Want to monitor the water status of your greenhouse plants using substrate moisture sensors remotely from your home?
We recently upgraded our wireless monitoring system with a new WiFi IoT-enabled gateway. The new gateway (ISHKUR GI-IT) collects sensor data (e.g. soil or substrate moisture) from a network of wireless sensors with a range of ~1.2 mi (2 km). The wireless sensor network works in star topology and relies on DurUntash wireless sensor nodes. Sensor data is sent over the Internet to Amazon Web Services and stored in our cloud-based data storage rather than a local computer. Currently, the SHUHSAN CVI-Wireless application can be used to securely connect to our cloud-based services and download sensor data.
In this article, we will provide information on the DurUntash Lab 1) "local" wireless monitoring system (no remote access), and 2) WiFi IoT-enabled wireless monitoring system with remote access to sensor data.
Local Wireless Monitoring System (Sensor Network)
By combining DurUntash Lab ISHKUR G-WF LoRa-to-WiFi gateway, wireless sensor nodes, and research-grade sensors, you can set up a local wireless sensor network in star topology for your field, orchard, greenhouse, nursery, grow room or even garden. You will own a maintenance-free local network without having to pay any subscription fees. In addition, you do not need Internet access and the network can operate fully independently. The network can easily cover a radius of ~1.2 mi (2 km) line-of-sight.
We carry two types of long range wireless sensor nodes:
single-channel (ISHTAR 1P-LR) with only one sensor port, and
4-channel (SHINAK 4P-LR) with four sensor ports.
You may use a combination of single- and 4-channel nodes in your network. Both types of sensor nodes come with rechargeable batteries, which can be recharged using standard USB solar chargers. The 4-channel sensor nodes come with a larger battery pack that can power the unit for up to 12 months. The number of sensors depends on your budget and number of irrigation zones. An irrigation zone includes all plants with the same water needs (irrigated at the same time). We recommend installing at least two sensors per irrigation zone to deal with the natural plant/soil variability.
You can start with installing only one wireless sensor node and add more nodes over time. The gateway automatically detects new wireless sensor nodes that are added to the network, are on and have the correct settings. With sensor measurement interval of 60 min, it is possible to have about 100 sensors in the same wireless network. This is a safe number to avoid data packet loss, and in practice more sensors can be supported. As long as the sensors are installed correctly and that is almost everything(!), the rest is pretty straightforward.
The SHUHSAN CVI-Wireless application is used to connect to the gateway and plot sensor data in real-time. The app can connect to the ISHKUR gateway over WiFi or USB port. The only way to remotely access sensor data that is collected by the local wireless sensor network is to use a third-party software such as VNC® viewer that allows for remote desktop connection. You will also need to have access to the Internet and an in-field computer.
The local wireless sensor network works perfectly fine if you have an operation near populated areas, or having remote access to your data is not a concern. However, if you own an orchard or greenhouse in the middle of nowhere with no cellular coverage, a satellite IoT-enabled wireless sensor network might be a better solution.
WiFi IoT-enabled Wireless Monitoring System
We recently upgraded our wireless monitoring system (explained above) with a WiFi IoT connectivity solution that will give you remote access to your sensor data. WiFi IoT-enabled means your wireless monitoring system will be connected to the Internet over WiFi. You'll have access to your sensor data 24/7 from anywhere in the world. Because of the nature of this technology, which relies on wireless Internet connectivity, you need to have a WiFi modem and internet connection.
An IoT-enabled LoRa-to-WiFi gateway (ISHKUR G-IT gateway) and a user interface are part of this solution. The ISHKUR G-IT gateway collects sensor data from DurUntash long range (LoRa-enabled) wireless sensor nodes and sends aggregated data directly to Amazon Web Services (AWS).
Affordable solution
In addition to the WiFi IoT-enabled gateway, a wireless monitoring system with WiFi IoT connectivity needs a data plan. You can collect data from up to hundred sensors in the same network using the same gateway and use ISHKUR’s low-cost data service to access data remotely. The ISHKUR G-IT gateway connects DurUntash wireless sensor networks to the Internet, and a simple data plan makes it easy to download historical data or monitor near real-time measurements at no additional costs. There are no set up or hidden fees. ISHKUR’s data plan is an annual contract that provides almost unlimited access to sensor data per device per month and multiple users can remotely access sensor data using the same data plan.
Remote access to data using SHUSHAN CVI application (free)
The WiFi IoT-enabled wireless monitoring system is comprised of: 1) wireless sensor nodes that are installed in the field (greenhouse, grow room, home garden etc), and 2) SHUSHAN CVI user interface that is used to download and monitor sensor data remotely. As mentioned, access to wireless internet in the field where the gateway is installed is required. You also need internet access to be able to download sensor data from the cloud-based storage using the DurUntash user interface. The SHUSHAN CVI application is provided free of charge.
REST API (Application Programming Interface)
In addition to the SHUSHAN CVI, a REST API (Application Programming Interface) is also available for easy access to sensor data and integration into third-party platforms or custom-designed interface. I you're wondering what a REST API (also known as RESTful API) is, it is a set of rules, definitions and protocols that expose sensor data across the Internet. Programs use APIs to talk to each other and exchange data. We will provide you with credentials and an API key that allow you to do authentication (programmatically) and retrieve sensor data from our cloud-based database.
Currently, the SHUSHAN CVI-Wireless application or our REST API are the only ways to access your data. Our team is currently working on developing a web interface to add to the flexibility of accessing sensor data remotely.
Application Areas
Our focus at DurUntash Lab is "smart farming" using sensor data-driven IoT-enabled decision support systems. We develop all the components including sensors, data acquisition equipment, software and mathematical models in house. We cover both indoor controlled environment agriculture (CEA) and outdoor conventional agriculture. The key agricultural application areas that we're currently covering (using our products) include:
Soil/substrate moisture monitoring and irrigation scheduling
Nutrient management
Fruit and crop loss management
Alternative Solution: Satellite IoT-enabled Gateway
Please read this article if you are interested in remote access to your sensor data using a satellite IoT-enabled gateway.