Remote Gauge Reading With a Camera: What the Milesight X1 Can and Cannot Do
TL;DR: The Milesight X1 is a small battery sensing camera that photographs an analogue gauge, meter or indicator lamp on a schedule, on an alarm input or at the press of a button, and sends the picture over Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi HaLow. It turns remote gauge reading into a job for a picture rather than a site visit, without touching the gauge or the process. It is not a LoRaWAN device, it is rated IP30 for 0°C to 50°C, and a battery lasts up to two years at three pictures a day.
Last updated: 14 September 2026
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Key takeaways
- The Milesight X1 photographs a gauge, meter or lamp from 5 to 20 cm away in full HD, so remote gauge reading needs no change to the instrument or the pipework.
- It captures on a schedule, when an alarm input goes high, or when its button is pressed, and stores up to 40 pictures if the link is down.
- It sends images over Wi-Fi (SC541) or Wi-Fi HaLow (SC541-HL), not LoRaWAN, because pictures are far too large for LoRaWAN.
- Milesight rates the battery at up to 2 years for the Wi-Fi model and up to 3 years for the HaLow model, at 3 captures a day with the supplementary light off.
- It is IP30 and rated 0°C to 50°C, so it belongs indoors or in an enclosure, and it is listed from £62.85 ex VAT.
Why read gauges with a camera?
Gauge reading with a camera solves a problem sensors cannot: an instrument that already works but has no output. Pressure gauges on old pipework, water meters with no pulse output, oil sight glasses and panel indicator lamps are all read by walking up to them. A camera takes that walk away without replacing or rewiring anything.
Replacing an analogue gauge with a transmitter usually means isolating the line, draining it, fitting a new instrument and running a cable or adding a radio. For a reading that only matters once or twice a day, that is a lot of work and risk. Remote gauge reading with a camera clips a bracket near the dial and leaves the process untouched.
Milesight’s X1 product page describes exactly this use: replacing manual checks of facilities, especially pressure meters in complex industrial environments.
What is the Milesight X1?
The Milesight X1 is a 62 × 62 × 25 mm sensing camera that takes full HD 1920 × 1080 JPEG pictures of a target a few centimetres away and sends them over MQTT. It comes in two radio versions and two lens versions, so a gauge reading setup is chosen for the network and the distance to the dial.
| Detail from the datasheet | |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 1920 × 1080, JPEG |
| Lens PN:1020 | 10 to 20 cm from the target, 77° field of view |
| Lens PN:0510 | 5 to 10 cm from the target, 120° field of view |
| Capture modes | Scheduled, alarm-in, button |
| Storage | Up to 40 pictures, about 3 MB |
| SC541 radio | Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz |
| SC541-HL radio | Wi-Fi HaLow, 863.5 to 867.5 MHz in Europe |
| Power | USB-C 5 V, or 2 × AA batteries |
| Rating | IP30, 0°C to 50°C |
For gauge reading, the two lenses matter more than they look. A camera at 15 cm from a large dial wants the PN:1020 lens; a small gauge in a tight space where the camera can only sit 5 to 10 cm away needs the wide PN:0510.
Why is the X1 not a LoRaWAN device?
The X1 uses Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi HaLow because a picture is far too big for LoRaWAN. The Things Network lists sending photos as not suitable for LoRaWAN and points to Wi-Fi instead. LoRaWAN is designed for small readings of a few bytes, and a full HD JPEG is many thousands of times larger.
That shapes the network any gauge reading project needs. The SC541 joins an ordinary 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi network, which suits an office, a plant room near the building network or a site with good Wi-Fi coverage. The SC541-HL uses Wi-Fi HaLow in the sub-gigahertz band, which reaches further and penetrates walls better than 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, and works with a HaLow gateway such as the one we list for the SC541-HL.
If you are weighing HaLow against LoRaWAN for a wider project, our Wi-Fi HaLow vs LoRaWAN comparison sets out where each wins. For gauge reading the answer is simple: pictures need HaLow or Wi-Fi.
What are the best uses for remote gauge reading?
Remote gauge reading pays off wherever someone currently walks to an instrument just to look at it. Five uses cover most sites.
- Pressure gauges on plant. Boiler and pressurisation unit gauges, compressed air receivers and pump discharge gauges, photographed on a schedule.
