Published November 2, 2026 · Updated November 2, 2026
Short answer: AFTI WatchDog is a solar-powered wellsite box with a camera, sensors and alerts, sold as hardware plus a monthly software subscription, and built to replace the routine drive out to look at a well. If you want eyes on the site and you already run SCADA, it was built for you. If what you need is tank levels, pressures and compressor runtime on leases with no power, at one published flat rate per site, TinyPumper is the simpler fit, and your team installs it in 8 minutes.
Most lease trouble isn’t something you’d spot on a photo. The compressor trips at 2 a.m., the casing pressure creeps up all week, and the pumper rolls in and finds the well dead. “I drove out there just to look” is the trip both products are trying to kill. They kill it in different ways.
Is AFTI WatchDog or TinyPumper the Better Fit for My Lease?
It depends on what you need to see. If you want a camera watching the site for leaks and you already run SCADA, AFTI WatchDog is built for that. If you need tank levels, pressures and compressor runtime on leases with no power, TinyPumper watches all three on one gateway. As of November 2026, it costs $349 a sensor, one-time setup, then one flat monthly rate per site, unlimited sensors. If you need full control of instrumented facilities, neither is the answer; look at oil and gas SCADA instead.
What Is AFTI WatchDog?
AFTI WatchDog is a remote wellsite monitoring system from Advanced Flow Technologies Inc. (AFTI), a company based in Calgary, Alberta. It pairs a field box (sensors, a camera, a solar panel and battery, and a modem) with the K9 Operator Portal website and the K9 mobile app (Darcy Partners product profile, January 2025). AFTI calls the idea a “Virtual Wellsite Visit,” and says its mission is “to eliminate the routine wellsite visit.”
AFTI frames every visit around three questions: are they pumping, are they producing, and is there a leak? That is a focused job for WatchDog in oil and gas, and it does it well.
What Does AFTI WatchDog Do Well?
- It has a camera. AFTI built its own camera after deciding a picture was the most reliable way to spot leaks, and it now markets night-time IR imaging and built-in defrosting (AFTI WatchDog website, 2026). No sensor-only monitor gives you that view.
- It is proven at scale. AFTI says it has over 20,000 WatchDogs deployed (AFTI WatchDog website, accessed July 2026).
- It is built for older, smaller wells. AFTI designed it for “the other 80%” of wells, where full SCADA rarely pays.
- It runs on solar. No site power needed at the well.
- It can talk to your controllers. WatchDog can read Modbus devices such as pump-off controllers and drives, and AFTI says it can start, stop or change pump speed through the controller (EnergyNow article, September 2016).
- It plays nice with SCADA. AFTI pitches WatchDog as the “cherry on top” of an existing SCADA system, not a replacement.
If you want a picture of the site and remote control through your pump-off controllers, those are real reasons to buy it.
Where Does a Camera-and-Alerts Box Stop?
- Pricing is part hidden. AFTI says a basic package starts at $1K to $5K depending on the setup (AFTI WatchDog website, accessed July 2026). The monthly software subscription is real but its rate is not published (Darcy Partners product profile, January 2025). You can’t price ten sites without a quote.
- Controller links add field work. Hooking WatchDog into pump-off controllers and drives means wiring and mapping each controller. That is controls work, and it varies by site.
- It sits beside your other systems. AFTI positions WatchDog next to SCADA. Your daily gauges, run tickets and state reports still live somewhere else.
- Coverage leans on cell service. AFTI says WatchDogs need “zero infrastructure besides a local cell network” (AFTI WatchDog website, 2026). On a lease in a dead zone, ask AFTI how it connects there.
How Does TinyPumper Compare?
| AFTI WatchDog | TinyPumper | |
|---|---|---|
| What it watches | Pumping, producing and leaks, plus tubing and casing pressure, tank level and chemical use (AFTI WatchDog website, 2026) | Tank levels, pressures (wellhead, flowline, injection) and engine or compressor runtime |
| Camera | Yes, with night IR and defrost (AFTI WatchDog website, 2026) | No camera |
| Tank measurement | Not stated on its site | Radar on top of the tank, no fluid contact |
| Power | Solar panel and battery | Solar powered gateway |
| Coverage | Local cell network (AFTI WatchDog website, 2026) | 100% continental US coverage, because we use satellite |
| Install | “Deployed in minutes,” per the company; controller links take longer | Your team self-installs in 8 minutes |
| Hazardous areas | Camera and box Class I Zone 2, sensors Class I Zone 1 (AFTI WatchDog website, 2026) | Class I Div 1 certified, IP67 |
| Up-front price | Basic package $1K to $5K (AFTI WatchDog website, accessed July 2026) | $349 a sensor, one-time setup |
| Monthly price | Monthly subscription, rate not published (Darcy Partners product profile, January 2025) | One flat rate per site, unlimited sensors |
| If it breaks | Ask the vendor | Lifetime hardware replacement |
| Trial | Ask the vendor | 60-day money-back, we pay return shipping |
Where the AFTI WatchDog column says “not stated” or “ask the vendor,” its public site does not say. Ask AFTI directly before you buy.
