Alliant Energy Deploys 2.4-GHz Distribution Automation System About 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Platteville, Wisconsin, U.S., an enormous pile of earth approximately a mile long and a half-mile-wide juts 150 ft (46 m) into the air. Known as Platte Mound, it stands 1250 ft (381 m) above sea level and is marked by the letter “M” in commemoration of Platteville's School of Mines.

The “M” plays a pivotal role in providing wireless connectivity to the Platteville area by serving as a repeater site that avoids typical urban radio obstructions such as trees and buildings.

The Locus radio network is located on the north side of Platteville and features eight Locus OS2400-485 radios running DNP — a data protocol common to utility industries. Each radio is connected to an 8-dB omni antenna. The Alliant Energy office, located to the southeast of Platteville, is the recipient of all network data. The Alliant Energy office houses the master radio, which communicates to a repeater radio located at the top of Platte Mound at a distance of 4.14 miles (6.6 km). The Platte Mound repeater communicates with three other Locus radios inside the town of Platteville at distances between 3 and 4 miles (4.8 and 6.4 km), one of those also being a repeater to two additional radio sites a short distance away.

The Locus radios work in tandem with S&C Electric's (Chicago, Illinois, U.S.) control and software suite, IntelliTeam and its reporting package WinMon. The wireless radio system allows Alliant Energy to poll data from its sites, do load reporting, detect faults, open and close circuits, do load reporting, and open or close capacitors and switches.
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