DESC:TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to wireless communication systems, and more particularly relates to a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system for smart energy meter with a master-slave architecture, thereby eliminating a need for external data concentrator units (DCUs), and enabling efficient data exchange.

BACKGROUND
[0002] Smart energy meters are devices that are used to measure and record electricity, gas, or water consumption in residential, commercial, and industrial buildings. Smart energy meters are critical components in modern energy distribution systems, enabling accurate real-time monitoring and efficient energy management. The smart energy meters are equipped with embedded radio frequency (RF) or wireless communication systems to transmit data corresponding to the consumption to a head end system hosted on a private server or a cloud. Further, the existing systems rely on direct concentrator units (DCU) to serve as intermediaries between the smart energy meters and the head end system. The DCU connects to all of the wireless meters in a given area and acts as a gateway for data exchange.
[0003] However, the existing devices with DCU involves complex installation and maintenance, increasing the time of deployment. Further, the DCU requires significant capital and operational costs, as it requires installation of additional hardware and maintenance of the DCU over time. Further, the functionality of the DCU may overlap with inherent capabilities of the smart energy meters, leading to inefficient resource utilization. Some current technologies have eliminated DCU by equipping each smart energy meter with both wireless mesh and cellular communication capabilities. However, the wireless mesh and cellular communication capabilities leads to increased costs due to inclusion of cellular modules in every meter.
[0004] Therefore, there is, a need to address at least the above-mentioned drawbacks and any other shortcomings, or at the very least, provide a valuable alternative to the existing methods and systems.

OBJECTS OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0005] An object of the present disclosure relates to a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system for smart energy meter with master NICs and slave NICs, thereby eliminating a need for deploying data concentrator units (DCUs).
[0006] Another object of the present disclosure is to facilitate data exchange between smart energy meters and a head-end system, thereby enabling efficient data transmission.
[0007] Another object of the present disclosure is to facilitate adjustment of proportion of master NICs to slave NICs, thereby enabling a scalable network architecture.
[0008] Another object of the present disclosure is to provide redundancy by multiple master NICs, thereby ensuring continuous data exchange and transmission.
[0009] Yet another object of the present disclosure is to secure data communication across a network by implementing advanced encryption and authentication mechanisms, thereby protecting data integrity and confidentiality.

