EcoToilet: monitoring and control of self-sufficient dry toilets

A WBox gateway collects the data from each toilet (tank level, battery state, ventilation, door) through its binary and analog I/O and the VE.Direct driver. The supervision interface is built with the HTTP driver and the Weble APIs, and the operator reaches it remotely through the remote-access module, with no subscription fee.


Toilette sèche EcoToilet Comfort en pleine nature

The context

EcoToilet designs ecological dry toilets (no water, no sewer connection) for public spaces, natural sites and events. These installations are self-sufficient: they run off-grid, powered by a solar panel and a battery, and are often deployed on remote, unattended sites.

To operate a fleet of toilets spread across the territory, EcoToilet needs to know at all times, and remotely, the state of every tank, every battery and every device, without travelling on site. That is the job entrusted to the Weble gateway.

Discover EcoToilet →


Field acquisition: binary and analog I/O

The WBox E413 gateway is directly wired to the toilet’s physical world through its built-in I/O, with no PLC or intermediate hardware:

  • Binary I/O (digital) to read and drive states: ventilation on/off, control of the door’s electromagnetic lock, reporting the installation’s logical states.
  • Analog input for the tank level: the level is measured by a 0 to 180 Ω resistive probe (gauge type), read on a WBox analog input and converted into a fill percentage.

All the logic (level thresholds, ventilation timing, door schedules) runs on the gateway itself.


Battery state via VE.Direct

The toilet’s solar power supply is monitored in real time through the VE.Direct driver, which reads the installation’s Victron devices directly:

  • SmartShunt (battery monitor): state of charge, voltage, power balance and remaining runtime;
  • SmartSolar (MPPT charger): instant solar production, today’s and yesterday’s yield, charger state.

EcoToilet therefore has full visibility of the energy at every off-grid site and can anticipate a low battery before the toilet shuts down.


Graphical interface: HTTP driver and Weble API

The supervision interface was custom-built with the HTTP driver and the Weble APIs. It is a web app served by the gateway, refreshing in real time (address subscriptions, command writes), giving the operator:

  • the tank level with alert thresholds and an emptying mark;
  • control of the ventilation (off / auto / on + duration);
  • the door (electromagnetic lock) with a schedule for automatic opening and closing;
  • the energy dashboard (battery and solar production).

The interface talks directly to the gateway: no third-party cloud, no intermediate platform to maintain.

Interface de supervision EcoToilet : niveau, ventilation, porte, batterie

Supervision interface, accessible from a plain browser


Remote access: with no subscription fee

Through Weble’s remote-access module, EcoToilet reaches the interface of every toilet from anywhere, securely, as if the operator were on site. Level reading, ventilation control, door opening, battery check: everything is done remotely.

The remote-access service also manages access to the interface of every toilet. EcoToilet defines who can reach what (staff, operations teams, subcontractors) and with which rights. Access is granted, changed or revoked centrally by the client itself, with no need to reconfigure the field gateways.

A decisive point for a fleet meant to grow: this remote access comes with no recurring per-site subscription fee. The cost does not scale with the number of connected toilets.


The benefit

  • A single gateway: I/O acquisition, battery reading, web interface and remote access on one device.
  • Anticipated maintenance: tank level and battery known remotely, so emptying and interventions are planned, with no overflow or unexpected shutdown.
  • Controlled autonomy: real-time visibility of solar/battery energy for off-grid installations.
  • Access and rights management: the client grants and revokes interface access itself, per user and per site.
  • No subscription fee: remote access is included, with no recurring cost per toilet.
  • Data sovereignty: interface hosted on the gateway, local data, no dependency on a third-party cloud.

Modules & gateways used

  • WBox E413: binary and analog I/O, embedded logic.
  • VE.Direct: battery and solar state (Victron SmartShunt / SmartSolar).
  • HTTP: custom web interface through the Weble APIs.
  • Remote access: secure access to each toilet, with no subscription fee.