IoT Smart Meters Empower Better Water Management in Brasília
A pilot project in Brazil’s capital leverages smart water meters with RF technology to modernize urban water monitoring and customer engagement.
🏙️ Project Background
Brasília, the capital of Brazil, is a fast-growing urban area facing increasing pressure on its water infrastructure due to climate variability, population density, and aging distribution systems. The city’s water utility company launched a smart metering pilot to address inefficiencies in billing, detect leaks earlier, and improve consumer awareness of water use.
The initiative focuses on residential smart meters equipped with RF (Radio Frequency) telemetry, remote shut-off capabilities, and real-time data visualization via a web platform.
🚧 Challenges
Manual meter reading was slow, costly, and error-prone, especially in gated residential areas.
Lack of real-time consumption data hindered proactive leak management.
The hot and humid climate posed challenges to meter durability.
Customers had limited awareness of their water use patterns.
✅ The Solution
Santrua supplied water meters with integrated RF communication modules, combined with:
Signal repeaters and data concentrators, enabling strong network coverage
Web-based analytics platform for utilities and end users
Remote shut-off valves, allowing water flow control during anomalies
Tamper-proof design, robust for Brasília’s varied terrain and conditions
The RF-based telemetry enables automated meter reading and frequent data transmission without needing full-scale LPWAN infrastructure. Consumption data is visualized in near real-time, improving transparency between utility and customer.
🌟 Results & Benefits
📊 Accurate, remote readings from over 10,000 households in the pilot phase
💧 Early leak detection, reducing non-revenue water
📲 User-friendly portal gives residents insight into daily consumption
⚙️ Faster maintenance response, based on automated alerts
🌍 Supports long-term sustainability goals and infrastructure planning
“Smart meters are helping us turn water data into action — reducing waste and improving citizen satisfaction.”
— Project Manager, Brasília Utility
🔎 Looking Ahead
Following the success of the pilot phase, the utility plans to expand deployment across other residential zones, and explore hybrid communication models including LoRaWAN or NB-IoT to support broader coverage in low-density areas.
This project serves as a strong example of how RF-based IoT can kickstart digital transformation even in regions where LPWAN adoption is still developing.
About Santrua
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