Cloud RS485 Water Meter Architecture

I need a complete technical design that shows how 280 individual water meters, each fitted with an RS485-enabled shut-off valve, can be wired, networked, and surfaced in a single cloud dashboard for a large residential complex.

Scope
• Network architecture – segmenting the 280 devices into practical RS485 loops, recommended cable types, addressing scheme, surge/grounding considerations, and maximum run lengths.
• Gateway selection – please evaluate and recommend a commercially available RS485-to-Ethernet/LTE gateway (no brand preference yet) that can reliably push data to the cloud and withstand a residential plant room environment.
• Cloud layer – outline the server or IoT platform setup that will provide real-time consumption graphs, manual/automatic valve commands, and anomaly alerts (high flow, leaks, offline device). I am open to AWS IoT Core, Azure IoT Hub, ThingsBoard, or another stack if you can justify it.
• Dashboard UI sketch – a simple wireframe or mock-up that shows how the caretaker will see all 280 meters, drill into a unit, and trigger or schedule valve actions.
• Bill of materials – quantities and part numbers for gateways, power supplies, wiring accessories, and any additional sensors or switches you feel are essential.
• Integration notes – Modbus registers (or alternative protocol) the valves expose, sample polling/command packets, and basic cyber-security hardening steps.

Acceptance criteria
1. A logical and physical network diagram in PDF or Visio.
2. A written design brief (≈10 – 15 pages) covering every bullet in the scope.
3. A BOM spreadsheet with vendor links and pricing columns.
4. A short video or slide deck walking me through how the caretaker would use the dashboard for live monitoring, automatic valve routines, and alert handling.

If you have completed similar IoT or utilities projects, feel free to reference them. I’m ready to move quickly once the architecture is clear and practical.