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Abstract The design of infrastructure used for deploying water quality sensors can potentially impact data quality. Despite this, sensor infrastructure design has not been well discussed in the peer‐reviewed literature. Here, we present side‐by‐side measurements from two contrasting designs; a “monopod” consisting of a strut driven into the streambed and a downrigger suspended from an “overhead cable.” We collected measurements over an approximately 6‐month period from two wadeable stream monitoring sites within the National Ecological Observatory Network. In general, we observed minimal differences between measurements, suggesting both designs to be viable options from a data quality perspective under normal operating conditions. However, the monopod design was more susceptible to coming out of the water during low stage and burial by sedimentation. While more expensive and logistically complex to install, the overhead cable design exhibited greater survivability, adjustability, and serviceability. We discuss additional design considerations and potential modifications that we hope will prove useful to other researchers in instrumenting their own sites.