iSAtech water GmbH
Water Kiosks Water Supply — Anytime, Anywhere

Water kiosks provide access to clean drinking water in public spaces — 24/7 with the iSAtech PayU-Cloud. The iSAtech Control Units are activated using a smartphone or NFC card. The systems work online and offline and can, therefore, also supply remote, less developed areas.

Water Kiosks

Empirical data indicates that prepayments are potentially best suited for households with fluctuating incomes, as people can pay according to their income and benefit from social tariffs.

World Bank/Water and Sanitation Program: The limits and possibilities of prepaid water in urban Africa (2014)

Simple — safe — reliable
No matter the time, water can be tapped anytime with the iSAtech PayU-Cloud. Consumers operate the systems independently. They receive an NFC card, place it on the iSAtech Control Unit and receive water until their credit is used.
Open 24/7

With the iSAtech PayU-Manager, users can view and top up their credit balance online anytime. Budgets (e.g., 100 liters per week) can also be provided. Consumers thus have access to clean drinking water around the clock.

  • Vendor system: A kiosk manager with a smartphone and PayU-Manager is provided with a credit balance. They can top up the consumers’ NFC credit cards with a desired amount.
  • Online system: Consumers are given a credit account and an NFC ID card. With a mobile payment system (such as M-Pesa), they can top up their credit at any time.
  • Direct access via app: Consumers have their own smartphones and the PayU-Manager. Here, they select the water tap and start the dispensing process.
Developed for Water Kiosks
Take measurements. Insert. Connect to valve and meter. Done! The iSAtech Control Unit can be easily integrated into existing water kiosks and buildings.

Robust in all areas

The system was developed to address challenging environmental conditions such as moisture, sand, insect infestation, and insufficient internet connection. The mixed online/offline operation and the flexible network technology of the iSAtech wireless gateway (WiFi, GSM, LTE, LoRa) make it possible to meet all requirements. Once installed, it can connect many dispensing points within a radius of up to 2 km.

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Thinking big

A tanker filling station works like a water kiosk for bulk water customers. The tanker driver uses their smartphone or an NFC card at the filling station. Depending on the profile, water can be tapped until the tanker is filled, the delivery is terminated, or the credit is used up. Suppliers can limit delivery quantities, adjust prices, and have better control over the actual water consumption at each station.

How it works
Water Kiosk — short and sweet
  • For water kiosks, public water supply points, irrigation systems, or tanker filling stations
  • Online, offline, or mixed operation with fallback for network failures
  • Networking with LoRa radio up to 2 km (with the iSAtech Radio Gateway)
  • Robust communication with local data storage if communication fails
  • Cloud system for central monitoring, management, and connection of additional services
  • Load credit onto NFC cards with the iSAtech PayU-Manager (offline) or charge accounts directly (online)
  • Provision of quotas for vendors and kiosk managers
  • Budgets for recurring top-ups and free quotas
  • Simple connection to a wide range of payment systems (e.g., M-Pesa)

Independent with the iSAtech Control Unit

The robust iSAtech Control Unit is installed at the tap, which is easily accessible. The valve and meter should be installed, protected against vandalism, and then connected to the control unit and power supply. The consumer uses their NFC card or smartphone to tap water. For LoRa radio networking of the control unit, a plug-on antenna can be connected for short distances or a remote antenna for longer distances.

Connected with the iSAtech Radio Gateway

With the iSAtech Radio Gateway, any number of iSAtech Control Units can be networked within a radius of 2 km (or more, depending on the antennas used). The Radio Gateway transmits the dispensing and credit information, stores it, and sends it to the iSAtech PayU-Cloud via LTE, WLAN, or Ethernet. Thanks to the integrated data storage, long-term operation without an Internet connection is also possible. In this case, all data is collected and transferred when the connection is re-established. A flexible supply voltage of 10-28VDC allows operation on solar systems. The integrated backup battery (optional) can bridge short-term power failures.

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Monitoring around the globe with the PayU-Manager

The PayU-Manager gives you an overview of all events, i.e., charges, cash flows, and hardware failures, and allows you to manage the system remotely. Simple. Insightful. Sustainable.

  • Access to all data in the iSAtech PayU-Cloud
  • Monitor transactions, manage users and accounts
  • Create statistics and view status messages
  • Create tariffs and define allowances
  • Can be used online and offline
Networking Example

Example projects

Water kiosks:

in Mozambique

Two locations with water towers and a network of standpipes — wirelessly networked with online payments and online monitoring

in Togo

Multiple locations with water treatment and networks of taps — wirelessly networked with offline payments and online monitoring

in Tanzania

Multiple locations with water treatment, water towers, and networks of standpipes — wirelessly networked with offline payments and online monitoring

in Egypt

Multiple locations with water treatment and networks of taps — with offline payments, without monitoring

in Malawi

Several locations with standpipes and connection to the public water supply network — wirelessly networked with online payments and online monitoring

Tanker filling stations:

in Greece

Several locations with tanker filling stations and connection to the public water supply network — with offline payments, without monitoring

in Ghana

One site with tanker filling station and connection to the public water supply network — with offline payments, without monitoring