Internet of Things - Monitoring and Measuring Water Usage with ESP8266 Wi-Fi Module & Arduino

This literature review explores the concept of monitoring and measuring water usage through the Internet of Things (IoT) using ESP8266 Wi-Fi module and Arduino. It discusses the advantages and disadvantages of IoT technology in water management and highlights the importance of IoT in controlling water levels. The review also covers the use of Think Speak software for data storage and retrieval.

Internet of Things - Monitoring and
Measuring Water Usage with ESP8266
Wi-Fi Module & Arduino Uno
publishing to Thing Speak

LITERATURE REVIEW 1
Table of Contents
Introduction...........................................................................................................................................2
Literature review...................................................................................................................................2
Conclusion.............................................................................................................................................9
References...........................................................................................................................................10

LITERATURE REVIEW 2
Introduction
The term IoT is defined as the internet of thing which connects two or more peripheral
devices with internet connectivity. It provides a platform to interconnect physical
devices like software, hardware, network systems, electronics with the other devices in
order to send and receive information (Abdullah, and Putra, 2017). In this modern era,
this technique is used to monitor and measure the water level with the help of a Wi-Fi
module and Arduino microcontroller kit (Alkandari, Alabduljader, and Moein, 2012).
The purpose of this study is to highlight the concept of the internet of thing and describe
the concept of water level measurement through the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module and
Arduino UNO and Thing speak software. In this report, a literature review will be
conducted in order to gather and evaluate the views of other experts and identify the
importance of IoT technology in the water management system.
Literature review
The internet of thing is very advanced technology of the information technology that
connects the physical devices with the internet for exchanging the information or data
from one location to another. This is one of the common topics for the investigation and
many researchers provided their views on water measurement through IoT technology
which will be discussed in the section. According to Anthony, (2018) the internet of
thing has the potential to control and monitor the level of water with the help of
Arduino UNO kit. The development of IoT technology by using an embedded system can
help consumers to monitor the water level and provide a notification to the user for
controlling the level of water in the tank.
Anthony, (2018) also provided the complete information about the water level
measurement with theoretical and practical results and identified that EPS8266 is one
of the best Wi-Fi modules which can be used for long-distance communication. The
major drawback of this paper is that the researcher did not provide advantages and
disadvantages of the IoT technology which create a research gap in students. This
literature review provides an in-depth analysis of the water level measurement by using
ESP8266 Wi-Fi and Arduino UNO. Arridha, et al., (2018) highlighted that the water level
system utilizes sensors and equipment’s to record the level of water in the tank and

LITERATURE REVIEW 3
data is transferred with the help of IoT technique. The data and information can be
obtained by the consumers by using Arduino UNO and think to speak and Arduino can
be used for the controlling and monitoring of water level. The researcher also identified
that it is very important to design and implement the water level measurement in order
to avoid the overflow of water from the tank.
The water controlling project is one of the common applications of IoT device used by
many consumers and they share signals with the help of the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module.
Chandramohan, et al., (2017) explained the working principles of IoT device and
process of water level measurement through arduino UNO. This journal paper is
developed for the explanation and illustration of advanced level water measurement
device based on the internet of thing technique. This device contains major three
sections such as hardware and software of information monitoring nodes, software for
the wireless nodes and software for the data base stations. The researcher identified
that the capacity range of the water measurement system is from 0 to 80 C on water
temperature but module ESP8266 cannot be used for long distance communication.
According to Encinas, et al., (2017) smart water level monitoring through IoT and
Arduino UNO is one of the best systems as compare to the other devices because it
provides the wireless connectivity between the water level indicator and sensors used
in the system. Moreover, the functions of the internet of thing can be controlled with the
help think to speak. This paper designed and implemented the water level
measurement system by using the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module and Arduino UNO
microcontroller. It is analysed that the think speak is defined as the open source IoT
application which is used in a system for storing and retrieving data from the water
level device.
Fatehnia, et al., (2016) evaluated that there are major two processes which can be used
to control and monitor the flow of water, for example, water level monitoring and water
pipeline leakage monitoring. In this investigation, the researcher used the water level
monitoring process where they design the water level measurement device by using
some sensors and hardware like Arduino UNO, water level indicator, and think to speak
to control and communication channels. As compared with the other articles this paper
provided the complete information about the water level measurement and researchers
also performed on the software think speak for better understanding.

