---
title: "Smart Metering with MQTT | AMI Data to MDM & Billing | ConnectMQ"
description: "Move AMI interval reads, meter events and grid sensor data from head-end systems and gateways to MDM, billing and outage tools with MQTT — TLS, ACLs and alerts."
url: "https://connectmq.com/use-cases/smart-metering/"
language: "en"
---

Use case

# Meter data, from head-end to every system

Head-end systems, data concentrators and sub-metering gateways publish interval reads, registers and events from electricity, water and gas meters — next to line sensors and transformer monitors. MDM, billing, outage management and analytics each subscribe to what they need.

[Try it free](https://app.connectmq.com/signup) [See pricing](https://connectmq.com/pricing/)

No card required

Used in

-   [Utilities](https://connectmq.com/industries/utilities/)
-   [Renewable Energy](https://connectmq.com/industries/renewable-energy/)

Example message

PUBLISH ami/region-east/dc-0731/em-30418877/interval

```
{"start":"2026-10-22T05:45:00Z","period":"PT15M","import_kwh":0.412,"export_kwh":0.118,"v_l1":231.6,"quality":"valid"}
```

QoS 1 · TLS 8883 · PUBACK

The problem

## Meter data stuck in the head-end

Every AMI vendor’s head-end has its own export: nightly files, a proprietary API, sometimes a database view. MDM gets reads hours later, outage management gets last-gasp events through a separate integration, and grid sensors from a third vendor land in yet another system. Every new consumer — a DER program, a customer app, a loss analysis — means one more point-to-point interface to build and maintain.

## How it works

1.  1
    
    ### Meters and grid sensors
    
    Meters report over their usual network — RF mesh, PLC (G3-PLC, PRIME), cellular, wM-Bus or M-Bus — to a head-end or concentrator; line sensors and transformer monitors report over cellular.
    
2.  2
    
    ### Head-end and gateways publish
    
    An adapter at the head-end, or the gateway itself, publishes interval data, registers and events over TLS to topics per region, concentrator and meter.
    
3.  3
    
    ### Every system subscribes
    
    MDM validates and stores reads, billing takes register values, outage management follows power-fail and restore events, analytics takes everything — each independently.
    
4.  4
    
    ### Events and commands
    
    Threshold rules flag voltage excursions or a silent concentrator. On-demand reads and relay requests go back to the head-end on a command topic only authorised systems may publish.
    

ConnectMQ

## What it needs from the broker

### High fan-in and fan-out

Thousands of meters per concentrator, many consumers per topic: one publish reaches MDM, billing and analytics without separate interfaces, and shared subscriptions spread the load across workers.

### Delivery you can count on

QoS 1 for interval data and events, persistent sessions so a consumer that restarts picks up where it left off, and a retained status for every concentrator and gateway.

### Strict access control

Per-system credentials and topic ACLs: a sub-metering gateway publishes only its own meters, a customer app reads only its own topics, and only the head-end adapter receives commands. TLS throughout.

### Visibility for operations

The live dashboard and topic monitor show which concentrators are reporting; alerts fire when a gateway goes offline (Last Will) or a reading crosses a threshold.

## What you get

-   Reads and events reach every system as soon as the head-end has them
-   Head-ends from different vendors behind one topic structure
-   New consumers connect by subscribing — no new interface per system
-   Last-gasp and gateway-offline events visible to operations at once

Example topics

```
ami/region-east/dc-0731/em-30418877/interval
ami/region-east/dc-0731/em-30418877/events
ami/region-east/dc-0731/status            (retained)
grid/region-east/feeder-12/tx-0457/telemetry
```

## Industries that run this use case

 [![](https://connectmq.com/images/industries/hero/utilities.webp) Utilities](https://connectmq.com/industries/utilities/) [![](https://connectmq.com/images/industries/hero/renewable-energy.webp) Renewable Energy](https://connectmq.com/industries/renewable-energy/)

## Related solutions

[

### Smart Energy

Meters, EV chargers, solar and batteries

Learn more](https://connectmq.com/energy-utilities/)[

### Smart City

Streetlights, parking, air and waste sensors

Learn more](https://connectmq.com/smart-city/)

## Frequently asked questions

Can MQTT be used for smart meters and AMI?

Yes — most often between the head-end or gateway and the business systems. Meters themselves usually speak DLMS/COSEM, M-Bus or a vendor protocol over RF mesh, PLC or cellular, while some newer cellular meters and sub-metering gateways publish MQTT directly. ConnectMQ connects both to MDM, billing and analytics.

MQTT vs DLMS/COSEM: what is the difference?

DLMS/COSEM is the metering data model and protocol used to read and configure meters. MQTT is a publish/subscribe transport that moves the resulting data between systems. They complement each other: the head-end speaks DLMS to the meter and publishes the decoded values over MQTT.

How do I get head-end data into my MDM in real time?

Add a small adapter — or use the head-end’s MQTT export if it has one — that publishes interval reads and events to ConnectMQ, and let your MDM subscribe with a persistent session and QoS 1. Other systems can subscribe to the same topics later without touching the head-end again.

## Build it on ConnectMQ

Start on the Free plan — no card required — connect your first devices today and upgrade when you go live.

[Get started](https://app.connectmq.com/signup) [See pricing](https://connectmq.com/pricing/)

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## Articles

[All articles](https://connectmq.com/blog/)

Managed MQTT Cloud

### [How to Choose an IoT MQTT Broker: 12 Criteria and the Questions to Ask Your Vendor](https://connectmq.com/blog/how-to-choose-an-iot-mqtt-broker/)

A practical 12-point checklist for choosing an IoT MQTT broker, a table of questions to ask every vendor, and a five-minute hands-on test you can run against broker.connectmq.com.

September 21, 20269 min read

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### [MQTT QoS Levels Explained: QoS 0, 1 and 2 with Packet Flows and Examples](https://connectmq.com/blog/mqtt-qos-levels-explained/)

A practical guide to MQTT QoS: how QoS 0, 1 and 2 work on the wire, why the delivered QoS can be lower than you asked for, how sessions queue messages and which level to choose for each use case.

August 20, 20269 min read

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### [MQTT Security Best Practices: A 12-Point Checklist for IoT Teams](https://connectmq.com/blog/mqtt-security-best-practices/)

A hands-on MQTT security checklist covering TLS, credentials, client IDs, topic design, payload validation, rate limits and certificate checks, plus how ConnectMQ handles each point.

September 28, 202611 min read