NeoCortec, providers of ultra-low-power bi-directional wireless mesh network hardware and software solutions, is working together with Australian company farmIT to enable easy monitoring of remote Australian farm assets like livestock water troughs, boundary gates, water tanks, diesel tanks, and rainfall.
Neocortec’s ultra-low power, scalable and easy-to-install wireless mesh network technology simplifies installation and reduces operational costs for Australian farmers dramatically. “The labour-intensive process of manually checking livestock water supplies and other farm assets can be prohibitively expensive. NeoMesh presents a low-power, cost-effective solution perfect for the scale of Australian farms,” says Luke Mitchell, CEO of farmIT.
farmIT’s system uses NeoCortec’s long-range radio modules integrated with sensors on each watering point, efficiently channelling data to a central hub. This data is then transmitted to the cloud via an existing internet connection, completely eliminating the need for any costly communication network.
Remarkably, the sensors operate on just two AA batteries for up to five years, and the mesh network means that the distance covered is effectively unlimited. With the long-range-radio modules, farmIT is able to get a range of up to five kilometres when there is a clear line of sight. And, if for whatever reason the range to the next node is not enough, a relay station is simply put in the middle to extend the range.
farmIT’s sensor solutions not only monitor livestock water troughs, but also other important factors like boundary gates, water tanks, diesel tanks, rainfall, and soil temperature. On a farm there might easily be 20 or more sensors monitoring a range of these items. “Therefore, having a NeoMesh sensor network is ideal, as the farmers can create ‘a sort of cloud over their property’, as we say, where they can connect in as many sensors they need and easily have all the sensor readings sent back to their mobile device or their computer, without having to set up communication equipment for each sensor,” Mitchell explains. “From this device the data can be uploaded into the cloud. This makes it very easy and cost effective for the farmers to monitor the levels of any tank or trough, see how much rainfall they had, or check if the soil temperature is right for planting crops, etcetera.”
“Of course, in this Australian farmIT solution there still needs to be a gateway from the mesh to Cloud, but the main advantage of a mesh solution like our flexible and ultimately scalable NeoMesh network technology is that you only need one central gateway to collect all the sensor data and transmit it to the Cloud, with no need for repeaters or additional gateways to connect different parts of the network,” remarks Cato Skipsted Fagermo, business development manager at NeoCortec. “The installation of our NeoMesh radio modules with the integrated sensors is very straightforward by just placing the nodes where you need them and turning them on. The network’s mesh configuration then enables data transmission even from the most remote corners of a farm,” Fagermo concludes.
Through its robust and user-friendly design, NeoMesh technology not only streamlines farm management but also plays a crucial role in protecting livestock, highlighting its growing status as a vital tool in modern agricultural practices.
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