LITERATURE REVIEW 4
There are few other papers published on this topic like water quality monitoring system
through Zigbee which involved the Zigbee technique rather than ESP8266 Wi-Fi
module. The main difference between Zigbee and ESP8266 module is that Zigbee can be
used for long distance communication due to their large frequency range. This paper
focuses on the water level measurement with the help of Arduino UNO and ESP8266
module and this literature section identifies the key aspects of the water level system
and identifies the drawbacks of previous investigations.
Geetha and Gouthami, (2016) produced and implemented the block diagram of the
water level measurement with the help of arduino UNO. The block of diagram of the
water level system involves power supply, transformer, voltage regulator, Arduino UNO,
ESP8266 Wi-Fi module, IoT technique and water level sensor. This paper focused on the
working principle of the water level measurement and highlighted the data
communication process for measuring the level of water through think speaks
application.
In this project, there are various hardware systems used, for example, Arduino UNO
microcontroller kit, and circuit board for connections, ultrasonic sensors, ESP8266 Wi-
Fi module and data sharing system. It is discussed that the Arudino UNO is one of the
best hardware to provide a command to the motors and sensors for measuring the level
of water. This technique has the potential to read signals from all types of sensors and
also provide limited power supply to the other devices and components.
According to Hertzog, (2017) with the help of Arduino UNO consumers can send and
receive the 14 digits signal from other system and it includes the 6 analogy input pins
for interconnecting the different kinds of sensors which provides the analogy inputs.
The researcher identified that the ESP8266 is very best Wi-Fi module that has the
ability to provide access to any microcontroller. Imteaj, et al., (2016) observed that the
ESP8266 is able for hosting an application and off-loading all Wi-Fi networking
functions from other micro-processors. The author argued that this is more complex
and expensive as compared to the other modules but it is more effective due to which
the signals can be easily exchanged between the sender and receiver. Furthermore this
process is more powerful which can be used on the board processing and integrating
with the electronic components and sensor devices. This paper demonstrated the

LITERATURE REVIEW 5
concept of water level measurement and focused on the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module for
minimal external circuitry.
Kartakis, Abraham, and McCann, (2015) discussed the fundamental process of water
level measurement and provided the working principle of the water system with the
help of Arduino and think to speak. In which the aurduino UNO is inter-connected with
the Wi-Fi module ESP8266 which send and processes the signals with the help of
ultrasonic sensor to the cloud source. Mainly, this Wi-Fi module is used for triggering
the microcontroller with the help of 5 volt power supply and data can be controlled and
monitored with the help of think speak process. By using think speak application and
arduino software consumers can set the minimum water level and maximum level of
water.
According to Parameswaran, and Sivaprasath, (2016) the water level controlling system
produce desirable importance in offices and home and consumers can receive a
notification when the level of water exceed from the maximum value. The current
technique of level identification is based on the measure of the low and high level of
water in the tank that facilitates the automatic switching ON or OFF of the water pump.
If the level of water reached the minimum level of water then the motor is turned ON
and it reached the highest level then the motor is turned off which maintain the
overflow of water. It is concluded that the IoT is the very best technique for controlling
and monitoring home appliances and manage water level. The design and
implementation of water level system can be done with the help of arduino and other
sensor devices.
Parameswari and Moses, (2018) discovered the complete water level monitoring
approach, embedded design, sensors, network operators and types of equipment’s used
in the development of water controlling system. They also demonstrated the data
storing processes and use of think speak process for controlling and managing the
recorded data. it is analysed that the use of information technologies and wireless
sensors devices can help consumers to design and implement the better water level
indicator and enhance the quality of water by reducing the overflow of water.
According to Patnaik Patnaikuni, (2017) the internet of thing is an advanced approach
in the sector of information technology and water level monitoring project can be

LITERATURE REVIEW 6
implemented with the help of this technology. This paper also explained the advantages
and disadvantages of the internet of thing technology over water level measurement.
Mainly, the aurduino required the 5 volt power supply in order to perform operations
and it has the ability to connect two or more devices with each other. The researcher
analysed that the ardunio UNO is the best microcontroller which can be used for the
development of water level indicator and signals are transferred with the help of Wi-Fi
module ESP8266 from one location to another.
According to Perelman, et al., (2012) in the generation and exhibition of the water level
project consumers can use the ultrasonic sensor in order to determine the level of water
in the tank. In the water level system, the signals or pulses transferred from the source
to receiver and distance can be calculated by detecting the time needed for the echo
return. In their investigation author conducted a literature review and analysed the
views of other experts on this topic. The most important thing about arduino UNO is
that it has the potential to control and manage the working of electronic equipment’s or
devices. Moreover, the source code is performed in the software think speak and
arduino ISE and the minimum or maximum level can be fixed with the help of these
applications.
A recent study produced by Patnaik Patnaikuni, (2017) on the internet of thing
identified that the security is a very common problem of this technology for which
consumers can adopt the cloud based services and they can secure their private data
from other consumers. According to Perelman, et al., (2012) the major problem of
module ESP8266 is that it is more complex to use and perform in the projects due to
which many researchers use the Zigbee module for data transferring purpose as
compared to the ESP8266 module. This research paper highlighted the applications of
the internet of thing and how water level is monitored with the help of IoT and other
wireless sensors networks. The layout of the water level circuit cab is drawn on the PCB
layout software and connect all sensors and devices as per the circuit and perform on
the software for avoiding the risks and cost of equipment. In last few years the use of
internet of thing is growing rapidly and water level indicator is one of the best
applications of this information technology that has the capability to identify the level of
water and removes the issue of overflow in the water tank.

