Reading water meter - any alternatives to camera?

[coffeecup (Justin Miller)]

I’m trying to read the value of my water meter.

I would prefer not to use a solution like Flume.

My meter does not have a spinning metal disc.

I thought I would try you the induction method anyway, but without a spinning metal disc I could not get the inductive sensor to trigger:

Build a water meter with ESPHome and proximity sensor (no soldering required)

These days it’s all about insights. The last part missing for me was water usage. Although water in the Netherlands is not really expensive I wanted to get more insights on how much water are we using and is there anyway to save some water. Unfortunately water delivery doesn’t come with a smart meter. There’s just a analog counter. So how do you measure the water usage and make this analog meter smart? During research I’ve found multiple different solutions for water meters. Most solutions wher…

So I think I have use a camera to recognize the the value displayed by the meter. Like one of these methods:

GitHub - nohn/watermeter: Reads analog water meters and provides a web...

How Artificial Intelligence Can Automate Reading Your Water Meter In Home Assistant

ESP32-Cam on your water meter with "AI-on-the-edge" -- also for gas and power meters

Am I missing a more simple solution?

[vingerha]

I have a different issue , similar challenge where my water meter is outside of the house and accessible to all…not willing to install this in case of burglary etc. The only option I have found is to install a second meter inside the premises that is already equipped with wifi or where I can add wifi/zigbee as above. At the moment too much work for me vs. the gain

[MathieuWuyts]

I would like to do this, however, I can’t seem to find a good water meter that works with HA. Any help on this one?

[chuyskywalker]

@coffeecup I have (basically) the same meter and I’m also on the hunt for a solution. Did you ever come to some resolution?

[teslabolt77 (Jeremy Davis)]

I have the same meter and am curious of a solution

[balczezzz]

Hi, let me share what I am using. Two suggestions:

1. CHEAPEST & FASTEST - setup ESP32 camera and use the HA built-in seven segment OCR reader ( Seven Segments OCR - Home Assistant (home-assistant.io)) - I’m using that to read a heat meter I cannot get inside access to. This is very sensitive to camera displacement and any dislocation will trip the OCR readings.

2. MOST RELIABLE - put a bolt-on wireless adapter on you meter / buy a new wireless meter. These operate typically on Wireless MBUS protocols. There is a great addon and super active community for that wmbusmeters/wmbusmeters: Read the wired or wireless mbus protocol to acquire utility meter readings. (github.com)
   You’ll need SDR dongle for around $15-20 as well. I am running this setup with 20+ meters non stop for 2 years now. Super, super reliable and stable.