Texas-based water management platform provider Subeca has introduced an innovative solution for water metering in the US, utilizing Amazon Sidewalk as a data communication medium. This solution, which is believed to be the first to utilize Amazon Sidewalk for data communication, offers a cost-effective alternative for Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) deployment in the water utility sector.
Subeca’s solution involves the installation of the Subeca ‘Pin,’ a Bluetooth meter register, to replace the standard register on the water meter. Once commissioned, water utilities can leverage the Amazon Sidewalk communications network, which provides free communication benefits. This approach offers utilities an affordable way to build out an AMI platform, as noted by Patrick Keaney, CEO of Subeca.
The Pin is designed to be compatible with most existing water meters and can be retrofitted in less than a minute, making adoption relatively simple. To introduce the product to the market, Subeca has launched an ‘Explorer kit’ that includes three Pins and access to its Engage data platform for one year, catering to 100 utilities.
Amazon Sidewalk is a community wireless network for IoT devices, using long-range, low-bandwidth communication technologies such as Bluetooth low energy and 900MHz LoRa. It has the potential to provide coverage to over 90% of the US population.
Subeca’s innovative offering extends beyond the Pin; it includes the ‘Act,’ a Bluetooth wireless ball valve that can be controlled through a mobile device or the company’s Link data collection device.
This development highlights Subeca’s commitment to leveraging cutting-edge technologies to create efficient and cost-effective solutions for the water utility sector. With its pioneering use of Amazon Sidewalk for water metering, Subeca is paving the way for new possibilities in smart water management and AMI deployment.