A SIM for generator remote monitoring and fuel tank monitors

For a generator controller or fuel tank monitor sending telemetry and alerts, UK 4-network 250 MB at £1.20 per active SIM per month is a comfortable starting plan. A tank sensor reporting a few levels a day often fits 50 MB at £0.90. Work out what your device sends and how often before choosing, then test the signal where the equipment actually stands.

ThingSIM supplies the mobile connection, not the monitoring platform. Confirm that your controller, telemetry module or tank sensor accepts a separately supplied SIM and works with your chosen software. The construction and metering pages cover the wider use cases.

Who uses remote monitoring

Generator and tank monitoring is common wherever someone would otherwise drive out to check:

• Hire fleets watching run hours, faults and fuel on generators spread across customers' sites.
• Construction sites running welfare units, lighting and plant from a generator before mains power arrives.
• Farms and rural sites with standby generators, diesel bowsers or heating oil tanks far from the yard.
• Backup generators at offices, telecoms cabinets and plant rooms, where the question is whether the set will start when the mains fails.
• Oil and diesel tanks where a level reading means deliveries are ordered before the tank runs dry.

What the devices send

Most generator controllers with a mobile connection report a small set of values: running or stopped, run hours, battery voltage, fuel level, load and any active alarm. They typically send a status report at a set interval and an extra message when something changes, such as a start, a stop or a fault. Many platforms also let you open the controller's screens remotely, and that session uses more data than the routine reports.

A fuel tank monitor usually sends even less. A level sensor typically wakes, measures, sends one short reading and sleeps, a few times a day. Some send an extra alert when the level crosses a threshold or drops suddenly, which can point to a leak or theft.

Some equipment sends alerts by SMS as well as, or instead of, data. ThingSIM supports SMS. The controller or monitor decides what it sends by SMS, who receives it and which commands it accepts, so follow the exact model's manual and test the alert end to end.

How much data they use

Data use depends on the report size and how often reports go. The examples below use assumed figures to show the method; they are not measurements of any particular device. Use 1,000 KB as 1 MB and a 30-day month.

A tank level sensor, assuming 1 KB per reading and four readings a day:

A generator controller, assuming 2 KB per status report every five minutes, all day:

Both fit 50 MB on these assumptions. Report every minute instead and the controller's reports alone come to 86.4 MB, above 50 MB. Remote screen sessions and firmware downloads add more again, and neither appears in a routine-report estimate. That is why 250 MB is the safer start for a controller, and 50 MB is often enough for a tank sensor.

If the generator shares a site router with cameras or a cabin's office connection, the SIM carries everything behind the router, and the allowance has to cover the lot. How much data a device needs explains how to check the estimate against real use.

Choosing a plan

Plans come in 50 MB, 250 MB, 1 GB and 5 GB a month, billed per active SIM with no contract. For monitoring equipment:

• 50 MB for tank sensors and simple monitors sending a few readings a day.
• 250 MB for generator controllers reporting every few minutes, with room for occasional remote sessions.
• 1 GB where the controller is opened remotely most days or downloads updates over the mobile connection.

If a SIM reaches its allowance it pauses rather than charging overage, and alerts stop until it resumes. Upgrade straight away, paying only the difference for the rest of the month, or wait for the reset. For equipment that must alert you, keep some headroom and set up usage webhooks so someone hears before a SIM runs out.

Coverage at remote sites

Generators and tanks often sit where coverage is weakest: a field corner, a compound behind a building, the far end of a site. UK 4-network roams across O2, Vodafone, Three and EE and uses whichever is strongest where the device is, so a remote site has four networks to choose from rather than one. UK 3-network covers O2, Vodafone and Three without EE, for less; use it only where you have checked those networks reach the spot.

The equipment itself can be the obstacle. A steel generator canopy, a bunded tank or a metal kiosk can weaken the signal to a modem inside it. Test with doors shut and covers fitted, and check whether the device takes an external antenna if the result is marginal. Will my device get a signal covers checking the spot before installing, and improving 4G signal covers position and antenna tests.

Some battery-powered tank sensors are designed for LTE-M or NB-IoT. ThingSIM supports both, as well as 4G. Confirm which the sensor uses with its supplier, and do not infer a battery life from the SIM choice. LTE-M vs NB-IoT explains the difference.

Setting up and keeping it running

1. Fit the SIM in the controller or monitor. Every physical ThingSIM is a trio card with mini, micro and nano sizes, or order an eSIM if the device takes one.
2. Activate the SIM in the ThingSIM portal when you are ready to test. SIMs arrive inactive; billing starts on activation, or automatically 30 days after despatch, with at least 5 days' email notice.
3. Enter the APN shown against the SIM using the device's setup method, then set the platform's server details separately.
4. Trigger a test alert and confirm a fresh reading arrives in the monitoring platform.
5. Check usage in the portal after a representative week, before deciding the plan is right.

For hire fleets, the same SIM normally stays with the generator as it moves from job to job. A paused SIM is still billed each month until it is ceased, so pausing a generator sitting in the yard saves nothing. Keep it active if you want to know where it is and whether its battery is healthy; cease the SIM if the set is being sold or scrapped. Activating, pausing and moving SIMs covers the controls, and running a small SIM fleet helps keep asset numbers and SIMs matched.

Common questions

How much data does generator remote monitoring use?

Usually tens of megabytes a month for routine status reports and alerts. In this guide's example, a report every five minutes comes to about 27 MB; remote screen sessions and updates add more, so 250 MB is a comfortable start.

Is 50 MB enough for a fuel tank monitor?

Usually, for a sensor sending a few level readings a day. Check the monitor's reporting interval and alert settings, then confirm with real usage in the portal.

Can a generator controller send SMS alerts on a ThingSIM?

ThingSIM supports SMS. The controller decides what it sends by SMS and to whom, so follow its manual and test that the alert reaches the right phone.

Which plan suits a generator on a remote site?

UK 4-network, which roams across O2, Vodafone, Three and EE and uses whichever is strongest at the site. Test the signal with the canopy closed before relying on it.