When Is TinyPumper the Better Fit?
- You need tanks, pressures and runtime watched, and you don’t need a picture to know something is wrong.
- You have leases in dead zones. Satellite gives 100% continental US coverage.
- You want to price every site before a sales call: $349 a sensor, one-time setup. Then one flat rate a month per site, unlimited sensors.
- You want alerts right away. Sensors report every hour and check your thresholds every 5 minutes, so an alarm goes out the moment a line is crossed.
- You want production data in the same place. Every well with a TinyPumper sensor gets free Greasebook, so readings sit beside the daily gauges and run tickets.
Producers running TinyPumper report cutting lease runs by 30 to 50 percent and catching failures days sooner. For how it fits across a whole lease, see our oil well monitoring systems guide.
TinyPumper watches all three on one gateway. $349 a sensor, one-time setup, then one flat rate a month per site. 60-day money-back.
See TinyPumperWhen Is AFTI WatchDog the Better Fit?
Be honest about the job. TinyPumper watches; it does not control. It won’t shut in a well or change pump speed. If you want to start, stop or slow a pump through your controller from the office, or you want a camera picture of the site before you send anyone, AFTI WatchDog does things TinyPumper doesn’t. If you need full control of instrumented facilities, look at oil and gas SCADA.
TinyPumper in Plain Facts
TinyPumper is GreaseBook’s sister product. It gives 100% continental US coverage because we use satellite. Each gateway handles up to 8 sensors. Every order carries a 60-day money-back guarantee. Lifetime replacement covers all equipment, every sensor included. Your team self-installs it in 8 minutes, with no electrician and no trenching.
Quick Answers to Common AFTI WatchDog Searches
- AFTI WatchDog cost: a basic package starts at $1K to $5K depending on the setup (AFTI WatchDog website, accessed July 2026), plus a monthly subscription AFTI doesn’t publish. Ask for a full quote per site.
- AFTI WatchDog alternative free: there is no free monitoring system worth trusting on a lease. The closest thing to risk-free is a trial: TinyPumper comes with a 60-day money-back guarantee, and we pay the return shipping.
- AFTI WatchDog login and AFTI K9 WatchDog login: customers log in to the K9 Operator Portal or the K9 mobile app (the “K9 AFTI” app), reached from aftiwatchdog.com. This page can’t help with a WatchDog AFTI password; contact AFTI.
- AFTI WatchDog reviews: we found no public operator reviews on the big software review sites. Ask AFTI for references from producers your size.
- AFTI WatchDog jobs: that is AFTI’s own careers page. This page is for producers comparing monitoring.
- WatchDog Calgary and AFTI WatchDog Calgary: AFTI is based in Calgary, Alberta. TinyPumper serves producers across the continental US.
- WatchDog oil and gas and WatchDog remote monitoring: both mean AFTI’s wellsite monitoring product described above.
Who This Page Is Not For
This page is not for producers who want a camera on the site, producers who want to control pumps through their controllers, and producers who need full SCADA control. For the full field of options, see oilfield monitoring alternatives. For tank-only gauges, see our Tank Sentinel alternative and TankScan alternative pages, or the oilfield tank monitoring guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AFTI WatchDog?
AFTI WatchDog is a remote wellsite monitoring system from Advanced Flow Technologies Inc. in Calgary. A solar-powered field box carries sensors, a camera and a modem, and readings and pictures show up in the K9 Operator Portal and K9 mobile app. AFTI calls it a Virtual Wellsite Visit: it tells you whether the well is pumping, producing or leaking without the drive.
How much does AFTI WatchDog cost?
AFTI says a basic package starts at $1K to $5K depending on the setup in the field (AFTI WatchDog website, accessed July 2026). On top of the box, customers pay a monthly software subscription for the K9 portal, and that rate is not published. To compare, TinyPumper is $349 a sensor, one-time setup, then one flat rate a month per site, unlimited sensors.
What is the best AFTI WatchDog alternative?
If you want a camera on the site, few products match WatchDog. If you need tank levels, pressures and engine or compressor runtime on leases with no power, a whole-site sensor monitor is the better alternative. TinyPumper covers all three on one gateway, reaches 100% of the continental US over satellite, and your team self-installs it in 8 minutes.
Does TinyPumper have a camera like WatchDog?
No. TinyPumper has no camera. It uses radar on top of the tank, pressure sensors at the wellhead, flowline or injection well, and a built-in shake counter that tells you whether an engine or compressor is running. If a picture of the site is what you need, WatchDog does that and TinyPumper doesn’t.
Does TinyPumper work where there is no cell service?
Yes. TinyPumper gives 100% continental US coverage because we use satellite, so a lease in a dead zone still reports. The gateway is solar powered and the sensors are wireless, so nothing gets wired at the site. Every order carries a 60-day money-back guarantee and lifetime replacement on all equipment.