Monitoring water use with Internet-connected sensors with Lotik…

Ryan Darby, VP of Business Development for Lotik, (a smart system of wireless sensors providing “point-of-use” water monitoring to track usage and detect leaks) joins Thomas Kutzman and guest host Marc Raco in the MouthMedia Network studios powered by Sennheiser. Presented by Prevu.

In this episode:

• Darby discusses how the water problem is a threefold one: cost from an operations standpoint, how the cost of water has gone up dramatically in last fifteen years, and that to control a utility like water, you need information and granular info. In New York City, there is only a single meter on the main from the utility and that’s all you know
• If one has a leak one doesn’t know where (or that) it is occurring initially
• Lotik is creating transparency, with no plumber or tools required
• Quick calibration at setup, scanning barcode, enter meta data, and connecting to a mobile app
• How the New York City water board uses most funds to maintain and upgrade the distribution systems, and this is similar across the country, and often a rate increase is because of population increase
• Lotik has a focus on multifamily and large commercial buildings
• In addition to the operating side of the equation, potential property damage can be avoided, which benefits both the tenant and building owner
• Turning plumbing fixtures into Internet connected devices, as part of Internet of Things
• Bringing fixtures to life, and connecting one’s toilet and sink to the Internet
• Conveying a message of social responsibility to battle privacy concerns
• Finding ways to aggregate data to make it a little less granular in respect for privacy
• Avoiding sabotaging of data
• Using accelerometers, learned what the signature of a toilet flushing or a shower turning on is
• Potential to interact with platforms on both sides (tenants and landlords)
• Looking at low flow movement in pipes, and thus early detection of leaks
• Utilization of a communication protocol called LoRA
• The genesis of the company based in water transparency, and how Samsung brought the cofounders into an accelerator program
• Getting the word out, working with groups like Samsung and Totem Brooklyn, driving demand with building owners
• A presence in mostly major urban areas on the Eastern seaboard, and the opportunity for the Bay Area and Seattle have high water costs, and where LoRA networks already exist
• How Darby’s life transformed with meditation

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