Following the initial implementation of the pumphouse system 2 years ago, an upgrade is required for the communication protocol. Currently, the system is running with 2 control panels with REMOX Monitoring System.
One panel is located at the main plant while the other panel is located at the pumphouse. The distance between the main plant and the pump house is more than 1 kilometer. Based on the tank water level at the main plant, the system will automatically start the pump at the pumphouse when the water reaches the predetermined low point. The existing REMOX Monitoring System is currently communication through SMS.
Problems
- The reliability of the SMS is in question as the mobile line is unstable (remote location) and there were cases that the SMS was not being sent/received.
- The ongoing cost of SMS
- SMS had to be sent in between intervals (SMS/min).
Solution
- To upgrade the current communication protocol from SMS to MQTT.
- MQTT (originally an initialism of Message Queueing Telemetry Transport) is a lightweight, publish-subscribe network protocol that transports messages between devices. The protocol usually runs over TCP/IP, however, any network protocol that provides ordered, lossless, bi-directional connections can support MQTT. It is designed for connections with remote locations where resource constraints exist or the network bandwidth is limited. The protocol is an open OASIS standard and an ISO recommendation (ISO/IEC 20922).
Conclusion
- The existing REMOX Monitoring System’s communication is modified to communicate through MQTT protocol since data is readily available and the cheaper option.
- Since communication is now based on data, the main panel and pumphouse panel are communicating as if they are connected through a LAN line.
- The data are now being updated at less than 2 seconds.
