Remote Metering for Water Utilities
The InDTU324 industrial cellular modem offers reliable connectivity for remote metering of water utilities.
Background
In many cities, water meter reading is done by traditional manual labor. However, water meters are dispersed in many different places, some even in remote fields, so the work of meter reading is a problem for staff of water utilities. With urbanization and the development of communication technology, more and more cities choose network-based automatic water meter reading systems to replace the traditional method.
Customer Requirements
Real-time Meter Reading
It is necessary to achieve real-time meter reading for water meters in various regions of the city, enabling accurate tracking of water usage and optimizing water resource management.
User Service Optimization
By utilizing real-time meter reading and data analysis, we offer an analysis of users’ water consumption habits. This enables the optimization of water billing methods, enhancing the overall user service experience.
Secure and Reliable Meter Communications
Robust communication with redundancy mechanisms ensures uninterrupted data transmission to the central monitoring center.
Reliable Long-Term Operation in Unattended Environments
Design durable hardware resistant to environmental factors, coupled with energy-efficient components, for consistent, long-term operation in unattended or challenging settings.
Solution
In this project, the water company supplied water to both downtown and suburban areas. Downtown, water meters were installed in every resident’s house; in suburban areas, meters were installed separately at each villa, typically 500m to 5km apart. Traditionally, the water company hired thousands of meter readers, incurring significant costs for traffic and labor.
Based on the requirements for automatic water meter reading, we provided a GPRS-based solution. In downtown areas, we used the InDTU324 industrial GPRS modem connected to the concentrator by RS485 bus in each apartment. In suburban areas, the InDTU324 modem was connected directly to each villa’s meter. Each GPRS modem had a SIM card provided by a local mobile operator, offering special private APN (Private Access Point Network) service. This prevented access from the public internet and enabled the water company’s data center to access specific remote meters. (Consult your local mobile operator about private APN and SIM cards.)
Benefits
Easy Deployment across Areas
Wireless service makes it easy to build up network and can ensure the network cover all the meters in the specified area.
Secure and Reliable Data Transmission
The network is reliable enough and can safely transmit data from meters to monitoring center.
Robust Design for Reliable Long-Term Operation
The InDTU324 cellular modem features industrial-grade design, with a wide operation temperature range of -40~70℃(-40~158℉), proving quite resilient in harsh unattended sites. Compact size makes installation easy.
Built for the Scenarios
The InDTU324 cellular modem supports several industrial data protocols including Modbus RTU/Modbus TCP, Transparent TCP, IEC 101 to 104, etc., and also supports customization for customers’ requirements.
Products
Serial-to-cellular communications
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