Battery-Operated Residential Water Meter with AMI (NB-IoT / GPRS)

Advanced Cellular Connectivity for Automated Water Metering with AMI (NB-IoT / GPRS)

Introduction

The Ultrasonic Residential Water Meter (RWM) is a battery-operated, high-accuracy device designed for outdoor fixed installations. It measures flow using the Transit-Time Differential Measurement Principle, with no moving parts, ensuring zero maintenance, long-term reliability, and excellent durability. Certified for drinking water, OIML R49, ISO 4064, IP68, it ensures robust performance in varied residential environments.

Water utilities face challenges in areas where LoRa inf rastructure is absent or where meter installations are geographically scattered. Manual readings lead to billing disputes, operational delays, leakage losses, and no visibility into consumption patterns. A centralized method for real-time monitoring across independent homes, villas, resorts, hotels, and small commercial establishments is required, without dependency on local gateways or reader visits.

To overcome these challenges, SBEM provides the RWM with AMI (NB-IoT / GPRS). Each meter transmits consumption and diagnostic data directly through cellular networks (NB-IoT / GPRS(2G/4G) to the cloud server, eliminating the need for gateways or local reading devices. All data is available on SenSphere Web App, enabling accurate billing, leak detection, reverse flow alarms, and real-time visibility f rom any remote location.

General Arrangement

SBEM’s Solution

The battery-operated RWM is installed. Each meter automatically:

  • Measures water consumption
  • Sends data via NB-IoT / GPRS (2G/4G) directly to cellular towers
  • Data is routed to cloud server
  • Monitoring, analytics, alarms, and billing are done via SenSphere Web App No gateway or human intervention is required at site.

Working Principle

Ultrasonic pulses travel with and against the flow.

Time difference (Δt) is used to calculate flow velocity.

Flow rate (Q) is derived f rom velocity and pipe cross-section area (A).

Non-intrusive, no mechanical wear, ensuring long-term accuracy stability.

Features & Benefits

Automatic data transmission via NB-IoT / GPRS (2G/4G)

No gateway required

True remote access f rom any location

Battery life options: 5 / 10 / 15 years

High accuracy

IP68 rugged body - outdoor installation

Cloud-based dashboard & billing

Leak, reverse flow & empty pipe indications

Built-in data logging

Certified for drinking water applications

Applications

Areas without LoRa networks
Wide-spread residential installations
Independent houses & villas
Resorts, hotels & hospitality chains
Remote farmhouses & rural homes
Townships & multi-residential complexes
Water boards & municipal utilities

Outcome

  • The RWM with AMI (NB-IoT / GPRS) delivers a gateway-free, fully automated metering system that ensures real-time visibility of consumption, diagnostics, and alarms through cellular connectivity.
  • Utilities gain accurate billing, reduced field operations, faster leak detection, and uninterrupted monitoring, improving water efficiency and customer service while minimizing operational costs.