# Upgrading Manual Submeters to Wireless

Source: https://submeter.com/upgrade-manual-submeters-to-wireless/
Publisher: National Exemption Service (NES), https://submeter.com. Last reviewed September 2026.

Still walking the property to read meters? Many manual submeters can take a wireless transmitter, and the rest can be replaced. Here's how to tell which.

## Can manual submeters be upgraded to wireless?
Often, yes. If the meter is in good shape and its register can connect to a transmitter, a wireless transmitter goes on top and the pipe isn't cut. If the meter is old or worn, or has no way to connect a transmitter, it's replaced with a wireless meter. The property also gets repeaters and a gateway to collect the reads. After that, reads come in every day, locked units stop turning into estimated bills, and leaks show up the next day. NES retrofits and replaces manual meters as a standalone service, and can take over billing at the same time.

Manual meters can keep measuring for years. The headache is reading them. Someone walks every unit every month, a locked door turns into an estimate, and a running toilet can go 30 days before anyone sees it.
## Why switch from manual reads to wireless?
The obvious reason is the meter walk. With wireless meters the reads come in by themselves, every day, and nobody has to get into the unit.
Daily reads also mean you stop estimating. A unit you couldn't get into used to mean a guessed bill and, often, a dispute. Now there's a real number. And when a resident says a bill can't be right, there are 30 days of reads behind it.
Then there's leaks. [MyReads leak detection](https://submeter.com/myreads-leak-detection/) flags a unit with water running nonstop the next day, instead of when the master bill shows up.

## Should you retrofit or replace?
| Situation | Best move | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Meter under 10 years old, dry, reading in line with neighbors | Add a transmitter | The meter has years left, and no plumbing work is needed |
| Register supports a pulse or encoded output | Add a transmitter | A standard transmitter can read it |
| Meter over 15 years old, or reading low on test | Replace with a wireless meter | A worn meter keeps under-reading with or without a radio |
| Register has no output | Replace with a wireless meter | There's nothing for a transmitter to connect to |
| Corrosion or a leak at the fittings | Replace | The plumbing needs work anyway |
The survey sorts this out unit by unit. Plenty of properties add transmitters to most units and replace a handful.

## How does the upgrade work?
![A technician's hands fitting a water meter onto a supply line.](https://submeter.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/NESWaterMeter.jpeg)
A retrofit adds a transmitter to the existing meter. A replacement swaps the meter.
First comes the survey: brand, model, age and register type for each unit, plus where the repeaters and gateway should go. The network goes in before the unit work, so every meter has a signal path from day one.
Then the technicians work through the units. Transmitters go on the meters being kept, and new meters go in where they're needed. A replacement means under 30 minutes without water for an occupied unit. Adding a transmitter usually doesn't need a shutoff at all. Each unit is checked for a live read before the technician moves on.
The next billing cycle runs on wireless reads. If NES is taking over billing too, that switch happens the same month.

## How much does a wireless upgrade cost?
Adding a transmitter costs less than a new meter and needs no plumbing. A new wireless meter, installed, averages $150 to $300 per unit across NES projects. Every property is different, so use that as a range. NES sells the hardware at cost, and the equipment is nonproprietary and yours to keep. [How much submetering costs](https://submeter.com/how-much-does-submetering-cost/) has a worked example.
Wireless meters and transmitters come from manufacturers including Badger Meter, Inovonics, Master Meter, Neptune, Next Meters and Sensus. See the [full brand list](https://submeter.com/submeter-brands/) for links to each manufacturer's support pages.
Meters down at your property?. Tell us how many units, what brand is on the wall if you know it, and what you are seeing. A specialist replies within one business day.

## Questions
**Can I add a wireless transmitter to my existing water meter?**
Often, if the register supports a transmitter and the meter is in good shape. The survey checks each unit.

**Is it cheaper to retrofit or replace submeters?**
Adding a transmitter costs less up front and needs no plumbing. On a meter near the end of its life, replacing it is the better buy, since the old meter is likely reading low.

**How long does a wireless upgrade take?**
That depends on unit count and how many meters need replacing. A replacement takes under 30 minutes of downtime per occupied unit, and adding a transmitter usually needs no shutoff.

**Do I need a gateway for wireless submeters?**
Yes. Repeaters pass each meter's signal to a gateway, which sends the reads on for billing. NES places them during the survey.

**Will my residents' bills change?**
The rate doesn't change. The bill just comes from actual daily reads instead of a monthly walk or an estimate.

**Can NES upgrade my meters if another company does my billing?**
Yes. NES does upgrades as a standalone service, and the meters are nonproprietary, so your billing company can read them. NES can also take over billing if you want.