Wireless Network for Rice Field Research
The Rice Research Australia Pty Ltd (RRAPL) needed to conduct detailed remote monitoring of rice fields in Jerilderie, near Wagga in New South Wales, to determine the best conditions for commercial rice production. They installed two Remote Telemetry Units (RTU) as well as various field sensors to capture this information but needed a communications network to relay the information to the RRAPL office. The network will also be used to remotely control various equipment used in farming.
URSYS, a specialist in satellite and radio telecommunications, was charged with providing this network. They decided on a wireless farm area network which is mobile, could be set up quickly, need no cables to be laid, and most importantly, could be remotely managed.
to the RRAPL’s office 2.5 miles (4 km) away
The RRAPL, as part of their project to conduct detailed monitoring of in-field growing conditions for commercial rice production, needed to collect water temperature and depth data at various points within a control field at regular intervals throughout every day of a rice growing cycle. This data will enable the research team to develop a model for specifying ideal growing conditions to optimise quality and production for various varieties of rice under different conditions and inputs.
The “Remote Telemetry Unit” or RTU automatically collects data from the field sensors and weather station and remotely controls other devices needed in the daily commercial production of rice. It is moveable between fields during annual crop rotation and can operate on either solar power or 240 volts.
The Remote Telemetry Unit (RTU) is solar powered and equipped with sensors and surveillance video camera
URSYS designed and integrated the 2.4 GHz radio network using two airPoint Nexus as access points and 6 airClient Nexus as client devices to connect the two RTUs back to the RRAPL office as well as other locations such as the Seed Shed and the Weigh station. These links, some up to 2.5 miles (4 km) in length, formed the backbone of the Farm Area Network or FAN that connects the RRAPL’s computers to the Remote Telemetry Units, the Weigh Station and their Seed Shed operation. URSYS was also able to connect the main RRAPL tractor to sense and connect to the nearest access point within the FAN, effectively creating a mobile Hot Spot for Internet access for in-field personnel.
Russell Ford, Managing Director of RRAPL, said, “The real time monitoring system allows researchers and scientists to have access to valuable growth and environmental data from remote locations via an Internet connection. Management, monitoring and control of irrigation systems which is part of this system will improve the overall water use efficiency of rice growing for RRAPL.”
The field sensors collect data on water temperature and depth and relay it wirelessly to the nearest RTU
URSYS chose the smartBridges Nexus radios purchased from Hills Industries, smartBridges Gold Channel Partner in Australia. Garry Millar, Business Development Manager from URSYS, said, “We created a wireless network providing blanket broadband coverage across the entire farm. So researchers can securely access and control devices via a standard web browser from anywhere in the world and receive log reports and device alarms via email or even SMS.”
The weighing station is now connected to the RRAPL VPN wirelessly
Rolf Rolfsema, Product Development Manager for Hills, said, “The airPoint Nexus, the smartBridges access point used in this deployment, is a rugged device that is designed for Near Line of Sight deployments and provides scalable and robust last mile wireless infrastructure. The web based management interface makes it perfect for telemetry uses as it allows for remote management of the device.”
About URSYS
URSYS develops and operates information networks for education, finance and commercial organisations. We specialise in broadband virtual private networks and the information applications that these networks support. URSYS networks operate over satellite, wireless and cable using both static and dynamic VPNs in broadband or single channel configuration. For more information, please visit their website.
Contact
Gary Millar
Business Development Manager
Tel: +61 2-8745-2809
Email: garry.millar@urnet.com.au
About Hills Industries
Hills is a diversified manufacturer of lots of clever Australian products and services which meet standards of quality and dependability people have come to expect and associate with the Hills brand. Hills currently operates businesses in three industry segments: Home and Hardware Products, Electronic Security and Entertainment Products and Building and Industrial Products.
The Hills Antenna Business Unit manufactures microwave antennas from 900 MHz to 5.8 GHz and distributes smartBridges equipment for long range wireless networks. For more information, please visit their website.
