing  50  by means of weatherproof fiber optic connector  47  and is routed to electro/optical transducer  32  by means of fiber optic cable  73 . Cables  74  and  75  are used to exchange utility supplier information, and other forms of information, such as telephony, video, internet and data from modules  34  and  35  via motherboard connectors  38  and  39 . For clarity only two are shown, which are connected to weatherproof electrical connectors  48  and  49 . Wireless module  36  contains both the electronics  316  and antenna  337 . 
         [0073]    Referring to  FIG. 7  and  FIG. 1 , it will be appreciated that disconnecting PON fiber  10  from fiber optic connector  47  will cause a break in the continuity of the connection between utility supplier  11  and remote module  12 . Since PON fiber  10  provides bidirectional communications between utility supplier  11  and remote module  12 , any such interruption will be immediately detected at utility supplier  11 . This will result in an alarm, and appropriate action can be taken, such as dispatching service personnel to investigate the nature of said interruption. 
         [0074]    This means of detecting a break in the continuity of communication as an alarm indication can be further exploited to provide an alarm in the event that an attempt is made to remove any or all of the sealing rings depicted in  FIG. 4 ,  FIG. 5 , and  FIG. 6  which sometimes occurs during unauthorized tampering with the power meter readings.  FIG. 8  depicts an improved sealing ring arrangement  80 . Save for the fiber  10  being threaded through the opening  82 ,  FIG. 8  depicts prior art. A loop of wire  81  passes through opening  82 , and is secured by means of seal  83 . If wire  81  is cut or severed, this can be detected by service personnel visiting the site. According to the present invention, PON fiber  10  of  FIG. 1  is also routed through opening  82  such that sealing ring  80  cannot be opened or removed without first removing PON fiber  10 , effectively severing or disconnecting it. In this manner further security is provided to any of the remote housings described in this invention. An attempt to camouflage the opening of the wall box by reinstalling a fresh seal loop will be detected by the loss of signal from fiber  10  when the original seal loop and the fiber are cut or unplugged to gain access to the wall box. 
         [0075]    Further details of the sealing ring of the prior art are illustrated in  FIG. 9 . It can be seen in  FIG. 9  that one mating portion of improved sealing ring  80  is equipped with a slot  84  through which bendable tongue  85  on other mating portion of improved sealing ring  80  must pass in order to close improved sealing ring  80 . 
         [0076]    In accordance with the objects of this invention, improved sealing ring  80  can be used to replace sealing rings  42 ,  52 , and  58 . 
         [0077]    In the preceding illustrative examples, one type of North American wall box and meter assembly has been depicted. Other types of assemblies may be utilized without departing from the claims of this invention. 
         [0078]    It is also contemplated that a customer interface module may be designed to service a number of customers in close proximity to one another in which case the module  12  may be physically mounted on a power pole or such structure in a neighbourhood, or in an underground power box. In such cases, it will be appreciated that the single-customer wall-box embodiment described in the preferred embodiment would be modified by providing the module within a suitable enclosure, and locating the module in such a manner that feeds from a number of metering or customer interface units  35 - 36  are available to the module. For example, in a case where a single non-communication utility is involved, such as power, a module servicing a plurality of proximate customers would be located at a distribution node from which power is distributed to individual customers. This embodiment may limit the number of different utilities serviced by the module to the number of such utilities sharing the distribution node. 
         [0079]    It will be understood by those familiar with the art that these illustrative examples are the application of the objects of this patent, the applications of which are not limited to these illustrative applications. 
         [0080]    It is also recognized that other equivalents, alternatives, and modifications aside from those expressly stated by reference to the preferred and alternative embodiment may be practiced without departing from the scope of the invention as described herein and as set out in the claims.