SUMMARY
[0010] Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wireless communication systems and more particularly relates to a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system for smart energy meter with master-slave architecture. Further, the system eliminates a need for separate data concentrator units (DCUs) by integrating data aggregation capabilities into master NICs. Additionally, the hybrid NIC system enhances network reliability, and ensures scalable deployment through an optimized ratio of master NICs to slave NICs.
[0011] An aspect of the present disclosure relates to a hybrid wireless NIC system for a smart energy meter. The hybrid wireless NIC system may include a plurality of master NICs and a plurality of slave NICs. Each of the plurality of master NICs may include a first master wireless mesh subsystem including a master processor configured to manage data collection from a host smart energy meter and may transmit the collected data to each of the plurality of slave NICs, a master storage unit for data storage, and a wireless master mesh network interface operating in a predefined frequency. Further, each of the plurality of master NICs may include a second master cellular subsystem may include one or more cellular communication modules with an in-built processor, and a third master subsystem including a master power management module and a master mechanical enclosure. Further, each of the plurality of slave NICs may include a first slave wireless mesh subsystem including a slave processor configured to collect consumption data from the host smart energy meter, a slave storage unit for data storage, and a wireless slave mesh network interface operating at the predefined frequency range. Further, each of the plurality of slave NICs may include a second slave subsystem including a slave power management module and a slave mechanical enclosure.
[0012] In an embodiment, a proportion of the plurality of master NICs and the plurality of slave NICs may be adjusted and optimized based on at least one of a network size, data traffic, performance requirements, and one or more network requirements.
[0013] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of master NICs and each of the plurality of slave NICs may be configured to provide redundancy to the hybrid wireless NIC system.
[0014] In an embodiment, during a failure event of at least one master NIC among the plurality of master NICs, each of the plurality of slave NICs may be configured to connect to an alternative master NIC among the plurality of master NICs without loss of data.
[0015] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of master NICs and each of the plurality of slave NICs may be configured with data encryption and authentication mechanisms to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.
[0016] In an embodiment, a wireless mesh network which connects the wireless master mesh network interface and the wireless slave mesh network interface may be configured to facilitate multi-hop communication between each of the plurality of master NICs and each of the plurality of slave NICs.
[0017] In an embodiment, the master processor may be further configured to manage one or more network performance metrics and optimize data transmission to a head-end system.
[0018] In an embodiment, the slave processor may be configured to temporarily store the consumption data in the slave storage unit prior to transmission to the master processor.
[0019] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a method for facilitating data exchange in a smart energy meter. The method may include forming a wireless mesh network among a plurality of master NICs and a plurality of slave NICs associated with one or more smart energy meters using Radio Frequency (RF) communications. The method may include receiving, by a master processor associated with each of the plurality of master NICs, consumption data from each of the plurality of slave NICs through the wireless mesh network. The method may include aggregating, by the master processor, the consumption data received from each of the plurality of slave NICs. The method may include transmitting, by the master processor, the aggregated data to a head-end system using one or more cellular communication modules.
[0020] In an embodiment, the method may include enabling connection between each of the plurality of master NICs and each of the plurality of slave NICs by configuring each of the plurality of slave NICs.
[0021] In an embodiment, the method may include disseminating, by each of the plurality of master NICs, configuration update data and firmware upgrade data received from the head-end system to each of the plurality of slave NICs.
[0022] Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a smart energy metering system that may include one or more smart energy meters equipped with a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system. Further, the wireless NIC system may include a plurality of master NICs and a plurality of slave NICs. Further, the smart energy metering system may include a wireless mesh network for facilitating data exchange between the plurality of master NICs and the plurality of slave NICs and a head-end system for receiving the data from each of the plurality of master NICs and each of the plurality of slave NICs via cellular networks.
[0023] Various objects, features, aspects, and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0024] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate example embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure.
[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system for a smart energy meter, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0026] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a master NIC, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a slave NIC, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0028] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram depicting a process of data flow from slave NICs to a head-end system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0029] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a wireless mesh network topology, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0030] FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for facilitating data exchange in a smart energy meter, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0031] The following is a detailed description of embodiments of the disclosure depicted in the accompanying drawings. The embodiments are in such details as to clearly communicate the disclosure. However, the amount of detail offered is not intended to limit the anticipated variations of embodiments; on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the scope of the present disclosures as defined by the appended claims.
[0032] Embodiments explained herein relate to wireless communication systems and more particularly relates to a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system for a smart energy meter with a master-slave architecture. Further, the system eliminates a need for separate data concentrator units (DCUs) by integrating data aggregation capabilities into master NICs. Additionally, the hybrid NIC system enhances network reliability, and ensures scalable deployment through an optimized ratio of master NICs to slave NICs.
