Living house: GOST standards for smart devices have been created in Russia

GOST standards have been created for "smart" devices in apartments and houses in the Russian Federation. This includes water and heat meters, according to Rosstandart materials. The introduction of standards is necessary so that the devices are guaranteed to work with the IT systems of the Criminal Code and the state housing and communal services system: now they are often incompatible or incorrectly transmit readings, their developers told Izvestia. The new standards also relate to the cybersecurity of metering devices and are designed to protect them from hacking and unlawful changes in readings. Experts note that the introduction of GOST standards will make payments for heat and water more transparent and reduce the risk of manipulation by both management companies and residents.

Why standardize smart meters?

Smart water and heat meters, which are expected to be introduced in housing construction in the Russian Federation along with other such devices by 2030, will meet uniform requirements. The first GOSTs for them were approved by Rosstandart, it follows from the materials of the department, which were reviewed by Izvestia. Together with them, standards have been adopted that describe measures to protect devices and the systems in which they are integrated from cyber threats.

The documents regulate in detail wired and wireless communication technologies for transmitting readings, measures to protect against cyber attacks, and events that smart devices are required to inform the management company about, such as opening seals or attempts to "twist" the meter. The GOST standards also specify who and how can get the password to access the measuring device, the rules for attaching a SIM card when transmitting data over a cellular network, and other requirements.

For example, heat meters should self-diagnose once a day, according to the relevant GOST. They must be able to connect to a smartphone or tablet and transmit information to the operating organization about critical events, such as low battery power, lack of water in the heating pipe, or a change in the flow direction of the coolant. Data transmission is possible via GSM, LTE, LoRaWAN and other technologies.

At the same time, as follows from GOST standards, devices must be equipped with non-volatile memory: when the electricity or Internet is turned off, they continue to record readings, which are then transmitted to the management System. Due to periodic Internet outages and meter failures, management organizations are now often faced with errors and incorrect charges, one of the users of such devices told Izvestia.

The documents were developed on the site of a specialized organization, ANO Smart MCD, with the participation of industry players and authorities, one of their authors said.

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Rosstandart also approved state standards clarifying requirements for other elements of a smart home, including IP intercoms and video cameras. They specify the standards of an intelligent building adopted in 2025, said Nikita Utkin, chairman of the profile technical committee 194 "Cyber-physical Systems" at the department. According to him, while the first set of standards established general requirements for the "stuffing" of a smart home, its IT architecture and classroom system, the new documents define the rules for the creation and operation of specific systems and equipment.

The Ministry of Finance supports the formation of unified approaches and standards for the digitalization of apartment buildings, the ministry told Izvestia. Standards are an effective tool that helps to implement and scale promising solutions, they added.

— Standards for metering devices and requirements for cyber protection of smart home systems are necessary so that such meters can work normally and transmit readings to information systems of management companies and higher-level systems, including GIS housing and communal services. Now such devices are often simply useless and are used as usual due to technical limitations," explained Nikita Utkin.

New standards in the field of information security will make it possible to create housing and communal services systems that are resistant to cyber attacks, as well as protected from fraudulent interference attempts, he added.

Experience shows that over time, regulatory documents and building codes are being developed on the basis of GOST standards, which become mandatory for all participants in the housing market, Nikita Utkin said. In addition, developers working under state and municipal contracts are required to follow these standards.

— The next stage is the active implementation of these standards by equipment manufacturers and integrators, so that citizens everywhere experience the benefits of smart technologies in practice. We believe that standards should lead to a reduction in the cost of devices," said Konstantin Mikhaylik, Deputy Minister of Construction and Housing and Communal Services.

According to Anton Shalaev, head of Rosstandart, the use of new GOST standards will increase the level of security of digital services and create conditions for the large-scale introduction of modern technologies in housing and communal services.

Izvestia sent inquiries to the largest Russian developers.

How GOST standards will help users of smart metering devices

According to Leonid Konik, a partner at ComNews Research, cyber protection standards for smart meters are necessary. If each manufacturer acts according to its own rules or does not provide protection at all, there are risks of hacking — from tampering with readings to penetration into the apartment's local network and access to other smart devices, including cameras.

Standardization of smart metering devices is certainly relevant for all participants in the utility supply market, from energy marketing companies to end users, MTS believes.

— GOST standards establish the hierarchy of smart home systems and the compatibility of all systems, intelligent devices and standardized data transmission technologies. Transparent rules will allow developers to build infrastructure and install metering devices according to uniform standards already at the project stage, and the management company will take them into operation and maintain them, keep records and issue invoices correctly," the company noted, adding that residents of apartment buildings will no longer need to worry about transmitting meter readings.

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The unified standards ensure greater data security, protecting the interests of residents from unlawful interference or changes in testimony, the Rostelecom press service noted. The standards ensure uniform rules of the game, stable transmission of readings, and reduced calculation errors.

The appearance of relevant GOST standards will make payments for utilities more transparent, and metering devices more efficient, Denis Kuskov, CEO of TelecomDaily, is convinced.

— Smart metering devices installed in new homes are now often a dead weight, as they are incompatible with the IT systems of management companies. At the same time, if necessary, it is problematic to find a suitable replacement device, it takes quite a lot of time," the expert says.

The presence of safety standards will prevent the "twisting" or "cheating" of meters, he hopes.