VIDI IoT Sensors

Effective water distribution depends on knowing the exact status of every valve whether open, closed, or partially open. Across South African municipalities and African cities, uncertainty around valve positions drives high non-revenue water (NRW), unstable pressure zones, water quality complaints, and slow incident response.

Intelligent Valve Monitoring with VIDI

The VIDI Positioner is a compact, smart device fitted between the stem of an AVK gate valve (locally known as a sluice valve) and the valve cap. It continuously reports valve position to the network management team, with configurable real-time alarms for any authorised or unauthorised changes. VIDI can be supplied with new AVK Smart Gate Valves or retrofitted onto existing AVK valves and even many other brands already in service. Retrofitting is quick, requires no civil works, and is ideal for ageing or constrained distribution systems common across African networks.

Application in District Metered Areas (DMAs)

South African metros and towns increasingly rely on DMAs to reduce NRW, in line with Department of Water and Sanitation best practice. At DMA boundaries, normally closed valves maintain hydraulic control. Unauthorised valve openings can trigger pressure instability, flow reversals, pipe bursts, false leakage alarms, and inaccurate step testing. VIDI provides instant visibility of valve status, enabling remote verification and rapid corrective action.

Built for African Conditions

VIDI devices use NB-IoT, LTE-M, and LoRaWAN technologies — low-power wide-area networks proven to work in rural, peri-urban, and underground installations across Africa.

Integration with AVK Assist, AVK’s mobile application, allows engineers to:

• View real-time valve and hydrant status
• Receive alerts instantly
• Log operational activity automatically

Operational and Strategic Benefits

• Cost Savings: Reduced site visits, verification work, and overtime mean VIDI often pays for itself within a single operational cycle such as rezoning or flushing.
• Smart Hydrants: Installed on hydrants, VIDI records flushing, tanker supply, and firefighting activity — improving water quality management and complaint resolution.
• Water Theft Prevention: Immediate alerts on unauthorised hydrant or valve use, with repeatable logs to support enforcement.
• Sustainable NRW Reduction: VIDI ensures that gains from leak detection, pressure management, and rezoning are locked in through robust digital control.

VIDI is more than a monitoring device it is a digital foundation for resilient African water networks. By combining AVK’s proven valve technology with intelligent monitoring, municipalities and utilities can achieve lasting NRW reduction, stronger governance, and improved service delivery to communities.