SCADA systems have been used to monitor wastewater lift stations for decades. However, these are typically older systems using dedicated radios that drive up cost. As the Internet of Things (IoT) has exploded over recent years, the cost of technology to connect Things to the Internet has plummeted while becoming easier to use and deploy.

Nexcomm Systems has a complete monitoring solution for wastewater lift stations. This consists of two hardware options depending on the complexity of the station and the level of information desired, as well as a complete cloud service with reporting and alerting built-in.

The LiftPoint Light is the most basic entry. It monitors the ON / OFF state of four floats, monitors two CTs for motor current, and has two 4 to 20mA analog sensor inputs. The data is sent to the Nexcomm Systems cloud services using the new CAT-M1 cellular technology. Integrated battery backup keeps the LiftPoint Light alive in the event of power loss to the station so that it can report the condition. This is designed for basic monitoring of small stations with up to two pumps. This device has allowed our customers to reduce the cost of large municipal deployments by millions of dollars compared to traditional SCADA systems.

The LiftPoint is the full-featured option to monitor all major functions of a wastewater lift station. It has sixteen 110V digital inputs, two 12V digital inputs, three CT inputs, one 4 to 20mA input, and one Dallas 1-Wire channel for digital sensors. It also has some control capabilities with RS-485 and Ethernet for communications to PLCs or controllers. Three relays and ten current sink outputs can control non-critical functions, such as activating or deactivating the horn or light. Integrated battery backup keeps the LiftPoint alive in the event of power loss to the station so that it can report the condition.

The Nexus Panel is a great solution for more advanced stations with electronic drives or Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). It has an RS-485 port to communicate with the drives over Modbus and one or four Ethernet ports to communicate with Modbus TCP or straight Ethernet. It can be populated with different cards that enable different features. A four port Ethernet card connects to multiple devices through Ethernet. Cards are also available that have CT inputs, analog inputs and digital on / off inputs for sensors. It is designed to be mounted on DIN rail inside the station panel, so installation is very simple.