[0033] An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a hybrid wireless NIC system for a smart energy meter. The hybrid wireless NIC system may include a plurality of master NICs and a plurality of slave NICs. Each of the plurality of master NICs may include a first master wireless mesh subsystem including a master processor configured to manage data collection from a host smart energy meter and transmit the collected data to each of the plurality of slave NICs, a master storage unit for data storage, and a wireless master mesh network interface operating in a predefined frequency. Further, each of the plurality of master NICs may include a second master cellular subsystem including one or more cellular communication modules with an in-built processor, and a third master subsystem including a master power management module and a master mechanical enclosure. Further, each of the plurality of slave NICs may include a first slave wireless mesh subsystem including a slave processor configured to collect consumption data from the host smart energy meter, a slave storage unit for data storage, and a wireless slave mesh network interface operating at the predefined frequency. Further, each of the plurality of slave NICs may include a second slave subsystem including a slave power management module and a slave mechanical enclosure.
[0034] Various embodiments of the present disclosure will be explained in detail with reference to FIGs. 1-6.
[0035] FIGs. 1, 2 and 3 illustrate an exemplary block diagram of a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system 100 for a smart energy meter 102, a master NIC 200, and a slave NIC 300 respectively, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0036] Referring to FIGs. 1-3, the hybrid wireless NIC system 100 for smart energy meters 102-1, 102-2 (collectively referred to as smart energy meter 102, hereinafter) may include a plurality of master NICs 200 (collectively referred to as master NICs 200, hereinafter) and a plurality of slave NICs 300 (collectively referred to as slave NICs 300, hereinafter). Further, the slave NICs 300 may collect and forward consumption data to master NICs 200. Each slave NIC 300 of the plurality of slave NICs 300 may be connected to a specific smart energy meter. The master NICs 200 may aggregate data from multiple slave NICs 200 and transmit it to a central head-end system 400.
[0037] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of master NICs 200 may include a first master wireless mesh subsystem 210. Further, the first master wireless mesh subsystem 210 may include a master processor 211 configured to manage data collection from a host smart energy meter (not shown in figure), and transmit the collected data to each of the plurality of slave NICs 300. The master processor 211 may be configured to aggregate the collected data received from the slave NICs 300. Further, the first master wireless mesh subsystem 210 may include a master storage unit 212 for temporarily storing the aggregated collected data prior to transmission. Further, the first master wireless mesh subsystem 210 may include a wireless master mesh network interface 213 operating in a pre-defined frequency. The wireless master mesh network interface 213 may be, for example, but not limited to, a radio frequency (RF) communication module. The pre-defined frequency may be in the range of 865 mega-hertz to 868 mega-hertz. The wireless master mesh network interface 213 may facilitate communication with the plurality of slave NICs 300 and other master NICs 200.
[0038] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of master NICs 200 may include a second master cellular subsystem 220. Further, the second master cellular subsystem 220 may include cellular communication modules 221 with an in-built processor. The cellular communication modules 221 may support at least one of 2nd Generation (2G), 3rd Generation (3G), 4th Generation (4G), or 5th Generation (5G) cellular networks. Further, the in-built processor embedded in the cellular communication modules 221 may manage the cellular communications and may handle wirelessly delivered updates (e.g., over-the-air updates) and remote management functions.
[0039] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of master NICs 200 may include a third master subsystem 230. The third master subsystem 230 may include a master power management module 231. The master power management module 231 may optimize power consumption for the master NIC 200. The master power management module 231 may manage power distribution between the first master wireless mesh subsystem 210 and the second master cellular subsystem 220. Further, the third master subsystem 230 may include a master mechanical enclosure 232. The master mechanical enclosure 232 may be designed to fit within an existing enclosure of the smart energy meter 102. Further, the master mechanical enclosure 232 may provide physical protection and compliance with authorized guidelines.
[0040] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of slave NICs 300 may include a first slave wireless mesh subsystem 310. The first slave wireless mesh subsystem 310 may include a slave processor 311 configured to collect consumption data from the host smart energy meter, for example the smart energy meter 102-1. The slave processor 311 may forward data to the master NICs 200. Further, the first slave wireless mesh subsystem 310 may include a slave storage unit 312 for data storage. In an embodiment, the slave processor 311 may be configured to temporarily store the consumption data in the slave storage unit 312 prior to transmission to the master processor 211. Further, the first slave wireless mesh subsystem 310 may include a wireless slave mesh network interface 313 operating at the predefined frequency range. The wireless slave mesh network interface 313 may be, for example, the RF communication module, and the predefined frequency may be in the range of 865 mega-hertz to 868 mega-hertz. The wireless slave mesh network interface 313 may facilitate communication with the plurality of master NICs 200 and other slave NICs 300. Further, the wireless master mesh network interface 213 and the wireless slave mesh network interface 313 may be connected by a wireless mesh connection 104.
[0041] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of slave NICs 300 may include a second slave subsystem 320. Further, the second slave subsystem 320 may include a slave power management module 321. The slave power management module 321 may optimize power consumption of the slave NICs 300. Further, the second slave subsystem 320 may include a slave mechanical enclosure 322. The slave mechanical enclosure 322 may be configured to fit within the enclosure of the smart energy meter 102. Further, the slave mechanical enclosure 322 may provide physical protection and compliance with authorized guidelines.
[0042] In an embodiment, a proportion of the plurality of master NICs 200 and the plurality of slave NICs 300 may be adjusted and optimized based on at least one of a network size, data traffic, performance requirements, and network requirements. For instance, for a smaller network, fewer master NICs 200 might be needed to aggregate data from the slave NICs 300, and for larger networks, more master NICs 200 may be required to handle the greater number of slave NICs 300 and ensure seamless communication between the master NICs 200 and the slave NICs 300.
[0043] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of master NICs 200 and each of the plurality of slave NICs 300 may be configured to provide redundancy to the hybrid wireless NIC system 100. In an embodiment, during a failure event of at least one master NIC among the plurality of master NICs 200, each of the plurality of slave NICs 300 may be configured to connect to an alternative master NIC among the plurality of master NICs 200 without loss of data. For example, if a master NIC responsible for a group of slave NICs fails, the slave NICs will dynamically switch to another available master NIC, ensuring that no data is lost during interruption.
