Smart meter technology is moving from news PR item to reality in many major utility markets, bringing with it the promise of fewer site visits and lower rates. With these devices, your local utility can perform a variety of actions from starting/stopping service, upgrading your meter, or even shutting off certain 'smart' appliances (air conditioners, etc) during peak demand to avoid brownouts. All of this is accomplished using a wireless network of meters and relay stations to transmit commands, power readings, and the like. But is this network the result of lessons hard learned by previous mistakes in wireless technologies (WiMAX), or do all claims of security rely on a closed system of obscurity (FHSS)?
Armed with the services of a USRP software radio, we set about to probe the underlying structure of the smart meter network and analyze the security (or lack thereof) of the transmission methods. Can your neighbor's 3am parties finally be silenced? Was your service utilization "really" that low for the month? Come to find out!