Mobile reading

Meter reading with the mobile field app

Manual reading is not a paper list moved onto a phone. The places where it goes wrong are well known — wrong unit, wrong digits, skipped meter — and all three have to be closed.

At a glance

Platform: Phone browser — no separate app installation
Offline: Reading continues once the list is downloaded
Validation: Barcode matching, instant checks, mandatory photos
Task scope: Loop · block · unit · single meter

Request a demo for this path

What is app-based field reading?

The field app lets a technician enter meter indexes from their own phone. No separate installation is needed; the user signs in with their own account and sees only the tasks assigned to them.

It is used in two situations. First, for meters that could not be read remotely: when the reading round finishes, the remaining meters turn into a field task with one click. Second, for projects with no remote reading infrastructure at all, where the whole reading is done through the app — and the billing engine behaves identically.

The design serves one goal: no round should close with missing or doubtful data. That is why barcode matching, instant value validation and mandatory photos exist — and why office review comes after.

How it works

Reading with Mobile field app, step by step

The path from installation to an index landing in the panel.

The office creates and assigns the task
Scope is chosen at loop, block, unit or individual meter level; the form states how many meters it covers before assignment. The task goes to a technician with a deadline.
The list is downloaded
The meter list is downloaded once. Reading continues in basements, car parks and lift shafts with no connection; every entry is saved to the phone immediately.
Barcode picks the right meter
The meter barcode or label is scanned with the camera and the meter is marked in the list automatically. This closes the possibility of entering an index against the wrong unit.
The entered value is validated
A value lower than the previous index or above the limit raises a confirmation bar, and the confirm button does not work until a photo is taken. A meter cannot be left blank — either an index is entered or it is marked unread with a reason.
Data is written to the server
When connectivity returns, records sync in the background and the count of transmitted records is shown. If the transfer is interrupted the round stays on the phone and is resent — no duplicate records are created.
The office reviews
When the round closes, readings land in the office. Abnormal consumption, zero consumption, decreasing index and unread flags are collected in separate lists; the office reviews photos and reopens a reading task if needed.
Data becomes billing-ready
Approved indexes enter the period calculation; unread meters go to comparison or comparable-unit average.

Technical summary

Platform: Phone browser — no separate app installation
Offline: Reading continues once the list is downloaded
Validation: Barcode matching, instant checks, mandatory photos
Task scope: Loop · block · unit · single meter
Evidence: Photo, timestamp, reading user
Output: Reading report with Excel attachment when the round closes

Choosing

When is Mobile field app the right choice?

There is no single right path for every building. These two lists are the criteria we apply during a site survey.

Good fit

Projects with no remote reading infrastructure
Completing meters that could not be read remotely
Newly taken-over projects where the inventory needs verification
Meters under suspicion of failure that must be seen on site

Poor fit

Where daily reading and flow analysis are the goal — that requires remote reading
Very high meter counts read frequently

In NovuSoft

How Mobile field app reading is managed in the panel

Supporting a protocol is not enough; what the data means and what happens when a meter cannot be read must be defined too.

Three error paths, all closed

Wrong unit is closed by barcode, wrong digits by instant validation, skipped meters by a list that cannot be left blank.

The office watches progress live

When the technician sends the first reading the task moves to in-progress on its own; meters read, meters unread and records synced are all visible in real time.

Evidence attached to the record

For abnormal consumption, suspected faults and unread flags a photo is attached to the meter record — so a disputed round can be reopened later.

Same billing engine

An index entered in the field lands in the same archive as a remotely read one and enters the same calculation. There is no second system to maintain.

Frequently asked questions

Questions about Mobile field app

Does reading stop when there is no signal inside the building?

No. Once the meter list has been downloaded, reading continues without a connection and every entry is saved to the phone immediately. When connectivity returns records sync in the background, and the round only closes after the data has been written to the server.

Do field readings go straight into billing?

No — office review sits in between. Abnormal consumption, zero consumption, decreasing index and unread flags are collected in separate lists; the office reviews the photos and reopens a reading task where needed.

Does the technician need to install an app?

No. The field screen runs in the phone browser; the technician signs in with their own account and sees only the tasks assigned to them.

Can a round be sent twice and create duplicates?

No. If a transfer is interrupted the round stays on the phone and is resent; the server knows which records already arrived, so the same index is never written twice.