Smart water meters do not require a power supply. Low power consumption technology is the *advantage of this water meter. Power is only needed for data collection during the moment of meter reading, significantly extending its service life. The characteristics of NB-IoT technology are highly suitable for the development scenarios of segmented IoT services. Large-scale development depends on further resolving key bottlenecks, such as communication disputes, module costs, and further reduction of terminal functions. Smart water meters and smart meter reading systems developed based on NB-IoT technology will greatly improve the inefficiencies of meter reading experienced in the era of mechanical water meters.

The price range of smart water meters is roughly between 100 to over 400 RMB per unit, referring to the common specifications installed in residential households. In contrast, large-diameter industrial and agricultural smart IoT remote transmission water meters are priced significantly higher than common small-diameter meters. Smart water meters utilize modern microelectronics technology, modern sensing technology, and smart IC card technology to measure water consumption and transmit water usage data.Compared to traditional water meters, which generally only have the functions of flow collection and mechanical pointer display of water consumption, NB-IoT smart water meters represent a significant advancement. In addition to recording and electronically displaying water usage, smart water meters can also control water consumption according to predefined agreements.