Delivering Safe Drinking Water Through a Connected IoT Ecosystem: Mobile Payments, Smart Dispensing & Real-Time Monitoring

Industry: Water Technology, Sustainability, Smart Infrastructure

Region: Asia & Africa

Engagement: End-to-end engineering of an IoT-powered drinking water kiosk ecosystem using AWS IoT, a consumer mobile app, and a cloud-based operational dashboard.

Technology Stack Overview

Mobile App: Flutter (Android/iOS), Razorpay/Stripe for payments

IoT Backend: AWS IoT Core, MQTT, AWS Lambda, AWS API Gateway

Cloud & DevOps: AWS EC2, DynamoDB, S3, CloudWatch, IAM

Embedded Software: Custom firmware for valve control, flow sensors, water purification status

Admin Dashboard: ReactJS + Python FastAPI

Security: Device-level authentication, secure key rotation, encrypted communication

Challenge

Access to clean, affordable drinking water remains a challenge in many regions. The client was deploying Atmospheric Water Generator (AWG) kiosks machines that extract water from air - but needed a complete digital ecosystem to:

• Enable cashless, frictionless payments at the water kiosk

• Authenticate users and dispense the correct quantity of water

• Provide real-time monitoring of water quality, volume, filter life, and machine health

• Track consumption and revenue across multiple kiosks

• Build a scalable IoT infrastructure for future expansion

The goal was to create a fully automated experience, from mobile app to cloud to the physical machine.

Solution

EC Infosolutions engineered a smart AWG ecosystem integrating mobile payments, IoT hardware, and cloud intelligence - enabling a seamless end-user water-dispensing journey.

Key Functional Modules

1. Consumer Mobile App

• User sign-up/login

• Add money or pay directly using digital payment gateways

• Select the kiosk and quantity of water

• Trigger dispense request instantly

• View transaction history & water volume logs

• QR code scanning for on-site identification

2. IoT-Enabled AWG Machine Control (AWS IoT Core)

The AWG device was equipped with custom firmware connected to AWS IoT Core using MQTT protocol.

Capabilities included:

• Remote opening/closing of valves

• Real-time flow sensor readings

• Water quality metrics (TDS, temperature, humidity, purification cycles)

• Machine health monitoring

• OTA firmware update support

The mobile app’s "Dispense" action triggered a secure command flow:App → API Gateway → Lambda → AWS IoT Core → Device → Dispense

3. Cloud Backend & Data Pipeline

Using AWS services, EC built a robust cloud architecture:

• AWS API Gateway for secure endpoints

• Lambda functions for business logic

• DynamoDB for IoT telemetry & transaction logs

• S3 for media & report storage

• CloudWatch for machine alerts

4. Admin & Operator Dashboard

A central management dashboard enabled:

• Kiosk performance monitoring

• Water quality tracking

• Filter usage lifecycle analytics

• Revenue dashboards

• Remote machine restart or control signals

• Alerts for low water production, maintenance needs

Role-based access allowed operators, maintenance staff, and management to collaborate efficiently.

Results

• Operational Efficiency: Fully automated water dispensing reduced manual staff dependence by 90%.

• Revenue Assurance: Digital payments eliminated leakage and provided real-time revenue visibility.

• Improved User Experience: End-users enjoyed a cashless, queue-free, self-service experience.

• IoT Reliability: AWS IoT ensured low-latency, secure device communication across kiosks.

• Scalability: New kiosks can be added in minutes-just onboard the device and activate it.

• Data Insights: Machine analytics improved maintenance scheduling, reducing downtime by 40%.

Key Takeaways

• IoT + mobile payments create seamless consumer experiences in public utilities.

• AWS IoT Core provides enterprise-grade reliability, scalability, and device security.

• Real-time machine analytics unlock efficiency, predictive maintenance, and cost savings.

• A unified digital ecosystem transforms AWG machines into smart, autonomous water stations.

Get Connect

Looking to build a smart water, energy, or sustainability product using IoT and mobile applications?

EC Infosolutions specializes in end-to-end IoT product engineering, from device firmware to cloud dashboards to mobile apps.

Book a discovery session and explore how we can help build your next connected hardware platform.