Metemon

Autonomous meter
monitoring device

Takes photos of your utility meter and uploads them to the cloud, replacing neighbor visits and manual checks. Access AI-recognized readings, photos, and consumption analytics from anywhere in the world.

Metemon WiFi and GSM devices

The Problem

Millions of property owners cannot physically access their meters but still need monthly readings for accurate billing. When readings are missed, utilities charge inflated "average" consumption or move customers into higher tariff tiers.

To avoid this, families often ask neighbors or relatives to check meters, take photos, and send them back. Owners then have to copy the numbers manually into utility websites. Others simply ignore the problem for months and end up with fees and inflated bills.

  • Vacation houses and rural homes stand empty for long periods; in winter, traveling just to record a meter reading is impractical.
  • City apartments often have multiple meters hidden in basements, stairwells, or awkward corners. Owners crawl in, snap phone photos, transfer the digits into spreadsheets, and then re-enter them again on utility portals.
  • Post-Soviet countries still rely on millions of fully analog meters that cannot transmit readings.
  • Ukrainian context: nearly 6.8M people fled abroad and 3.6M are displaced inside the country. Meters in their homes keep ticking, bills keep coming, and relatives are left with the burden of reporting numbers online.
Person reading meter manually

The Scale

Over one billion analog meters across key markets create massive opportunity for affordable remote reading solutions, capturing just 1% ≈ 10M devices

300M+ analog meters still not smart across Europe

Electricity: ~115M analog (37% of 310M total), Gas: ~68M analog (55% of 124M), Water: 75M+ analog (80%+ of total), Heat: 50M+ analog. Even after 2030 EU targets, ~20% (150M+, mostly water/heat) will remain analog

Second homes: 30M+ vacation properties across Europe

Major concentrations: France 3.7M, Spain 3.9M, Italy 5.5M, plus Germany, UK, Nordics. Empty 200+ days/year but still paying estimated bills year-round. No visibility on actual consumption, leaks go undetected for months

Eastern Europe (post-soviet & CEE): huge analog legacy 130M+ meters

Only Poland & Romania attempting smart rollouts (20-30%). Rest have no plans or funding. Perfect retrofit opportunity

Ukraine: ~14M unattended meters in 4M orphaned households

6.8M refugees abroad + 3.7M internally displaced ≈ one-third of population away from home. Meters keep running, bills accumulate. Immediate need for remote monitoring solutions

Americas: ~550M+ non-smart meters across the continents

USA & Canada: ~200M despite high electric AMI. Mexico: ~90M with 8% coverage. Latin America: 250M+ with only 6% smart adoption. Massive untapped opportunity

Sources: Berg Insight 2024, UNHCR 2024, Eurostat, INSEE, ISTAT, INE, IoT Analytics, US EIA, IEA

Map showing meter distribution across Europe

The Solution: hardware–software system «Metemon»

Designed to automatically capture a photo of the any type of utility meter on a set schedule and upload it to the cloud, where the reading is extracted from the image, stored for analysis, and submitted to the utility provider.

Metemon flow

Device features

Easy Mount

Stick-on adhesive for meter cabinets or bracket mount for open meters

2MP Camera

Captures photos daily or on custom schedule for battery savings

Capture Patterns

Configurable shooting schedules (e.g., burst of 5 photos with 20-second intervals every two days); automatically selects optimal power mode: deep sleep for short pauses or full shutdown for extended intervals to maximize battery life

Adaptive Flash

Smart LED flash with three modes: on, off, or auto-detect via LDR

Multi-function Button

Manual capture, setup mode, or schedule adjustment

Setup Mode (AP)

Creates WiFi hotspot for configuration: scan QR codes (WiFi, eSIM), manual setup, live camera view for alignment, and device diagnostics

Status LED

Visual feedback via distinct patterns for success or errors

Local Queue

Stores photos when offline with batch upload upon reconnection

Connectivity Options

Modular dual-board design — main board with WiFi included; extension slot for communication modules (GSM/eSIM now, LoRaWAN/LPWAN future)

External Antenna

U.FL connector for signal boost in basements and remote areas

USB-C Port

Powers device without batteries, provides live view and telemetry

3×AA Battery Power

Works with any AA batteries; 6+ months on standard alkaline with daily photos, up to 3.5 years with lithium

Battery Monitoring

Voltage tracking with low-battery alerts sent to cloud

OTA Updates

Remote firmware upgrades via web dashboard with rollback protection

Device Pairing

Unique QR code inside battery block for instant account linking

Universal Compatibility

Works with any analog meter: water, gas, electricity, heat

Retry Logic

Multiple send attempts with exponential backoff ensure reliable delivery

Detailed view of Metemon device

Web App features

Multi-device Dashboard

Overview of all meters across locations showing last reading, photo, battery status, consumption trend, and active alerts

Device Management

Detailed view per device with photo gallery grouped by month, telemetry logs, consumption graphs, and location mapping

AI Recognition Engine

Fine-tuned model extracts readings from one or multiple meters in frame, validates photo quality (darkness, angle, obstruction), flags privacy violations

