Smart water metering with NB-IoT

Water conservation consultancy WaterGroup has announced the launch of its NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) ultrasonic, intelligent water meters — the first in Australia, according to the company.

The company’s managing director, Guenter Hauber-Davidson, said the water meters will play “a key role” in helping water utility managers tackle the huge water loss experienced in Australia. He said, “Our urban and regional water systems deliver about 2 billion m³ of potable water every year — yet 10–12% are lost through leaks and other causes such as unaccounted use of water.”

Now, with Australia’s big telecommunications companies switching on NB-IoT, water utility managers can “connect and deploy sophisticated smart water meters across their existing telco networks effortlessly without the need to first establish a communications system”, said Hauber-Davidson. According to WaterGroup, it’s as easy as connecting to a mobile phone.

An advantage of the technology is that NB-IoT communication is fully integrated into the next-generation smart meters without any moving parts. Instead of using mechanical wheels that wear out over time, the meters use ultrasonic sensing technology to provide meter readings for the entire life of the meter.

“These fully integrated ultrasonic, intelligent water meters are ideal for residential dwellings, apartments, difficult-to-access basements and even rural zones where Optus, Vodafone or Telstra have enabled NB-IoT already,” said Hauber-Davidson. “This makes them a convenient and cost-effective choice for water utilities, builders and strata managers.”

The NB-IoT enabled water meter will be on display at the WaterGroup stand at Australian Utility Week, to be held in Melbourne from 29–30 November.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/siro46