What is a Wireless Remote-reading Water Meter?
It is an IoT terminal device integrating high-precision metering, embedded intelligence, low-power wide-area communication and security protection. Its core mission is to transmit water consumption data from the user side to the water management platform long-term, reliably and securely without human intervention. It serves as the most fundamental and critical sensing unit in smart water management systems.
I. Technical Essence: From "Passive Metering" to "Active Reporting"
Traditional mechanical water meters only record cumulative water flow and rely on manual meter reading. In contrast, wireless remote-reading water meters are equipped with "autonomous awareness", featuring the following key functions:
Automatic Data Collection: Freezes instantaneous and cumulative water flow at preset intervals (e.g., hourly, daily).
Active Data Upload: Pushes data to the cloud platform via wireless networks without manual intervention.
Two-way Interaction: Supports remote parameter configuration, valve control, firmware upgrades and other instruction deliveries.
This device-to-cloud direct connection model has completely reconstructed the operation process of water supply management.
II. Core Components: Three Technical Pillars
Metering Base Table: Balancing Precision and Reliability
The mainstream type adopts dry-type mechanical meters, which boast low cost and long service life, but are prone to magnetic interference.
Communication Module: Adapting to Complex Installation Environments
Since water meters are often installed in weak signal areas such as underground wells, inside walls and basements, the communication solution must balance signal penetration and power consumption:
Cat.1: Suitable for high-end applications requiring higher bandwidth, such as video-valve control linkage.
III. Power Supply and Service Life: How to Achieve "10-year Maintenance-free Operation"?
Most wireless remote-reading water meters are battery-powered, making power consumption control a lifeline for stable operation:
Uses lithium batteries with a capacity of over 4000mAh.
The MCU and communication module stay in microampere-level sleep mode 99% of the time.
Only wakes up briefly (in millisecond-level) for operation when triggered by scheduled tasks or events.
Field tests show that under the working condition of one daily data upload, the overall service life of the device generally reaches 8–12 years.
Some high-end models also explore energy harvesting technologies (such as water flow power generation and temperature difference power generation), paving the way for the future "battery-free" water meters.
IV. Security and Standards: Indispensable Underlying Guarantees
Water consumption data is closely related to people's livelihood and billing fairness, so security must be prioritized:
Communication Encryption: Full-process AES or SM4 encryption is applied to data transmission to prevent eavesdropping and tampering.
Identity Authentication: Two-way authentication between devices and the platform to eliminate illegal terminal access.
Protocol Standardization: Complies with standards such as CJ/T 188, GB/T 36051 or local water supply specifications to ensure cross-vendor interoperability.
Anti-tampering Design: Features IP68 protection rating, cover-opening alarm and strong magnetic interference detection.
