IOT News

Urban water supply, drainage, and gas pipelines are buried deep underground and serve as the "lifelines" that keep cities running smoothly. However, monitoring these networks has long been plagued by several challenges: pipelines are widely dispersed, the underground environment is damp and dark, and power access is often difficult. Traditional manual inspection methods fall short of providing real-time visibility into pipeline anomalies, leading to delayed leak detection, high burst risks, and reactive emergency responses. There is a growing and urgent need for a round‑the‑clock, full‑coverage, and intelligent online monitoring system for pipeline networks – a need felt across water utilities, municipal operations, and disaster prevention agencies.

Solution Overview

WideIOT has developed an online IoT monitoring system for pipeline networks based on its industrial data acquisition gateways. The system enables real‑time monitoring and intelligent alerting of key parameters such as pressure, flow, liquid level, water quality, and gas concentrations across water supply networks, drainage systems, gas pipelines, and integrated utility tunnels.

The gateway features low‑power design, industrial‑grade wide‑temperature operation (–20°C to 70°C), and a hardware/software watchdog with self‑recovery mechanisms. It supports data caching and retransmission during network outages, as well as encrypted data transmission – making it well suited for unattended and harsh environments like utility tunnels and remote outdoor sites. In addition, the gateway can seamlessly interface with various municipal management platforms and major IoT cloud services including Baidu, Huawei, and Alibaba, providing reliable wireless data communication and intelligent decision‑support for municipal operations, water dispatching, and disaster mitigation.

Use Cases

Leakage and Pressure Management in Water Supply Networks
By deploying pressure transmitters and flow meters at key nodes in the water distribution network, the gateway collects real‑time data on pressure fluctuations and flow rates. This enables early detection of potential leaks, supports informed scheduling decisions, and helps reduce non‑revenue water.

Flood Prevention and Water Quality Monitoring in Drainage Networks
Applied to urban drainage systems, pumping stations, and flood‑prone points, the system continuously monitors liquid level, flow, and velocity data. This provides critical support for flood early‑warning and drainage dispatching, effectively mitigating urban inundation risks.

Environmental Safety Monitoring in Integrated Utility Tunnels
Within utility tunnels, gas sensors (CH₄, O₂, H₂S), temperature/humidity sensors, and level gauges are deployed to continuously track environmental safety conditions. The system can trigger exhaust fans and drainage pumps for emergency response, ensuring safe operation and maintenance of the tunnels.

Safety Monitoring of Gas Pipeline Networks
The gateway connects to pressure monitors and gas leak detectors, collecting real‑time operating parameters of the gas network. Whenever readings exceed safety thresholds, automatic alarms are triggered, allowing prompt action to prevent gas‑related safety incidents.