Ag Tech Products & AgTech Services News

The vision of having license-free community sensor networks for agricultural users, made a giant leap closer to reality. A team of collaborating companies connected a Vinduino agricultural sensor station to the eVineyard application via a long-range wireless data connection, managed by The Things Network.

The Things Network is a global community, building a global Internet of Things network with deployments in over 89 countries. By enabling agricultural communities to set up subscription free wireless data networks, sensor stations no longer need proprietary gateways, but can use a shared access point. The network uses a 5-mile range and low power radio frequency protocol called LoRaWAN.

The eVineyard vineyard management application is fully customized to meet the needs of United States grape growers and offers many features, like an automated irrigation time determination, based on local weather data and Vinduino soil moisture measurements. This unique approach increases the ease of use and precision of vineyard irrigation, bringing water savings to the next level.

The Vinduino sensor station uses a custom designed LM-110-H1 module by Globalsat, allowing connection to a LoRaWAN wireless network without design change.

“This is great progress, the result of our collaborative effort makes use of agricultural sensor technologies so much easier and affordable”, says Reinier van der Lee, founder and CEO of Vinduino. “With our sensor system you can optimize irrigation and save an average of 25% water. On top of that, you can share a gateway with hundreds of sensors. A few gateways can cover a whole agricultural area, allowing tremendous savings on wireless cost.”

“Now, savings in vineyard management with the help of sensors are accessible, affordable, and easy to set-up and use for any vineyard – literally”, adds Matic Serc from eVineyard. “The new offering will be beneficial both for our existing customers, as well as new ones who will join eVineyard family. This is a great example of how IoT technologies transform agriculture, and we’re excited to be working with Vinduino and The Things Network at the forefront of this wave.”

Source : https://www.evineyardapp.com