General functionality, features and application summary

Our services include providing and installing water management systems for efficient consumption control.

Displays the meter reading at the time it last updated.

Whenever the device establishes communications with the server, the reading on the interface is updated to the current reading and the interface displays the time at which the reading was equal to the reading displayed on the interface. There are a number of conditions that will force the device to make a connection to the server (As laid out in the communications section), however the data on the interface should always be less than 4hours old. Should the data become older than 4 hours, in case of power outage, Cell network down, etc., the device will attempt at more frequent intervals to establish communication with the server in order to upload the current data.

Leak detection including notifications and valve control.

Leak detection is a settable, customizable feature and can be set according to needs.

Monitors water consumption on an hourly basis.

Water consumption is monitored constantly and logged locally on the device CPU for 24 hours. The data is then send to the server whenever communication is established, where it is backed up and displayed as hourly consumption on the interface. When water is flowing, the meter generates a pulse every time a certain amount of water has passed through it. The device picks up the pulse and adds the value to the meter reading and the total consumption. In most cases the current installed meters are compatible for the device to pick up the flow, if not compatible, a second, compatible meter, will be installed to pick up the flow. The value of the pulse is determined by the meter itself and range from 500ml up to 1000l per pulse, and even larger in bulk supply meters, thus the device needs to be setup according to the meter.

The time a continuous flow is considered a leak.

The minimum time a constant flow needs to be present is 1 hour. This can be set to a higher value if i.e. a garden is watered for more than an hour at a time.

The size of the flow that is considered a leak.

The device can pick up leaks at a value of less than 10 l/h in cases where the pulse size is 500ml per pulse. However, a leak of 10 l/h hour is very small and usually can not be found by plumbers in order to fix. On a 500ml pulse it is recommended to set the leak size to 20 l/h or 25 l/h, to make sure it’s a leak that can be found and fixed. For a pulse of 50 l/h, the leak size should be set to at least 100 l/h and the time to register a leak to at least 2 hours, anything less may result in false alarms.

Action the device must take in case a leak occurs.

There are 2 options for the action to take in case a leak is registered. Set the device to notify via SMS of the leak or set the device to notify via SMS and close the valve to prevent any further loss of water. Once a leak is registered, the device expects action to be taken, thus after notification, the device will not notify again, until the current leak was stopped and a new leak is detected. The leak can be stopped by closing the valve until an "END TIME" is displayed on the interface, after which the device will start checking for a new leak again, or fix the leak.

Water control (Open and Close) at all times.

The device has a Cell Phone number. The number is displayed on the interface. The device can be opened or closed by sending a SMS to the device's Cell Number. Or the device can be opened or closed by clicking the "Open" or "Close" button on the interface. In case of sending a SMS directly to the device, the text should be as follows:

To open the valve - sta : "meter number" : vopn

To close the valve - sta : "meter number" : vcls

example: sta:1234:vopn or sta:1234:vcls

Consumption history for up to two years.

On the start of every month, the 1st, a .CSV file is created. Example "January 2019.csv" Once that file is created, every morning at 00:00:00 the consumption for the previous 24 hours is added to the file as per consumption recorded for every hour. This will be done every month, and the last 24 months can be accessed through the interface under the "Downloads" tab.

Water management with cut off limits and scheduling for opening and closing of water per day.

To manage water more efficiently there are 2 more features to assist in the process, Scheduling and Cut off.

Scheduling

For every day of the week a time can be set to open and close the valve. This can eliminate water loss during the night or during weekends when premises are vacant, without having to remember to open the valve again.

Cut Off

Cut Off checks the volume of consumption instead of flow rate. Cut Off values can be set per day, meaning that more water can be allowed on days where it's known that more water will be used. Furthermore, if a pipe bursts, the leak detection will only activate after an hour, where the cut off will close the valve immediately once the allowed volume has passed through the meter. Thus, during a pipe burst, if the allowed water passed in 10 minutes, the valve will closed even before the leak was activated, saving large amounts of water.

