Remote water meter readings without replacing existing meters

It always depends on the meters used and the utility's area of coverage, so there's no single universal answer. In our experience, the most common setup is roughly 80/20: 80% of meters read directly via their own LoRaWAN or NB-IoT radio, with the remaining 20% retrofitted using a solution such as ours. That said, this split isn't necessarily the optimal solution for every case, just the most typical one.

That depends on how you link readings to customer accounts in your own billing system, which is your responsibility as data controller, not ours. Since our hardware sends data straight to infrastructure you control, with no mandatory third-party cloud in between, it fits into whatever GDPR or data residency setup you already have, rather than introducing a new external processor.

We sell hardware, not a data business. Readings travel directly from the converter to your own billing or SCADA system over LoRaWAN or NB-IoT. ACRIOS never sits in that data path, so your data stays yours. The optional ACRIOS Platform (data management, unified export) is a separate layer with its own data handling terms, which we explain clearly before you switch it on.

It's a one-time hardware cost, from €16 to €20 per connected meter depending on site density and meter type. There's no platform fee and no mandatory cloud subscription. The only recurring cost is connectivity: for NB-IoT, that's roughly €1 per SIM per year.

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Yes. Our wireless M-Bus bridge is IP68 rated, built specifically for underground pits and shafts. The ACR-EX pulse to NB-IoT unit is IP67. Both are designed to sit in wet, enclosed spaces without requiring housing or an extra enclosure.

The most common causes, in order of likelihood, are: (1) the device is out of gateway range or too deep in a pit or shaft for the signal to escape (LoRaWAN degrades quickly underground); (2) it isn't registered correctly on the network server (a DevEUI, AppEUI or AppKey mismatch, or it was never joined or activated); (3) the frequency plan on the device doesn't match the region or gateway; (4) the battery is depleted or wasn't fully seated at installation; or (5) the antenna is obstructed, coiled, or facing the wrong way. Start by checking whether the device shows as "joined" on your network server. If it never joined, the cause is almost always (2) or (3). If it joined once and then went silent, it's usually (1) or (4), and we have a solution for both.

We read wireless M-Bus (S/T/C mode, OMS compliant), wired M-Bus, pulse output (S0), and RS-485/Modbus. Specifically validated brands include Apator, Sensus, Sontex, Itron, Zenner, Diehl, Kamstrup, and 15+ others. If your meter isn't on that list, send us the datasheet, and we'll confirm compatibility before a pilot.

It's an optional software layer that sits on top of the hardware, not something you're required to use. It adds device management and a unified export format when you're pulling data from a mix of connection types (NB-IoT, LoRaWAN, and several converters) and want a single clean feed instead of several. It's a good fit if you don't have an integrator or IT department in-house and need the data to land cleanly in a SCADA system or another application.

NB-IoT is the simpler default for most utilities. It reaches almost everywhere, including deep pits, needs no gateway infrastructure of your own, and costs about €1 per SIM per year. LoRaWAN makes more sense if your city or utility already operates or has access to a LoRaWAN network, since there's no SIM cost at all and you're using infrastructure you already control. If you're not sure what coverage you have, that's completely normal. We can help map it, and most deployments use NB-IoT as the primary layer, with a LoRaWAN relay for specific dead spots.

Partially. We can integrate LoRaWAN gateways into the ACRIOS Platform and help process data from your meters, but we don't handle network planning itself. We typically get involved when a water utility is setting up its own network or wants to test the LoRaWAN approach first, and in that case we can act as a one-stop shop.