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Cluster water metering: One master meter for centralized communication

In the public utilities sector, there is a paradox that is rarely discussed but matters greatly: the more meters installed in residential building basements, the more complex and expensive their maintenance becomes even though these devices perform the simplest function. Utility companies often overpay for high-tech NB-IoT, LoRa or WM-BUS communication modules for each individual meter, even when meters are located close together and communication could be centralized through a single master meter.

ADD GRUP offers a technological answer to this challenge by introducing a new basement-level architecture based on a Bluetooth network with one master meter responsible for centralized data transfer. Instead of equipping each meter with costly communication modules, all devices are connected locally, while the central master meter transmits data via NB-IoT, LoRa or Mioty. This approach significantly reduces costs, simplifies maintenance and ensures stable data collection even in challenging basement environments.

For example, in a cluster of 20 meters, where the master meter uses NB-IoT, the remaining 19 devices require only BLE. This reduces investment costs by about €190 (based on a relative module price of €10). Additional operational savings of €1 per meter per year amount to €190 over 10 years. When scaled to 100,000 meters, a water utility can save €1.9 million over 10 years and even more if each cluster includes more than 20 meters.

A frequent technical concern is the master meter’s lifetime, as it handles all data transmission. ADD GRUP solves this with a master meter equipped with a replaceable PowerBank module, allowing quick battery replacement without removing the device. This ensures up to 30 years of service life with minimal operational cost. The solution offers a long-lasting, easy-to-maintain and cost-effective infrastructure for modern utilities.

For more information, contact us: info@addgrup.com