A remote water level monitoring solution designed for hydrology professionals and environmental engineers. By utilizing wireless transmitters with integrated boost circuits, the system provides a completely autonomous measurement point for non-contact radar sensors in remote river basins.
- Integrated Power: Internal boost circuit provides 18V excitation for 4-20mA radar sensors directly from the transmitter battery.
- Extended Range: Support for 3dBi and 6dBi high-gain antennas to maintain link quality over 500–750 meter spans.
- Regulatory Ready: Operates on the license-free 2.4 GHz ISM band with 18 dBm transmit power for international compliance.
- Flexible Integration: Options for PC-based logging, analog reconstruction, or Modbus-based SCADA connectivity.
The monitoring of water levels in remote river basins presents significant logistical challenges, primarily regarding power availability and data transmission over undulating terrain. In this specific hydrology application, non-contact radar sensors were selected to provide high-accuracy stage measurements. However, these radar devices typically require a stable loop power supply to operate, a requirement that often necessitates expensive solar arrays or large battery enclosures when installed at a remote riverbank. To overcome this, a specialized wireless transmitter from the IW Series was deployed. This transmitter features an internal boost circuit that steps up the internal battery voltage to provide a sufficient 18V excitation to the radar sensor. This capability enables the entire measurement point to be completely autonomous and cable-free, allowing for rapid deployment in areas where infrastructure is non-existent.
Transmission reliability is a critical factor for flood warning systems and environmental modeling. To ensure a stable wireless link over the required 500 to 750-meter spans in challenging outdoor environments, the system utilizes the 2.4 GHz industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band. While standard internal antennas are often sufficient for short-range industrial use, this outdoor installation required enhanced gain to penetrate environmental obstacles and overcome atmospheric signal attenuation. The integration of enclosure-mounted 3dBi antennas and external high-gain 6dBi antennas allows the signal to maintain high link quality. This ensures that critical water level data packets reach the central gateway without the signal degradation or dropouts common in remote wireless networks.
For data acquisition and system management, the primary interface involves a USB-based gateway connected to a local PC. This configuration allows for the simultaneous monitoring of up to 128 individual parameters from a single location. The associated software facilitates real-time data visualization and logs time-stamped measurements directly to standard .csv files, which are essential for long-term hydrological analysis and decision-support tools. For more complex integration requirements, alternative receivers can reconstruct the wireless signals back into analog 4-20mA outputs for local instrumentation or interface directly with wider industrial networks via Modbus TCP or RTU protocols. This multi-layered approach to data handling ensures the hydrology data can be seamlessly integrated into existing SCADA systems or proprietary web-based platforms, supporting automated alert configurations and real-time monitoring for environmental protection.
IWTxT Loop Powered 4-20mA Input to Wireless Transmitter
- Part No: IWTXT-00
- Wireless Transmitter: IW Series IWTxT
- Input Type: 4-20mA
- Input Range: 0-100%
- Power Supply: Battery powered with 18V loop supply
- Transmission: 2.4 GHz (18 dBm).
IWR-USB Wireless Sensors to USB Gateway Receiver
- Part No: IWR-USB-ANT
- Wireless Receiver: IW Series IWR-USB
- Interface: USB to PC
- Antenna: External female SMA connector for high-gain antenna
- Software: IWR-USB Logging Software included.
IWR-1 Single Channel Wireless Sensor to 4-20mA Output Signal Receiver
- Part No: IWR-1
- Output: User-selectable 4-20mA or 1-5Vdc
- Alarm: 5A rated changeover contacts
- Power: 12-32 Vdc.
IWR-PORT Wireless Sensors to Ethernet Gateway Receiver
- Part No: IWR-PORT-E
- Communication Interface: Ethernet (Modbus TCP/IP)
- Capacity: Up to 128 wireless channels
- Power: 16-30 Vdc.