Monitoring Livestock Water Supplies with IoT
Internet connectivity can be unpredictable and unreliable in rural areas. Low power, wide area networks can be used to provide reliable, secure connections in even the most remote locations. Discover how Alliot Technologies recently helped its partner to create a smart solution to remotely monitor livestock water supplies.
Business Challenges
Maintaining a water supply to livestock is vital to productivity. Without sufficient drinking water, the daily weight gain, milk yield and general health of livestock can be negatively impacted. Issues with water troughs can also cause flooding which can incur additional costs and cause time to be wasted.
Checking systems are working and that water levels meet the required standards are an important daily task on a farm. Combine these with the need to maintain consistent records to meet standards and market outlet requirements and it soon becomes an onerous task.
Alliot Technologies recently worked with one of its partners to create a smart solution which would:
- Alert farmers to any potential failures of the water trough feed system.
- Provide automated record keeping of responding to such welfare conditions.
Creating an automated system to address these factors helps to maintain regular records as well as helping to quickly identify potential issues all while saving time and providing a positive ROI.
The Solution
Alliot’s recommended solution used the Adeunis double level sensor and the Kerlink iStation LoRaWAN® Gateway. The double level sensor features two floats to monitor water levels. When the level falls below a set parameter, an alert is raised to signify a drop in the level or that something is wrong.
Through the recorded data, records now show when the system is operating as it should be and provide evidence when levels are low and then rectified.
How it works
The Adeunis double level sensor is affixed to the top of the water troughs to provide accurate level monitoring. With two floats, the Adeunis double level sensor is able to alert users when the water level falls below a minimum measurement which can be set by the user.
The Adeunis sensor connects to the Kerlink iStation gateway which acts as a bridge to the wireless LoRaWAN® network. Through the Kerlink iStation, network coverage can reach areas of up to 10km using low powered radio signals.
Once deployed, the water level sensor transmits recorded data to a connected gateway which is then transferred to a dashboard for visualisation. The recorded data can then be used to form reports to demonstrate compliance and to also identify potential failures. Any potential issues which are reported by the solution will automatically raise alerts. These alerts can be configured to notify users on their personal devices enabling them to act quickly.
The Results
Through the implementation of the Adeunis Double Level Sensor, Alliot’s partner has seen the following results:
• Improved financial results in terms of maintaining the Daily Weight Gain of livestock and yield.
• Time - peace of mind meaning Alliot’s partner doesn’t need to divert away from other tasks to check water trough levels.
• Animal Welfare - Reduced risk of loss of water or flooding.
• Environmental - Avoiding wasted water through overflowing troughs.
The Internet of Things can help to address the issues you face anytime, anywhere. Whether you’re looking to optimise crop yield, track livestock, manage and locate your assets and machinery or automate your regulation compliance; Alliot’s expert team can help.
COMPANY NAME: Alliot Technologies Ltd.
URL: https://www.alliot.co.uk/
EMAIL: contact@alliot.co.uk
PHONE: 01484 599544
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