[0044] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of master NICs 200 and each of the plurality of slave NICs 300 may be configured with data encryption and authentication mechanisms to ensure data integrity and confidentiality. The master processor 211 and the slave processor 311 may implement security protocols such as, for example, an Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption, mutual authentication, and the like for data integrity and confidentiality.
[0045] In an embodiment, the master processor 211 may be configured to manage network performance metrics and optimize data transmission to a head-end system 400. The master processor 211 may be configured to aggregate the collected data received from the slave NICs 300. The second master cellular subsystem 220 may use the cellular communication modules 221 to transmit aggregated data to the head-end system 400. The cellular communication modules 221 may establish a backhaul connectivity through a cellular communication 106 to the head-end system 400 to manage network performance metrics and optimize data transmission.
[0046] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary flow diagram 400A depicting a process of data flow from the slave NICs 300 and the master NIC 200 to the head-end system 400, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0047] Referring to FIG. 4, at step 402, a slave NIC 300-1 may collect the consumption data from the host smart energy meter and may transmit the consumption data to a slave NIC 300-2. At step 404, the slave NIC 300-2 receives the data from the slave NIC 300-1, and may aggregate the data of the slave NIC 300-1 and the slave NIC 300-2 and transmit the aggregated consumption data to a slave NIC 300-4.
[0048] Further, at step 406, a slave NIC 300-3 may transmit the consumption data to the slave NIC 300-4. At step 408, the slave NIC 300-4 may receive the consumption data from the slave NICs 300-3 and 300-2. At step 410, a slave NIC 300-5 may receive the consumption data from the slave NIC 300-4, which may include the consumption data from the slave NICs 300-1, 300-2 and 300-3, and may transmit the consumption data to the master NICs 200 for data aggregation. The master NICs 200 may receive consumption data via the wireless master mesh network interface 213, and the master processor 211 may aggregate the received consumption data and temporarily store in the master storage unit 212. Further, at step 412, the master NIC 200 may aggregate the consumption data from the slave NIC 300-5, and at step 414, the aggregated data from the master NIC 200 may be transmitted to the head-end system 400 by the cellular communication modules 221.
[0049] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary block diagram of a wireless mesh network 500 topology, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0050] Referring to FIG. 5, a smart energy metering system 502 may include smart energy meters 102 equipped with the hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system 100. The smart energy metering system 502 may include a master smart energy meter 102-1 (including the master NICs 200-1) and slave smart energy meters 102-2, 102-3, 102-4 and 102-5, 102-6 (including the slave NICs 300-2, 300-3, 300-4, 300-5, 300-6, collectively and individually referred to as the slave NICs 300). The master NICs 200 and the slave NICs 300 may form a wireless mesh network 500 using the first master wireless mesh subsystem 210 and the first slave wireless mesh subsystem 310. The wireless mesh network 500 may facilitate data exchange between the master NICs 200 and the slave NICs 300. Further, the wireless mesh network 500 may be configured to facilitate multi-hop communication between each of the plurality of master NICs 200 and each of the plurality of slave NICs 300.
[0051] In an exemplary implementation, the smart energy metering system 502 may be equipped with the smart energy meter 102 integrated with the master NICs 200 and the slave NICs 300. The slave NICs 200 may collect power consumption data from the smart energy meter 102. The collected data may be transmitted wirelessly, through the mesh network 500, to the master NIC 200. For example, the slave NIC 300-2 may send the consumption data to the slave NIC 300-3, which may forward the combined data to the slave NIC 300-4, and the consumption data may be further forwarded to the slave NIC 300-5 and to the slave NIC 300-6 until the consumption data reaches the master NIC 200. Further, the master NIC 200 may aggregate the consumption data received from the connected slave NICs 300. The master NIC 200 may send the aggregated consumption data using the cellular communication module 221 to the head-end system 400. Further, in case the master NIC 200 fails, the slave NICs 300 may configure to connect to the alternative master NIC 200, ensuring uninterrupted communication.
[0052] FIG. 6 illustrates an example flow diagram of a method for facilitating data exchange in a smart energy meter, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0053] Referring to FIG. 6, at block 602, the method 600 may include forming a wireless mesh network 500 among a plurality of master NICs 200 and a plurality of slave NICs 300 associated with smart energy meters 102 using RF communications. The RF communications may have frequencies in the range of, for example, 865 mega-hertz to 868 mega-hertz.
[0054] At block 604, the method 600 may include receiving, by a master processor 211 associated with each of the plurality of master NICs 200, consumption data from each of the plurality of slave NICs 300 through the wireless mesh network 500.
[0055] At block 606, the method 600 may include aggregating, by the master processor 211, the consumption data received from each of the plurality of slave NICs 200. The aggregated data may include information from multiple slave NICs 200. Aggregation may help to reduce amount of data transmitted, improving efficiency.
[0056] At block 608, the method 600 may include transmitting, by the master processor 211, the aggregated data to a head-end system 400 using cellular communication modules 221.
[0057] Further, the method 600 may include enabling connection between each of the plurality of master NICs 200 and each of the plurality of slave NICs 300 by configuring each of the plurality of slave NICs 300. Each slave NIC 300 may be configured to establish a reliable connection with a corresponding master NIC 200.
[0058] Further, the method 600 may include disseminating, by each of the plurality of master NICs 200, configuration update data and firmware upgrade data received from the head-end system 400 to each of the plurality of slave NICs 300. The configuration update data and firmware upgrade data may include changes to network settings or operational parameters, updates to the NIC software and the like.
[0059] Therefore, the present disclosure proposes the hybrid wireless NIC system (e.g., 100 as represented in FIG. 1) for smart energy meters (e.g., 102 as represented in FIG. 1) and the method for facilitating data exchange in the smart energy meter (e.g., 102 as represented in FIG. 1). By incorporating the wireless mesh network (e.g., 500 as represented in FIG. 5) and cellular communication modules (e.g., 221 as represented in FIG. 1), the hybrid wireless NIC system (e.g., 100 as represented in FIG. 1) achieves cost-effective and reliable data exchange, and ensures that energy data is transmitted seamlessly, and overall network performance is optimized.
[0060] While the foregoing describes various embodiments of the present disclosure, other and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is determined by the claims that follow. The present disclosure is not limited to the described embodiments, versions or examples, which are included to enable a person having ordinary skill in the art to make and use the present disclosure when combined with information and knowledge available to the person having ordinary skill in the art.

ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE
[0061] The present disclosure provides a cost-effective system by limiting cellular communication capabilities to master NICs and reducing hardware costs.
[0062] The present disclosure enables reliable and efficient data exchange between smart energy meters and a head-end system without a need for separate data concentrator units (DCUs).
[0063] The present disclosure facilitates local communication and data aggregation using a wireless mesh network.
[0064] The present disclosure enhances a reliability of a communication network by providing redundancy through multiple master NICs, ensuring continuous data transmission in the event of failures.
[0065] The present disclosure ensures secure data communication across the network by implementing advanced encryption and authentication mechanisms to protect data integrity and confidentiality.
[0066] The present disclosure enables a scalable network architecture by adjusting the ratio of master NICs to slave NICs based on network requirements.
,CLAIMS:1. A hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system (100) for a smart energy meter (102), the hybrid wireless NIC system (100) comprising:
a plurality of master NICs (200) and a plurality of slave NICs (300), wherein each of the plurality of master NICs (200) comprises:
a first master wireless mesh subsystem (210) comprising a master processor (211) configured to manage data collection from a host smart energy meter and transmit the collected data to each of the plurality of slave NICs (300), a master storage unit (212) for data storage, and a wireless master mesh network interface (213) operating in a predefined frequency,
a second master cellular subsystem (220) comprising one or more cellular communication modules (221) with an in-built processor, and
a third master subsystem (230) comprising a master power management module (231) and a master mechanical enclosure (232); and
wherein each of the plurality of slave NICs (300) comprises:
a first slave wireless mesh subsystem (310) comprising a slave processor (311) configured to collect consumption data from the host smart energy meter, a slave storage unit (312) for data storage, and a wireless slave mesh network interface (313) operating at the predefined frequency range; and
a second slave subsystem (320) comprising a slave power management module (321) and a slave mechanical enclosure (322).

