One Way… or the Other
Neptune has the Right System for Your Utility

Not Every Problem Has the Same Fix

It would be a different world if every utility was the same. One size would fit all, geography would never pose a challenge, there would be no budget constraints, and identical splits between service types would make reading, billing and systems integration uniform across the board.

 The reality, however, is that each utility is different. Your utility is different. Its size, location, customer base, infrastructure, and budget present a unique set of circumstances from that of any other utility just down the road. And those circumstances have their own needs.

As technology has evolved, utilities have taken a closer look at the benefits they can derive from a fixed base system: more data in less time with less man-power, accelerated billing cycles, improved customer service, and a more proactive approach to addressing alarm conditions.

In terms of functionality, Neptune offers two major fixed base systems available to water utilities: a one-way system, ARB® FixedBase™ AMR (Automatic Meter Reading), which uses R900 radio frequency (RF) technology; and a two-way system, ARB® FixedBase™ AMI (Advanced Metering Infrastructure), which uses R450™ RF technology. The R900®-based system offers simplicity, affordability, and migratability as its premier benefits. The R450-based system provides a wealth of sophisticated consumption data and the ability to provide remote programming all the way back from the host to the endpoints. Each Neptune fixed base system offers its own advantages, depending on the requirements of your utility.

ARB FixedBase AMR – One-Way is an Easy Way

Before exploring the benefits of Neptune’s one-way system – what is a one-way system? It’s a system using a type of communication architecture: A meter interface unit (MIU) automatically transmits data to a fixed base data collector, which then automatically forwards the data to the host software. The host cannot communicate back to the endpoint (although, as with Neptune’s ARB FixedBase AMR, the host can communicate back to the data collector).

Many utilities may have the foundation for a highly efficient one-way system already in place. Those currently reading E–Coder® Solid State Absolute Encoders outfitted with R900 MIUs (including the encoder/MIU combination, the E–Coder)R900i™) through ARB Mobile technology can collect readings from those same encoders and endpoints using R900® Gateway data collectors (Gateways).

With just a handful of strategically placed Gateway data collectors – easily installed on rooftops, utility poles, water towers, and other heights – a utility can reduce and even eliminate its truck rolls while reallocating personnel and improving safety.

Using the Gateways, it isn’t just more data that’s captured. It’s more detailed data. In addition to a rolling 96 days of hourly data provided through the data logging capability of the E–Coder)R900i, a utility using an R900-based system can achieve daily meter reads with hourly consumption data (hourly information delivered daily) that allows them to pinpoint problems when and where they happen – 30 times faster than through the monthly reads of mobile alone.

Migration forward is a given with an R900-based system. So is backward migration; using a sort of “belt-and-suspenders” approach, a utility using ARB FixedBase AMR can always employ handhelds or mobile reads in emergencies such as storm-caused power outages.

Due to its overall ease of migration, ARB FixedBase AMR can be implemented relatively quickly by a utility, without extensive planning and without having to replace already-existing infrastructure. Likewise, not having to invest in an overall system changeout creates a significant cost savings for the utility – perhaps making the difference in pursuing a fixed base program or not, when budgetary limits are the deciding factor.

ARB FixedBase AMI – For the Data You Need, Have it Both Ways

Having made the case for one-way fixed base, when does it make the most sense to implement a two-way system? There are many benefits available to a utility that makes the investment in ARB Fixed Base AMI – and most center on the types and depth of data it can achieve.

In a two-way system, an MIU (in Neptune’s case, the R450) incorporates a combination transmitter-and-receiver called a transceiver that allows data to be communicated from the MIU as well as received back to the MIU. Data flows from the host server to the data collectors to the MIUs as well as from the MIUs to the data collectors to the host. The ability to reprogram data collectors and especially MIUs remotely over the air greatly increases operational efficiency, and reduces the need to send personnel out into the field. In fact, personnel may not have to see the MIUs again after installation, when ARB FixedBase AMI’s auto-discovery over the network lets them confirm transmission, signal strength, correct wiring, and accurate reading – all before leaving the installation site.

The core of Neptune’s ARB FixedBase AMI two-way system is its time-synchronization feature. Using system-wide, time-synchronized midnight meter reading, a utility can take a precise snapshot in time of the entire meter population. This synchronization means that as each meter is read at the stroke of every hour, they’ll all be in sync, no matter when the reads are transmitted. For the first time, that utility can compare meter to meter and calculate total consumption – on a daily basis. This becomes an invaluable tool for water conservation initiatives and recapturing Non-Revenue Water.

Those same synchronized reads also allow a utility to determine the total consumption for any given collection of meters within a District Metered Area (DMA). This makes it easy to mass balance an entire system’s water pumped versus water billed, where the total consumption is compared to a master or “bulk” meter(s) servicing the area. DMA analysis helps to identify water losses both on the customer end as well as pinpoint problems along the utility’s distribution system – down to the neighborhood level.

Another way Neptune’s two-way system helps make services more proactive are its Priority Alarms, where R450 MIUs can be remotely programmed to communicate critical alarm situations. When predefined flow parameters are met, the MIUs override their scheduled transmission time and immediately alert utility personnel to situations such as a major reverse flow event.  

Finally, another benefit that can more than justify the implementation of ARB FixedBase AMI is the system’s ready compatibility with future devices. At some point, should your utility need to provide remote valve control, or even ways to monitor and reset pressure, water quality, and security sensors, you’ll have further confirmation that your investment is “future proof.

So which system makes the most sense for your utility? It depends on your needs. If your utility wants to move to daily reads, with quick turnaround and minimal reinvestment of infrastructure, ARB FixedBase AMR fits the bill. If your utility needs the kinds of advanced system that provides hourly readings, system-wide meter analysis, metrics within individual districts, and more proactive ways to recapture Non-Revenue Water, ARB FixedBase AMI can make your life a whole lot easier. One-way? Two-way? Either way, Neptune’s got you covered.