Wireless M‑Bus – The Essential Communication Standard for Smart Metering

In the world of consumption data measurement, it is nearly impossible to avoid the topic of Wireless M‑Bus (wM‑Bus). For more than a decade, wM‑Bus has been the proven communication standard for remote reading of water, electricity, gas and heat meters.
Thanks to the OMS Group specification, Wireless M‑Bus goes even further: it is also widely used for sensor data collection, such as smoke detectors or temperature sensors. Its internationally recognized specifications make it possible to deploy wM‑Bus‑based solutions almost anywhere in the world—a major advantage for manufacturers, utilities and service providers.

Specification and Functionality of Wireless M‑Bus

Wireless M‑Bus is defined in the European standard EN 13757, which specifies frequency usage in the 868 MHz band. Through the OMS specification, additional frequency bands—such as 433 MHz for South America, Australia and the Middle East—are enabled. This makes wM‑Bus a globally relevant technology, not just a European one.

Although the EN 13757 family offers extensive features and options, not all combinations are practical or fully defined. For this reason, the internationally oriented OMS specification is recommended as the primary reference. OMS continuously expands its specification to include new technologies and application scenarios, ranging from classical Smart Metering to modern IoT sensor networks.

Thumbnail highlighting wireless M‑Bus as an essential communication standard for smart metering

Key Advantages of Wireless M‑Bus

Wireless M‑Bus offers several strengths that make it an exceptional fit for metering and IoT applications:

  • Energy efficiency: Ideal for battery-powered devices with operational lifetimes lasting several years.
  • Flexible communication, supports both: 
    • unidirectional transmission (reading consumption data only) and
    • bidirectional communication (writing values, querying functions).
    • High scalability: A star topology allows hundreds of meters or sensors to communicate with a single data collector.
    • Interoperability: Standardized protocols and data formats ensure seamless integration of devices from different manufacturers.

Wireless M-Bus Protocol Stack by STACKFORCE

The STACKFORCE Wireless M‑Bus Protocol Stack implements all protocol elements required for full standards compliance—along with the most important optional features. Our development team continuously optimizes the stack to guarantee:

  • exceptionally low power consumption
  • a modular, scalable architecture
  • extensive feature support for diverse applications

All Wireless M-Bus Stacks

OMS® v4.5.1 / wM-Bus for End Devices

Single Stack

End Device

Available for: NXP, Silicon Labs, STMicroelectronics

Compliant with standards (EN 13757 / OMS®)

Pre-certification for reference hardware

Energy efficient & low complexity

Uni- and bidirectional communication

OMS® v4.5.1 / wM-Bus for Gateways

Single Stack

Gateway

Available for: Silicon Labs, STMicroelectronics

Compliant with standards (EN 13757 / OMS®)

Pre-certification for reference hardware

One gateway serves 20 end devices.

Uni- & bidirectional communication

OMS® v4.3.3 / wM-Bus for End Devices

Single Stack

End Device

Available for: Texas Instruments

Compliant with standards (EN 13757 / OMS®)

Pre-certification for reference hardware

Energy efficient & low complexity

Uni- and bidirectional communication

OMS® v4.3.3 / wM-Bus for Gateways

Single Stack

Gateway

Available for: Texas Instruments

Compliant with standards (EN 13757 / OMS®)

Interoperability thanks to OMS® implementation

Uni- and bidirectional communication

Meter registration and monitoring

Wired M-Bus / OMS® v4.5.1 for Master Devices

Single Stack

Master

Available for: STMicroelectronics

Compliant with standards (EN 13757 / OMS®)

Decryption of up to 20 slave devices

Reliable and efficient data transmission

Seamless integration with existing systems

Wired M-Bus / OMS® v4.5.1 for Slave Devices

Single Stack

Slave

Available for: STMicroelectronics

Compliant with standards (EN 13757 / OMS®)

Remote meter reading

Reliable and efficient data transmission

Seamless integration into existing systems

OMS®/wM-Bus+ LoRaWAN® for End Devices

Multi Stack

End Device

Available for: Semtech, STMicroelectronics

Two types of remote meter reading

Smooth transition from OMS® to LoRaWAN®

Seamless switching between stacks

Custom protocol priority

OMS®/wM-Bus + OMS® over LoRaWAN® for End Devices

Multi Stack

End Device

Available for: Semtech, STMicroelectronics

Seamless switching between stacks

Two types of remote meter reading

Integration of LoRaWAN® into the OMS® world

Pre-certification for reference hardware

How Wireless M‑Bus works

Capabilities and range

Once a meter or sensor is equipped with Wireless M‑Bus, measurement data becomes available almost instantly—ranging from absolute consumption values to real‑time metrics such as flow rate, temperature or power.

Typical ranges vary depending on the environment:

  • Rural areas: several kilometers
  • Urban environments: several hundred meters
  • Inside buildings: a few meters

To improve indoor penetration and connect deeply embedded devices, the STACKFORCE wM‑Bus Stack can be combined with LPWAN technologies such as LoRaWAN® or mioty®. This hybrid approach significantly enhances coverage and reliability.

With a compatible microcontroller and radio chip, your devices can be made Wireless M‑Bus‑capable. STACKFORCE supports you with:

  • protocol stack integration
  • connection to meters or sensors
  • ensuring interoperability and reliable data transmission

Thanks to extensive experience with Wireless M‑Bus, our customers benefit from professional support, reduced development effort and shorter time‑to‑market.

In‑house development of communication stacks is often time‑consuming and cost‑intensive. With a ready‑to‑use STACKFORCE Protocol Stack, you benefit from:

  • immediately deployable software
  • extensively tested functionality
  • predictable licensing costs
  • professional support and optional service packages

The result: competitive, easy‑to‑install and easy‑to‑maintain devices.

Contact us for more information.
If you want to dive deeper, read our upcoming article on the technical details of our OMS®/wM‑Bus Stack package: What’s included? Which standards are implemented? What are the hardware requirements?

Explore related Topics and Insights

LinkedIn Icon for STACKFORCE LinkedIn channel

More News on LinkedIn

Thumbnail illustrating the STACKFORCE booth at embedded world 2025 with STACKFORCE staff
STACKFORCE at embedded world 2025 – A look back at an incredible event
embedded world 2025 was a great success for STACKFORCE, showcasing live demos, expert insights and our latest product innovations. From wireless communication technologies to FUOTA, we presented future-ready solutions that drive the embedded industry forward.
Thumbnail illustrating OMS® v5.0.1 Dual Stack as the next generation metering solution combining advanced OMS and LPWAN capabilities
New product: OMS® v5.0.1 Dual Stack now available
STACKFORCE launches the new OMS® v5.0.1 Dual Stack – combining LPWAN UL-S1/S2 and Wireless M-Bus C1 for maximum interoperability, extended range, and future-proof smart metering.
Thumbnail symbolizing smart agriculture with connected sensors and data‑driven farming
Smart Agriculture: Efficiency and sustainability through digital farming technologies
Modern agriculture faces enormous challenges: rising demand, increasing weather extremes, limited resources, growing water scarcity, and intense price pressure. At the same time, markets and society demand greater transparency, sustainability, and efficiency.
Thumbnail illustrating smart industry use cases with connected industrial automation systems
Smart Industry: Robust communication for harsh industrial environments
Connected supply chains and mobile assets demand full transparency and agility. IoT-driven solutions using LPWAN technologies enable energy-efficient, scalable monitoring and control of transport and warehouse processes - anytime, anywhere. This makes smart logistics the foundation for global markets and just-in-time production.