Manual Correction

Edit any recognized value, reprocess photos, dispute AI flags, add notes to readings

Consumption Analytics

Daily/monthly/yearly graphs, usage patterns, consumption deltas, trend analysis with exportable reports

Anomaly Detection

Automatic alerts for unusual consumption, potential leaks, or readings outside expected range

Smart Notifications

Low battery warnings, missed readings, reporting windows, device offline alerts

Configuration Center

Manage properties, device assignments, firmware updates, provider connections, notification preferences

Access Sharing

Generate view-only links for family/tenants/property managers

Provider Integration

Schedule automatic submission to utility companies with configurable timing and meter selection

Open API

RESTful API for custom integrations, webhooks for events, maker community access

Data Export

Download readings, photos, and reports in CSV/Excel format for accounting or analysis

Meter reading in web app

Pricing

Device Sales

$39 WiFi /
$59 GSM

Includes hardware and lifetime OEM license

OEM License:
  • Web App access
  • All readings saved forever
  • Limited photo storage
    (90 recent + 12 monthly + quarterly archives)

Basic Subscription

$1.99/month

Everything in OEM, plus:

  • Unlimited photo storage
  • Advanced analytics
  • Anomaly detection
  • Alerts
  • Sharing
  • Maker API
  • Data export

Pro Subscription

$3.49/month

Everything in Basic, plus:

  • AI recognition
  • Automatic provider submission
  • Priority support

Competitor Analysis

Found several competitors in the meter reading space. Here's the comparison:

Feature Metemon Jooby (Ukraine) LAIWA EnergyCam AI-on-Edge (DIY)
Price $39 WiFi / $59 GSM $60-80 + installation $100-150 $150-200+ ~$10-15 (parts only)
Installation DIY 5 minutes Professional required Professional required DIY possible DIY, requires skills
Target Market B2C (consumers) B2B only (utilities) B2B only B2B focused Makers/hobbyists
Infrastructure WiFi / GSM LoRaWAN gateway needed NB-IoT / LoRaWAN M-Bus gateway WiFi only
Battery Life 6+ months - 3.5 years
3xAA, easy to change
5-15 years (lithium) 10+ years 10-15 years Requires power outlet
AI Recognition Cloud AI
(99% accuracy)
Pulse counting Basic OCR Basic OCR Local AI (limited)
Remote Access Anywhere globally Ukraine only Limited Gateway dependent Local network only
Monthly Fee $0 with OEM license Subscription required Subscription required Not specified Free (self-hosted)
Consumer App Web + mobile planned Dashboard only B2B dashboard B2B interface Web interface
Open API Yes No Limited No Local only
Provider Integration Planned Yes (Ukraine only) Yes Yes No

💰 Price

Metemon $39 WiFi / $59 GSM
Jooby (Ukraine) $60-80 + installation
LAIWA $100-150
EnergyCam $150-200+
AI-on-Edge (DIY) ~$10-15 (parts only)

🔧 Installation

Metemon DIY 5 minutes
Jooby (Ukraine) Professional required
LAIWA Professional required
EnergyCam DIY possible
AI-on-Edge (DIY) DIY, requires skills

🎯 Target Market

Metemon B2C (consumers)
Jooby (Ukraine) B2B only (utilities)
LAIWA B2B only
EnergyCam B2B focused
AI-on-Edge (DIY) Makers/hobbyists

📡 Infrastructure

Metemon WiFi / GSM
Jooby (Ukraine) LoRaWAN gateway needed
LAIWA NB-IoT / LoRaWAN
EnergyCam M-Bus gateway
AI-on-Edge (DIY) WiFi only

🔋 Battery Life

Metemon 6+ months - 3.5 years
3xAA, easy to change
Jooby (Ukraine) 5-15 years (lithium)
LAIWA 10+ years
EnergyCam 10-15 years
AI-on-Edge (DIY) Requires power outlet

🤖 AI Recognition

Metemon Cloud AI (99% accuracy)
Jooby (Ukraine) Pulse counting
LAIWA Basic OCR
EnergyCam Basic OCR
AI-on-Edge (DIY) Local AI (limited)

🌍 Remote Access

Metemon Anywhere globally
Jooby (Ukraine) Ukraine only
LAIWA Limited
EnergyCam Gateway dependent
AI-on-Edge (DIY) Local network only

💳 Monthly Fee

Metemon $0 with OEM license
Jooby (Ukraine) Subscription required
LAIWA Subscription required
EnergyCam Not specified
AI-on-Edge (DIY) Free (self-hosted)

📱 Consumer App

Metemon Web + mobile planned
Jooby (Ukraine) Dashboard only
LAIWA B2B dashboard
EnergyCam B2B interface
AI-on-Edge (DIY) Web interface

🔌 Open API

Metemon Yes
Jooby (Ukraine) No
LAIWA Limited
EnergyCam No
AI-on-Edge (DIY) Local only

🔗 Provider Integration

Metemon Planned
Jooby (Ukraine) Yes (Ukraine only)
LAIWA Yes
EnergyCam Yes
AI-on-Edge (DIY) No