Feb 25 2014
At Mobile World Congress today, Libelium launched a Smart Water wireless sensor platform to simplify remote water quality monitoring. Equipped with multiple sensors that measure a dozen of the most relevant water quality parameters, Waspmote Smart Water is the first water quality-sensing platform to feature autonomous nodes that connect to the Cloud for real-time water control.
Waspmote Smart Water Plug and Sense! is a water quality sensor node equipped with sensor probes that are easy to change and calibrate in situ. (Photo: Business Wire)
Waspmote Smart Water is suitable for potable water monitoring, chemical leakage detection in rivers, remote measurement of swimming pools and spas, and levels of seawater pollution. The water quality parameters measured include pH, dissolved oxygen (DO), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) conductivity (salinity), temperature, and dissolved ions such as Ca+, Cl-, K+. The Waspmote Smart Water platform is an ultra low-power sensor node designed for use in rugged environments and deployment in Smart Cities in hard-to-access locations to detect changes and potential risk to public health in real time.
Waspmote may use cellular (3G, GPRS, WCDMA) and long range 802.15.4/ZigBee (868/900MHz) connectivity to send information to the Cloud, and can accommodate solar panels that charge the battery to maintain autonomy. Smart Water nodes are ready to deploy out of the box and sensor probes can be recalibrated or changed in the field, with kits provided by Libelium.
“Smart Water is an improvement on existing water quality control in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and low operational costs. For municipalities, water quality detection and monitoring systems have to be reliable, autonomous, and flexible,” said David Gascón, CTO at Libelium. “With Waspmote, a full Smart Water solution is now available at a price point ten times less than current market solutions, for better management of water resources.”
Waspmote Smart Water Technical Characteristics
Key Features
- Sensor probes measure more than 12 chemical and physical water quality parameters such as pH, nitrates (NO3), phosphates, dissolved ions (Na+, Ca+, F-, Cl, Br-, I-, Cu2+, K+, Mg2+, NO3) dissolved oxygen (DO), conductivity (salinity), oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), temperature, etc.
- Waspmote transmits sensor readings to the Cloud via 3G, GPRS, or WCDMA cellular connections; in the case of several nodes located in the same zone, Waspmote sends values to the Meshlium Internet Gateway via long range RF bands 868MHz and 900MHz.
- CE / FCC /IC certification and quad-band connectivity (850/900/1900/2100MHz)
Why it Matters
- Pollutants can be detected and treated in real-time, to ensure good water quality over an entire water supply network. Extreme pH values may indicate chemical spills, treatment plant issues, or problems in supply pipes. Low levels of DO may indicate the presence of microorganisms due to urban/agricultural runoff or sewage spills. ORP measures how well water sanitization is working.
- Sensor data is available in real time, even from sensor nodes situated in remote locations.
- Waspmote supports any cellular connection provider, and is ready for deployment in any country in the world.