Automatic submission of readings to Municipality.(Optional for Windhoek only)

This function is available to Windhoek municipal area only at this stage. It works the same as the current feature where residents can submit their water meter readings via SMS to the City of Windhoek. The only difference is that SG Technologies has an direct interface through the internet with City of Windhoek, and can submit multiple readings at once without having to visit each meter beforehand, as the reading is already captured.

Prepaid water functionality, if required.

The prepaid functionality can be activated on any device if required. This function can be used for rental properties, submetering, etc. Credit is loaded onto the device and subtracted in 1 cubic value before that cubic becomes available for use. The rates for the units can be determined by the owner/manager of the device, it also allows for a extra monthly lump sum deduction for sewage, refuse or basic. Furthermore, the device has a recovery option for cases where someone is allowed to pay off outstanding debt at a percentage rate that is flexible. Example: If someone owes N$500.00 and the percentage is set to 70% / 30%, any payment made on that device will be split 70% to current usage, 30% to recovery, until debt is depleted.

Credit can be purchased through Internet banking, Airtime city, PayToday and e-wallets.

!!Please note: SG Technologies do not sell water. SG Technologies only provide a means to accommodate the sale and recovery of water. Rates and Taxes are solely determined by the owner of the device.

Notification for excessive monthly consumption.

A notification is sent when a pre-set value of the desired consumption is reached, to help keep track of consumption and also up awareness of consumption and saving of water. This notification is sent only once per month if the set value was exceeded.

Allows for stepped tariff billing and estimation of monthly water bill.

The device allows for stepped tariffs, helping to keep track of estimated monthly bill in accordance with the local authority or subletting bills. The device can do up to 6 different steps.

Installation

Installation is done after the local Authority meter and as far possible, SG Technologies will try to connect to the existing local Authority meter. If connection is not possible, a second compatible SABS approved meter will be installed after the local meter. 220V Power is required close to the water meter to connect the power supply. If no power source is available, solar can also be used as an option. The device will be installed with battery backup to ensure the device functions during power outages or during the night in case of solar installations. The installed device is an actuated valve with all the required electronics to have it function as described above. Depending on location and environmental conditions, the electronics may also be installed in the battery enclosure instead of the actuated valve. The actuated valve is preferred to be installed above ground to prevent flooding. In extreme cases the valve can be sealed for waterproofing, but is not preferred.

Communication

The device has it's own SIM card and cell phone number, and utilizes the UDP protocol to communicate to the server. The server in turn communicates to the device through SMS's. The lowest quality of Cell phone network coverage that can be utilized is GPRS. Clients communicate to the device through the internet from anywhere, by opening the interface and viewing the data on the server and using the server to control the device. Due to CRAN regulations, all the device SIM cards must be on contract and must have a machine to machine (M2M) SIM number.

Communication is establish from the device to the server when any of the following conditions occur:

- a leak alarm is generated

- an unit of water was consumed

- the device was restarted

- the valve was opened or closed

- setting was changed from the interface

- an update is forced (to force an update, sent sta:"meter number":req to the device Cell number)

- the device has not communicated with the server for 4 hours

Server

The server is where all communications happen, data, interfaces and settings are stored. The server keeps track of all devices and ensures that the interface are displaying the most up to date information. Prepaid remittances, monthly report files, device control and reading submissions are done by the server.

Domain: https://smartgrouptech.com/

IP: Static

Location: Namibia

Uptime: 99%

Other than domain name registration, there are no third-party involvement in server functions.

Responsibilities, maintenance and repairs

SG Technologies do not monitor or dictate what water consumption should be, we provide a means to monitor and manage water consumption. Thus the responsibility to ensure that the system is working correctly lies with the client. If it malfunctions, report it and it will be fixed asap. The first year after installation if any problems occur, we will fix it at our cost, it only needs to be reported. This excludes vandalism and acts of nature. After installing such a system, it will be good practice to use it to it's fullest. Please see the trouble shooting and frequently asked questions section should anything seem faulty. Having some basic answers ready when reporting a problem will make it easier for us to determine cause and take action.