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NOWi – Leveraging Nordic’s cellular IoT solutions to detect pipe leaks and save water
03
Feb
2026
2026
Oslo, Norway
Real-time water monitoring and leak detection just got streamlined thanks to the nRF9151 – Nordic’s low-power cellular IoT solution
NOWi Sensors is a Connecticut-based tech start-up that develops ultra-low-power, cellular water-monitoring systems for tracking water use and detecting pipe leaks on commercial, industrial, and institutional properties. Cost-effective and easily installable systems help mitigate water damage and waste, reduce repair and maintenance costs, and help contribute to meeting sustainability goals – without needing to touch a structure’s plumbing.
“Anything attached to water eventually starts to leak, and it’s a huge pain,” explains Charles Fayal, NOWi’s Co-Founder. “Our idea really came from our first customer, who is a multifamily building operator. He started telling us about all the leaks that he would get throughout his property, which were costly. So, we realized we could use sensors for that.”
At the time, similar sensors were not a viable option. They were either built for individual homes using a single Wi-Fi network or built for large commercial spaces and were too expensive. Seeing this potential market, NOWi was launched.
Today, NOWi has expanded from residential buildings to universities, manufacturing facilities, and more.
The Pipe and Meter Monitors
NOWi’s product portfolio consists of:
- The Pipe Monitor – an advanced, ultrasonic clamp-on sensor that can be attached to pipes anywhere in a building, including risers (vertical pipelines that carry water upwards in a building) and branch lines (secondary pipes that branch off from the main line) to help localize leaks and water usage.
- The Meter Monitor – a non-invasive, battery-powered water usage monitoring device that seamlessly connects with a building’s utility water meter. It measures a building’s total water flow, looking for abnormal usage patterns that could indicate a leak or defect in the pipes.
For both sensors, NOWi initially chose the Nordic nRF9160 System-in-Package (SiP) before upgrading to the Nordic nRF9151 System-in-Package – Nordic’s compact module that provides IoT devices with cellular, satellite, and mesh connectivity, and features a strong built-in application processor. It is the lowest-power cellular IoT solution available, with industry-leading battery-life performance. In addition, NOWi used the nRF Connect SDK – Nordic’s unified, scalable software development kit for building low-power IoT products across all Nordic device families.
Limitations in speed and reliability
Before Nordic, NOWi utilized a Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) - a low-power, long-range wireless communication protocol used for IoT devices that need to send small amounts of data over long distances while using very little energy. This, combined with components from their previous vendor, created a viable network that was adequate but relatively slow. This led to a need to transition to a cellular network, specifically one that offered “simplicity of deployment,” according to Fayal.
Another issue was power efficiency, critical for battery-operated sensors functioning within a network. As Fayal explains, “Our meter monitor runs on a battery. It sends data constantly and has an algorithm that uses a lot of power as well. So, we needed a power-efficient device.”
With the PSM (Smart Power Saving Mode) we get from Nordic, we can now achieve 100% power saving mode, and the sensors last almost twice as long
Charles Fayal, NOWi Co-Founder
Power savings and easy fixes
Combining the nRF9151 SiP and nRF Connect SDK, NOWi got the boost they needed for their pipe and meter monitor.
The nRF9151 SiP was chosen overall for its size, power consumption, and cost.
“The (nRF)9151 is an amazing chip,” exclaims Fayal. “Being smaller and cheaper makes it obviously appealing”.
A key factor for NOWi was battery life and development speed. Beyond being a low-power product, Nordic’s proprietary Smart Power Saving Mode (PSM) was seen as extremely attractive for NOWi, ensuring that every deployment is protected by the PSM, even when operating in a network that does not support it. This significantly extends battery life.
According to Fayal, “Normal networks can sometimes have PSM, but in many cases, the networks don't support it, which just leaves devices draining power. With the (Smart) PSM we get from Nordic, we can now achieve 100% power saving mode, and the sensors last almost twice as long. So that feature alone is a godsend for us”.
Additionally, NOWi was able to take full advantage of the “simplicity of deployment” offered by the nRF Connect SDK. Through the Zephyr-based SDK, not only was NOWi able to deploy its prototype network in just a matter of days, but the available software stacks allowed them to iterate and refine it faster than their competitors. This translates to enabling upgrades with better features and more reliable products in the field.
“The software frameworks that Nordic uses are just incredible. We love the amount of abstraction and control,” says Fayal.
Fayal also highlighted Nordic’s developer support as “exceptional”, citing the helpful forums that contributed to fast and practical problem-shooting.
Helping companies save every drop
As a five-year-old company, NOWi has managed to significantly extend its product lifecycle while ensuring speed and reliability. And as the firm moves forward, it will likely continue leveraging Nordic to prevent leaks and save water for customers.
“The cost is great. The size is great. We’ve been able to shrink our own board. So, all around, we love it,” summarizes Fayal.
