The origins of this meter

From mechanical meters to Sagemcom's smart meter

Innovations in the field of metering have progressed rapidly. More powerful and reliable measurement and communication technologies have emerged, to change the very nature of water meters, making them tools more focused on monitoring and meters data collecting than billing. Water meters have seen three major phases of development before reaching this point:

• Phase 1 : The first water meters to be used were mechanical. The purpose of these meters consisted of simply measuring the volume of water flowing through them based on the movements of mechanical parts.

• Phase 2 : The arrival of communications technologies in the water sector facilitated the operation of water networks. This technological innovation consisted of inserting a communication module onto the top of the mechanical meters. This development gave rise to the first generation of smart meters, which were affordable and made it easier to take water meter readings.

• Phase 3 : The second generation of smart meters represents a real technological breakthrough with respect to preceding generations. This breakthrough consists of using new static technology. Static technology offers numerous advantages and is superior to mechanical technology in many ways, from fraud prevention and more precise metering, to increased monitoring possibilities, a longer lifespan of the meters, etc…