Beam reads what you already have.

Room temperature is built in. For the temperature of the water, or volume, Beam reads a sensor at that point, ours or the one already fitted. Five years on one battery, and one install.

Flowplan Beam transmitter, front view

What makes it different

The meter on the machine is usually somebody else's.

A fleet is rarely one brand. Machines arrive with whatever meter the manufacturer fitted, and telemetry normally means standardising all of it on one vendor's hardware before any of it reports. That is a rip-out, and it writes off equipment that still works.

Beam is the transmitter. The sensor is whatever sits at the point you want to read, ours or the one already installed, from any manufacturer. So a mixed fleet reports without being made uniform first, and the meters already on site keep working.

That is also why the install is short. One unit per machine, no new wiring, and no router to ask about, because Beam carries its own SIM on the mobile network. Five years on the battery, and the software is included with every unit rather than licensed on its own.

A Flowplan Beam mounted on a coffee machine

Specifications.

Measurement6 rows
Room temperature
Built in, where the Beam is mounted
Temperature at a point
External sensor, ours or one already fitted
External sensor inputs
Temperature, pressure, level
Flow and volume
0.1 to 15 L/min, with a Flowmeter on the line
Third-party sensors
Meters and sensors already fitted, any brand
Transmission
Every 0 to 6 h, by consumption
Connectivity3 rows
Network
LTE-M / NB-IoT
SIM
Included
Customer network
Not required. No WiFi, no IT request
Power4 rows
Battery life
Up to 5 years
Battery level
Monitored continuously
Replaceable
Yes
Mains power
Not required
Mechanical7 rows
Dimensions
110 × 70 × 28 mm
Weight
~120 g
Housing
ABS
Ingress protection
IP66
Mounting
Industrial tape or screw
Sensor connector
Industrial M8 screw
Made by
Designed and built by Flowplan
Included3 rows
Warranty
2 years on purchase, unlimited on lease
Connectivity
5 years on purchase, unlimited on lease
Software
Included, never priced separately

Installation guide

Install it yourself in four steps.

From box to live data in a few minutes. No new wiring, no WiFi, and no IT setup.

  1. 01

    Install the flow meter

    Mount the flow meter on the outlet of the filter head. It ships with standard 3/8" or 3/4" threads that fit directly onto most water filters.

  2. 02

    Connect Beam and the flow meter

    Insert the flow meter into the Beam electronics box. The box powers on automatically and starts joining the IoT network. The device runs on its own network with a built-in battery, so no WiFi or power connection is needed.

  3. 03

    Let it connect

    After the loud beep stops, the device joins our network on its own. When you hear four short beeps, it is connected and everything is running smoothly.

  4. 04

    That's it

    The device is now connected and working as it should. Every time water is used, for example for a cup of coffee, it sends data that we receive and process in Backoffice.

Will it work on the machines we already service?

Beam takes readings from third-party meters and sensors, whatever brand fitted them. A mixed fleet does not need standardising first, and the meters already on site do not get written off.

Do we need the customer's WiFi?

No. Beam runs on the mobile network, so there is nothing to ask their IT for and nothing to reconfigure when they change router.

How long does an install take?

Minutes, by one person, with no new wiring. The four steps are above.

What happens after five years?

The battery is the limit, not the unit. In practice it gets swapped on a service visit that was already booked rather than on a trip of its own.