Building a Smart Water Monitoring Network with JWrada® 21 Radar Level Meters
Radar level meters have emerged as a key solution in answering this challenge. Over the past decade, the water supply industry has been striving for more efficient and intelligent ways to manage water resources. A major water utility company in Austria recognized this challenge 15 years ago. Traditional float level gauges and pressure sensors were no longer sufficient for precise water management. The question was: How can we establish a stable, real-time water level monitoring network across remote mountain reservoirs, pumping stations, and pipeline nodes to ensure water security and operational efficiency?
Franz Müller, a hydrological surveyor and electrical engineer at the company, recalls:
“We wanted to build a network of real-time water level measurement points to accurately track water level changes at any time.” However, the conventional methods posed significant issues: frequent maintenance, sensitivity to temperature fluctuations, and inconsistent accuracy under extreme weather conditions.
Limitations of Early Measurement Technologies: From Ultrasonic to Radar
In the early stages, the company primarily relied on ultrasonic level meters and pressure sensors for water level monitoring in reservoirs, pumping stations, and drainage channels. Yet, these methods had clear disadvantages in harsh outdoor conditions:
- High environmental dependency: Although ultrasonic meters feature temperature compensation, fog, heavy rain, and strong winds can still disrupt sound wave propagation, causing data delays or fluctuations. “On foggy mornings or after storms, readings were often unstable and needed manual verification,” says Müller.
- Frequent maintenance: Dust, rain, and floating debris could accumulate on sensor probes, requiring weekly on-site cleaning to maintain accuracy.
- Difficult installation: Deploying sensors in mountainous or remote areas required long cable runs, protective housings, and complex software adjustments. Installation could take days.
- Unstable accuracy: Pressure sensors fluctuated under low water levels or turbulent flow, especially during flood seasons, requiring manual calibration.
“We scheduled monthly maintenance visits, which incurred high labor costs and time, in addition to data integration work,” Müller adds.
These challenges pushed the company to look for a non-contact radar-based water level measurement solution.
The Strategic Shift: Embracing Radar Technology
Three years ago, the utility evaluated different technologies and made a strategic decision: gradually replace legacy sensors with radar level meters for real-time water monitoring.
Key advantages of radar level technology include:
- Non-contact measurement – unaffected by water impurities or sediment
- Maintenance-free design – minimizing long-term operational costs
- Flexible installation – adaptable to reservoirs, canals, and complex structures
- Reliable data – enabling smarter water resource management and early warning systems
Early trials with conventional radar devices revealed problems such as bulky size, high energy consumption, and complicated installation—making large-scale deployment difficult. The company needed a compact, low-power, and IoT-enabled radar solution for a fully integrated monitoring network.
JWrada® 21: Next-Generation 80GHz Radar Level Meter
When Jiwei Automations introduced the JWrada® 21 series of 80GHz radar level meters, these challenges were resolved. Designed for smart water management, this advanced solution brings:
- High-frequency 80GHz radar technology with a narrow 6° beam angle for precise measurement in narrow channels and reservoir edges
- Compact design with IP68 protection, safe even during short-term submersion
- Ultra-low power consumption, ideal for remote, unmanned sites
- Bluetooth configuration and remote monitoring, making installation quick and hassle-free
- Full IoT integration, enabling real-time cloud data transmission and visualization
“Now we simply mount the radar sensor on a channel bracket. It’s easy, fast, and requires no complex cabling,” Müller explains.
From Pilot to Full Deployment
The company began with pilot installations in mountain reservoirs and small irrigation canals. The results were impressive:
- High accuracy and stability
- Significantly reduced maintenance costs
- Reliable real-time data transmission
Following this success, the company expanded deployment to over 20 monitoring points, covering major reservoirs, pumping stations, and secondary waterways. Each point integrates a microcontroller and GPS module for precise location tracking, while data is transmitted via wireless networks to the central management platform.
Every 15 minutes, the JWrada® 21 radar level meters measure water levels and upload data to the cloud, ensuring real-time visibility for engineers and operators. The system even provides public access to selected data through web and mobile applications—creating a transparent and open water resource management system.
The Future of Smart Water Networks
“JWrada® 21 has solved our maintenance and installation issues while making water resource management more intelligent,” Müller concludes.
The company plans to expand this radar-based network across more rivers and canals, aiming for full basin coverage to support flood control, drought management, and optimized irrigation scheduling.
With installation taking only a few hours and automatic IoT connectivity, JWrada® 21 has become a critical part of the company’s digital water strategy—delivering reliable, real-time, and maintenance-free water level monitoring.