2. The hybrid wireless NIC system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a proportion of the plurality of master NICs (200) and the plurality of slave NICs (300) is adjusted and optimized based on at least one of: a network size, data traffic, performance requirements, and one or more network requirements.

3. The hybrid wireless NIC system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of master NICs (200) and each of the plurality of slave NICs (300) are configured to provide redundancy to the hybrid wireless NIC system (100).

4. The hybrid wireless NIC system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein during a failure event of at least one master NIC among the plurality of master NICs (200), each of the plurality of slave NICs (300) is configured to connect to an alternative master NIC among the plurality of master NICs (200) without loss of data.

5. The hybrid wireless NIC system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of master NICs (200) and each of the plurality of slave NICs (300) are configured with data encryption and authentication mechanisms to ensure data integrity and confidentiality.

6. The hybrid wireless NIC system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein a wireless mesh network (500) which connects the wireless master mesh network interface (213) and the wireless slave mesh network interface (313) is configured to facilitate multi-hop communication between each of the plurality of master NICs (200) and each of the plurality of slave NICs (300).

7. The hybrid wireless NIC system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the master processor (211) is further configured to manage one or more network performance metrics and optimize data transmission to a head-end system (400).

8. The hybrid wireless NIC system (100) as claimed in claim 1, wherein the slave processor (311) is configured to temporarily store the consumption data in the slave storage unit (312) prior to transmission of the consumption data to the master processor (211).

9. A method (600) for facilitating data exchange in a smart energy meter (102), the method (600) comprising:
forming (602) a wireless mesh network (500) among a plurality of master NICs (200) and a plurality of slave NICs (300) associated with one or more smart energy meters (102) using Radio Frequency (RF) communications;
receiving (604), by a master processor (211) associated with each of the plurality of master NICs (200), consumption data from each of the plurality of slave NICs (300) through the wireless mesh network (500);
aggregating (606), by the master processor (211), the consumption data received from each of the plurality of slave NICs (300); and
transmitting (608), by the master processor (211), the aggregated data to a head-end system (400) using one or more cellular communication modules (221).

10. The method (600) as claimed in claim 9, comprising enabling connection between each of the plurality of master NICs (200) and each of the plurality of slave NICs (300) by configuring each of the plurality of slave NICs (300).

11. The method (600) as claimed in claim 9, comprising disseminating, by each of the plurality of master NICs (200), configuration update data and firmware upgrade data received from the head-end system (400) to each of the plurality of slave NICs (300).

12. A smart energy metering system, comprising:
one or more smart energy meters (102) equipped with a hybrid wireless Network Interface Card (NIC) system (100), wherein the wireless NIC system (100) comprises a plurality of master NICs (200) and a plurality of slave NICs (300);
a wireless mesh network (500) configured to facilitate data exchange between the plurality of master NICs (200) and the plurality of slave NICs (300); and
a head-end system (400) configured to receive the data from each of the plurality of master NICs (200) and each of the plurality of slave NICs (300) via cellular communication modules (221).