HYDRA provides a comprehensive water monitoring solution for organisations, with insights on real-time consumption, reverse flow, leaks, billing verification, and more.
HYDRA supports a variety of water meters including but not limited to, any mechanical water meters with a pulse output and can take or already has a reed switch. HYDRA also supports the RWS Ultrasonic Flow Meter. Meters are equipped with an electrical modem/gateway that sends data either directly to HYDRA or to a third-party service that HYDRA integrates with.
<aside> <img src="/icons/info-alternate_pink.svg" alt="/icons/info-alternate_pink.svg" width="40px" /> The Awareness Company does not directly supply or install smart meters. Instead, we provide guidance on the necessary infrastructure, which your certified plumber can install. We recommend our preferred meters and modems, and if you already have meters, we can either replace their modems with our preferred ones or integrate with third-party cloud infrastructure to include your data in HYDRA.
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To utilize water monitoring with HYDRA, ensure the following infrastructure is in place. These steps should be coordinated with your certified plumber:
Certified plumber:
Smart Meters Installation:
Equip your building with smart meters. Our current preferred models include:
As a minimum, you will need one or more meters that can be added up to serve as your bulk incoming water monitoring for overall consumption and billing verification.
Add additional meters to monitor specific sections of your buildings e.g. per floor or operating area or flow in areas such as heat pumps.
If you already have smart meters, you can replace their modems with our preferred ones (See pricing options below), or we can integrate your third-party/in-house cloud infrastructure. Please email [email protected] with the details of your current installation so we can advise you as needed.
Water monitoring Pulse Counters, Modems and Gateways:
Use our preferred pulse counters, modems, and gateways to ensure quick activation and compatibility with HYDRA.
| Requirements | Advantages | Disadvantages | |
|---|---|---|---|
| LoRa Solution | For pulse output meters only that have a reed switch installed. |
1 x LoRa Gateway per area:
1 x pulse counter for each meter. | One LoRa gateway can cover ±5km radius line of sight or ±100m in dense urban areas. Each gateway can connect to 250 devices (in this case, pulse counters).
The Lora Gateway can be installed in a secure area, such as under a roof, while the counters can be installed at the meters themself.
The pulse counters are battery-powered and do not need external power.
Pulse counter is weather-resistant | Pulse counter batteries will need to be exchanged every ±5 years. | | 4G/LTE Modem Solution | For Ultrasonic meters with RS232/RS485 or ASCII communication
1 x 4G M2M modem for each meter - Needs access to power | Less expensive gateway option for a solution where only a few meters need monitoring in the same area | The modem is not weatherproof but is installed with the ultrasonic controller in a weatherproof area |
Ensure your plumber installs the necessary modems and follow these guides:
<aside> 📄 Provide your plumber with the following information for the relevant installation.
LoRa Mechanical Pulse Meter Solution:
Provide your plumber with these user manuals for the Gateway and the pulse counter.
Pulse counter-reed switch installation:
Open the pulse counter unit
Connect the reed switch wires to the “Pulse” panel with the Ground wire connected to GND and the pulse input wire connected to IN1 as shown below:
Close the cover. Ensure the O-ring is lined up correctly when you close the cover to protect the device against water.
4G/LTE Ultrasonic meter solution:
Meter configuration:
Meter - Modem installation:
Connect the modem to 220V power via the green terminal block
Test the modem. The test protocol can be found in the following manual:
Register your new device.
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Network Connectivity:
