Due to the increasing complexity, the challenges to achieving a sustainable and cost-effective structure within a municipality have become bigger. This also includes monitoring and analysis systems as well as cost-effective hardware.
A sensor is usually not the key cost factor, the associated power and internet connection is. This alone leads to most use cases being uneconomical. At locations where the use of sensors would make the most sense (remote locations, for example), it is usually neither possible to set up WiFi nor to install cables for sensors.
The solution with Eliona
The water reservoirs were retrofitted with digital level sensors and IoT actuators. The individual sensors were integrated into Eliona using LoRaWAN. This enables a flexible, cost-effective and low-maintenance method for monitoring the fill levels and managing the extinguishing water valves.
The low-maintenance fill-level sensors function via LoRaWAN and last for several years in battery operation due to the parameter-capable transmission interval. The batteries of the sensors in the municipality of Disentis have not yet had to be replaced since they were first used in 2018.
What are the advantages of LPWAN networks and LoRaWan?
As the case in the municipality of Disentis shows, the use of this technology can save on the costs of hardware (dedicated line, etc.) and maintenance. Wireless IoT sensors also offer exceptional flexibility in application and can be (re)positioned as required.
LoRaWan technology is also highly secure. As the terminals are used over a very long period of time, the security mechanisms are future-proof. According to the current state of the art, this technology uses standardised and field-proven end-to-end encryption algorithms. The technology can therefore also be used in sensitive environments.