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IoT Solution for NSW Cattle and Sheep Station

Business Profile

Powertec Telecommunications was invited to showcase our myinsight.io precision Ag IoT/E solution at the Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) 2018 Red Meat digital forum. The idea was to drive innovation and the benefits of IoT applications to MLA members in real life scenarios.

Products Used

  • Industrial cellular router (for internet access)
  • LoRa Gateway
  • Long range high capacity WiFi Access Points
  • Long range high capacity wireless data links
  • 4 x weather stations
  • 4 x Soil moisture probes
  • 5 x water tank level sensors
  • 3 x grain silo level sensors
  • 10 x gate status sensors
  • 5 x vehicle/asset trackers
  • Water pump machine control
  • Blackhawk Solar kits

Challenge

Head of Powertec technical Department, Geoff Carroll and the Powertec IoT solutions team had to deliver the solution across a 23 square kilometre prime sheep and cattle breeding property with no access to mains power and reliable internet. As well as determine the following:

  • The most appropriate location to deploy the Cellular internet router, LoRa Gateway and WiFi base station to provide coverage across the property.
  • Gather real time data on localised weather, soil conditions, water tank and feed silo levels, gate status, status and control for the main water pumps as well as vehicle and asset tracking locations.
  • Ensure that every part of the deployment was robust enough to survive harsh conditions and interference from wild animals and livestock.
  • Integrate all data collected into one dashboard to provide live and historical information along with event logs and alerts making for smarter business decisions.

The Solution

The final design included a single solar powered base station incorporating a cellular router for internet access, a LoRa gateway for communication with the things (sensors, weather stations, soil probes and assets). Long range, high capacity Wi-Fi access points as well as wireless data links to provide internet access.

The first step involved mapping out the area to determine the optimal location for the base station to capture the mobile signal. A sure-footing installation method was used to ensure both stability and longevity. It was essential that this method was used to protect the masts from livestock rubbing, chewing and “investigating”.

Solar Weather Station with LoRa

With the base stations in place, a multitude of specially designed sensors and monitors were installed across the property. The sensors are used for applications such as: soil conditions, gate status, grain levels, local weather, water tank levels and vehicle tracking.

A semi-automated bore pump control device, to control the water flow to three tanks has also been included in this IoT development. The control device enables the staff to turn the bore pump on and off via the dashboard. The LoRa network supports efficient data collection which is all funnelled directly to the myinsight.io dashboard via the internet.

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