How do you modernise a nationwide water telemetry network – migrating from analogue protocols to secure digital communication – without adding new base stations, new frequencies or interrupting service? For Affinity Water, the largest water-only supplier in the UK, the answer was RipEX.
https//www.racom.eu/eng/case/seamless-telemetry-migration-for-affinity-water
Challenge: Modernising 150+ Remote Sites Without Disruption
Affinity Water, serving more than 3.6 million people and delivering 900 million litres of water daily, identified the need to upgrade:
- 5 scanner (base) stations
- approximately 150 remote sites
The upgrade required meeting strict criteria:
- migrate from analogue to digital radio to enable modern security features
- avoid adding extra base stations, extra licensing or new frequencies
- allow both networks to run concurrently during migration
- ensure compatibility with legacy Proteus 2000 and Serck RTUs
- progress toward the Water Industry Telemetry Standard
Solution: RipEX Migration Solution Running Both Networks on One Frequency
As part of the tender process, suppliers were required to demonstrate high-stress migration scenarios.
Bench tests validated:
- full support for the legacy protocol
- correct routing of traffic through RipEX during hybrid operation
- transparent interoperability with existing RTUs
Field tests followed, using:
- one migration base station
- three weak-signal remotes
- legacy and migration networks running simultaneously
- shared operation on the same frequency
RACOM’s Migration Solution passed all tests smoothly, implemented by EMR Integrated Solutions with support from the RACOM team.
After evaluating multiple vendors, Affinity Water selected RipEX as the optimal platform for its multi-year telemetry upgrade.
Results: Faster Deployment, Lower Costs and Better Network Monitoring
Key achievements:
- no need for new frequencies, new licenses or additional base stations
- migration completed without interrupting the legacy network
- exceptionally fast rollout thanks to engineer-friendly operation
- seamless transition to secure digital telemetry
- powerful remote management tools
Affinity Water’s Telemetry Systems Manager, Andrew Fletcher, explained:
“With RipEX base stations we now have, we don’t need to revisit sites twice to change frequencies and we don’t need additional base stations or licenses. There’s a big benefit to that.”
Through RipEX’s advanced monitoring features, engineers can remotely detect atmospheric interference, track trends and respond faster:
“With RipEX we can log in remotely, see how interference is climbing and where. It reduces the effort required to identify the problem and it’s speedier for us to respond.”
A Future-Proofed Digital Telemetry Network
RipEX now forms the backbone of Affinity Water’s upgraded telemetry system, providing:
- secure digital communication
- improved fault diagnosis
- streamlined maintenance and fewer site visits
- substantial operational cost savings
The project demonstrates how even large, complex water telemetry networks can migrate smoothly and efficiently – with RipEX enabling digital communication for years to come.
