Mbus

M-Bus, short for Meter-Bus, is a European standard for the remote reading of utility meters and related sensors. It is defined in the EN 13757 family and is widely used for electricity, gas, water, and heat meters as well as building automation devices. The system is designed to enable centralized collection of metering data across a plant or network without requiring costly dedicated wiring for each meter.

The bus architecture follows a master–slave model. A central master or data collector provides power to the line and initiates communication, while multiple slave devices respond with measured values or status information. Each device typically has a primary address and may also be identified by a secondary address, such as a serial number or installation location. This addressing supports automatic device discovery and simplifies integration into data collection and billing systems.

Physically, M-Bus uses a two-wire bus topology that can cover considerable distances and accommodate several devices on a single line. The protocol frames carry addressing, control, and data payloads, with error detection to ensure data integrity. The standard supports various data rates and transmission modes and allows devices to be powered from the bus or to operate on their own power supply, depending on the implementation.

Variants and extensions include wired M-Bus and wireless M-Bus (wM-Bus), which enables radio-based metering communications within the same standard family. Applications span utility metering, building automation, and smart-grid deployments, where reliable, scalable, and cost-effective data collection is essential.

M-Bus remains a widely adopted solution for automated meter reading in Europe and in many other regions, valued for its simplicity, compatibility with a broad range of meters, and suitability for long-distance wiring.