- Meters with no output. Water, gas or oil meters where no pulse output exists and a meter change is not worth it.
- Indicator lamps and panel displays. A photo of a fire panel, a controller display or a row of alarm lamps shows state at a glance.
- Level sight glasses. Oil and fuel sight tubes on generators and tanks, where a transmitter would need a new tapping.
- Evidence on an event. Wired to an alarm output, the X1 takes a picture when the alarm fires, so you see the gauge at the moment it mattered.
For instruments that do have an electrical output, a sensor is still the better tool. A pressure transmitter on a 4-20 mA loop gives a continuous number; our guide to 4-20 mA explains how those join a LoRaWAN network.
How do you mount an X1 for a readable picture?
For reliable gauge reading, mount the X1 on its standard 1/4-20 UNC camera thread, square to the dial but slightly off its axis, at the distance its lens is designed for. Milesight’s user guide advises angling the camera to the meter rather than directly in front of it, to avoid reflections from the glass.
- Distance: 10 to 20 cm with the PN:1020 lens, 5 to 10 cm with the PN:0510 lens.
- Angle: slightly off-axis, so the glass does not reflect the supplementary light straight back.
- Fixing: a rigid bracket. A camera that shifts a few millimetres moves the needle in every picture.
- Light: use the supplementary light in dark plant rooms, knowing it shortens battery life.
- Test first: check gauge reading at different times of day before relying on it, because sunlight through a window can wash out a dial.
What are the X1’s limits?
The X1 is a camera, not an instrument, and its limits for gauge reading follow from that. Know these five before you plan a site around it.
- It sends pictures, not numbers. Milesight pairs the X1 with its AIoT Sensing Platform for processing images. Whether a particular gauge can be read into a value automatically depends on that processing and on the gauge, so test a sample before committing to hundreds.
- It is IP30 and rated 0°C to 50°C. Wet, dusty, freezing or outdoor locations need an enclosure with a clear window, or a different approach.
- Battery life assumes few pictures. Up to 2 years on the SC541 and 3 years on the SC541-HL assume 3 captures a day with the light off. Hourly pictures need USB-C power.
- It needs a network in reach. Wi-Fi at 2.4 GHz, or a HaLow gateway for the SC541-HL. There is no LoRaWAN option.
- It stores only 40 pictures. A long network outage loses the oldest images once storage is full.
How much does an X1 cost?
The X1 is listed at £62.85 ex VAT for the Wi-Fi SC541 with either lens and £104.74 ex VAT for the Wi-Fi HaLow SC541-HL, typically dispatched within 14 working days with UK delivery at £14.25 ex VAT per order. Compared with isolating a line to fit a transmitter, remote gauge reading with a camera is usually the cheapest way to take a gauge off the walk-round.
See the X1 sensing camera on Indiott to choose the radio and lens.
Frequently asked questions
Can the Milesight X1 read analogue gauges?
Yes, as remote gauge reading by picture. It photographs them in full HD from 5 to 20 cm away, on a schedule, on an alarm input or on a button press. Turning the picture into a number depends on the image processing platform used, so test your gauge type first.
Does the X1 work over LoRaWAN?
No. The SC541 uses 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi and the SC541-HL uses Wi-Fi HaLow. Pictures are far too large for LoRaWAN, which The Things Network lists as unsuitable for sending photos.
How long does the X1 battery last?
Milesight quotes up to 2 years for the SC541 and up to 3 years for the SC541-HL at 3 captures a day with the supplementary light off, at 25°C. More frequent pictures need USB-C power.
Which X1 lens do I need?
For gauge reading, choose PN:1020 when the camera can sit 10 to 20 cm from the dial, and PN:0510 when it has to sit 5 to 10 cm away in a tight space.
Can the X1 be used outdoors?
Not on its own. It is rated IP30 and for 0°C to 50°C, so outdoor or wet locations need a weatherproof enclosure with a clear window.
A camera for the dials nobody will replace
Remote gauge reading with the X1 takes analogue instruments off the walk-round without touching the process. Choose the radio for your network, the lens for the distance, and test the picture before you scale.
Browse the X1 sensing camera, or send us a photo of the gauges you want to read and an engineer will tell you whether a camera or a sensor is the better fit, within one working day.
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