Ultra-Low-Power Industrial IoT Monitoring
Updated: Aug 7
Overview: Designing and deploying a scalable, low-power monitoring platform that transformed industrial air filtration from time-based maintenance to condition-based servicing.
Technologies
LoRa | Low-power embedded systems | Cloud platform | Industrial sensing
The Problem
Industrial air handling systems traditionally rely on fixed maintenance schedules to replace panel filters, regardless of their actual condition. This often results in unnecessary servicing, increased operating cost and limited visibility of asset health across distributed sites.
Filtrex required a monitoring system capable of continuously assessing filter condition and detecting equipment faults across industrial environments, while remaining low-cost, low-power and scalable.
The Root Cause
There was no practical means of collecting condition data across large numbers of distributed systems without significant infrastructure complexity or installation cost.
Key engineering challenges included:
Achieving reliable long-range communications in industrial environments
Delivering multi-year battery life for remote devices
Providing centralised monitoring and reporting
Scaling from concept through to large-scale deployment
The Solution
We developed a complete end-to-end platform spanning hardware, embedded firmware and cloud systems.
The project began with a rapid prototype to validate requirements in real operating environments before full development. Based on successful trials, we refined both the architecture and deployment strategy.
Custom hardware was developed using differential pressure sensing and low-power LoRa communication to enable reliable long-range connectivity without additional infrastructure. Firmware was designed around intelligent wake scheduling and efficient transmission strategies to maximise battery life.
A cloud-based dashboard provides real-time visibility of filter condition, configurable fault alerts, reporting and remote management across the deployed network.
The system was also engineered for production from the outset through simplified assembly and cost-optimised design.
Key Outcomes
600+ remote sensing devices deployed across UK industrial sites
Multi-year battery life achieved in real operating environments
Reliable long-range LoRa communication across complex facilities
Transition from scheduled servicing to condition-based maintenance
Reduced operational cost and improved service efficiency
Platform prepared for international deployment
Continuous Development
The platform has continued to evolve over several years through ongoing improvements to hardware, firmware and dashboard functionality, including enhanced fault monitoring, event logging and feature expansion.
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