I’m looking for a solution to monitor the levels of my water tanks, remotely. Remotely as in from the house (150 metres away), not necessarily over the Internet.
4G solutions are out: first, I don’t have a signal (well, not easily), and second, I don’t want to pay by the month. So sorry TankMate and FarmBot, you’re out (since wifi isn’t ideal either).
Similarly Davey TankSense – Bluetooth LE range doesn’t cut it.
There are 2 NZ options which look interesting – the tank can be several hundred meters away. They seem to have quite similar designs.
This table highlights the differences:
| Aquatel | SmartWater / Gallagher | |
| Sensor | Distance (ultrasonic – requires careful mounting) | Pressure |
| Tank power source | Batteries | Solar |
| Warranty (years) | 5 | 1 (Smart Water) 4 (Gallagher Series 2) 5 (Gallagher from Instrument Choice) |
| Android/iOS App | USD 20 for any number of tanks | free for 1 tank, or you pay |
| Web app | D110-C web connected | |
| Integration | RS232 option | ? |
| Tank level | % full (rounded to 0 DP) | % full (rounded to 0 DP) |
| Price for 2 tanks | Approx AUD 1000 | Approx AUD 1140 (Gallagher); SmartWater approx $200 cheaper |
Both systems offer an app. The SmartWater app has only a few reviews, and not so positive. The Aquatel app has no reviews at all.
I’m not that comfortable relying on an app as an integral part of a long term solution. Though if your car is dependent on Android Auto or Apple CarPlay, then why not allow your tank to be dependent on your phone? Answer: because these apps are little used and you can’t assume they will be maintained/updated.
Luckily, both systems offer their own display unit as an (old school) alternative to the app. Aquatel’s could use some Jony Ive.
The easiest way to work around the proprietary nature of all this is to build your own using Arduino; there are heaps of options, but see for example https://projecthub.arduino.cc/Manusha_Ramanayake/wireless-water-tank-level-meter-with-alarm-ce92f6
It all comes down to how you want to allocate your time versus your money …
Special mention for the $32 Lucano manual kit: tankwaterlevel.com
I ended up buying the SmartWater system for 2 tanks, and the Lucano for my nearest tank. Delivery of the SmartWater system from NZ was hassle free.
Accurate tank monitoring has made water transfer so much easier 🙂