LITERATURE REVIEW 7
Perumal, Sulaiman, and Leong, (2015) observed that water level measurement through
IoT and arduino UNO hardware is the very common project which is developed and
implemented by many consumers because the circuit diagram of this process is very
simple rather than other. This paper also identified the key factors that increase the
problems during the development of the water level project. In this project, an LCD
screen is connected with the arduino UNO kit in order to provide the output signals on
LCD (Raju, and Varma, 2017). This paper discussed the theoretical information about
the research topic and investigators did not mention results from the practical
experiments. From recent incestigation about the water level process, it has been
identified that the IoT technique and other wireless sensors like sensors, ESP8266 Wi-Fi
module and so on are more efficient to manage the level of water and reduce the flow of
water from the tank.
Sihombing, et al., (2018) produced the investigation and implemented the water level
detection project with the help of ultrasonic sensors. In this study, the authors use the
fundamental principle of the ultrasonic technique and ultrasonic distance measurement
process. According to this principle when sound signals are transferred in the free space
then they return back to the origin as echo after striking. So, consumers need to
determine the distanced covered by the sound waves and this process can be used in
the water tank for measuring the level of water. In this paper, the researcher also
collected the opinions of other experts and compared their viewpoints and results with
their investigation. From the comparison, it is argued that the ultrasonic sensors help
consumers for measuring the level of water and it can be easily connected with the
arduino UNO kit.
Simić, et al., (2016) analysed that in the process of water flow measurement the water
pump is automatically turned on when the level of water in tank become low and level
of water can be fixed with the help of source code. The ultrasonic HC-SR04 can be used
for determining the level of water and it is more accurate as compared to other sensors.
It is observed that this sensor is connected with the ardunino UNO and provide a
platform to determine the distance travelled by the signals in the water level system. In
order to perform the water level measurement system, consumers should need to
trigger the ultrasonic sensor which transfers the sound waves in the water tank and
sense the reflection of the sound wave which is an echo.

LITERATURE REVIEW 8
According to Tan, Sooriyabandara, and Fan, (2011) for triggering the ultrasonic sensor
the arduino UNO can be used and wait to receive the echo signals from the water tank. It
is estimated that the think speaks application can be used for recording the time
between triggering and received echo signals. From this investigation, it has been
founded that the overall speed of the sound is about 340 m/sec. this paper also
highlighted a formula for calculating the distance that is (travel time)*speed of sound
waves.
Vijayakumar and Ramya, (2015) investigated that the module ESP8266 is a self-
contained SOC with integrated internet protocol which can provide access to wireless
sensor networks which is used in the water level measurement for sending and
receiving signals. In this paper, the researcher identified the best implementation model
which involves various kinds of sensors and devices for managing the level of water. In
this implementation, the process researcher used the arduino UNO with the ATMEGA
328 microcontroller for managing the signals and information transferred from the
transmitter. Moreover, the sensors are linked to the arduino UNO kit for controlling
purpose and ADC device help consumers to convert analog signals into digital signals
which are stored in the data base with the help ESP8266 module and think speak. With
the help of this study, it has been founded that the IoT device helps consumers to
control the physical devices and systems from any location and it uses the internet
connectivity for transferring data or information from one place to another.
ZHAI, et al., (2012) evaluated that the internet of thing technology helps consumers to
control their home appliances from mobile devices and water level measurement can be
performed with this technology. Moreover, it involves various kinds of wireless sensor
networks for connecting the two or more electronic devices with each other without
using any connecting wires. Therefore, consumers can design and implement the water
level measuring system for which they required the arduino UNO and ESP8266 module.
With the help of some software and applications like arduino ISE and think speak and
consumers can keep track the level of water and if it exceeds the maximum value then
water pump will automatically turn off and remove the issue of overflow. According to
Vijayakumar, and Ramya, (2015) the water level indication system is a very useful
project for the home and offices because the consumers require not to worry about the
water content during the peak hours of the day. This paper identified that many

LITERATURE REVIEW 9
consumers and experts use the arudino UNO kit for developing the water level project
because it is very easy to understand and they can easily produce source code with the
help of software application. This literature review identified the importance of the
internet of thing and arduino UNO for implementing the water level measuring system
and the relevant information gathered from the different resources such as previous
investigation, research articles, online books and other sources.
Conclusion
From the above discussion, it has been concluded that the internet of thing is one of the
best technology for measuring and monitoring the level of water. With the help of this
study student and other readers can enhance their skills in the area of water level
measurement and IoT technology. This report focused on the concept of IoT technology
and water level measurement system using the ESP8266 Wi-Fi module and arduino
UNO device. The literature review also highlighted the viewpoints of other researchers
on water level measurement and compared their results with other investigators in
order to understand the concept of water level monitoring. It has been identified that
the level of overflow in the water tank can be reduced with the help of water level
measurement system and it can be performed by using three major electronic devices,
for example, ultrasonic sensors, arduino UNO hardware with a software application and
ESP8266 Wi-Fi module system.

LITERATURE REVIEW 10
References
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Anthony, J.E.S., (2018) Auto GMS: An Automated Greenhouse Monitoring System of
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LITERATURE REVIEW 12
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