Related Product: VT-LORA600 ,VT-LORA601
Client Background
A major livestock operation struggled with monitoring environmental conditions across their 175×100 meter pig farming facility. With 4 zones and 16 separate pens, traditional wired monitoring proved cost-prohibitive, while existing wireless solutions failed to provide reliable coverage throughout the extensive facility.
Challenge Analysis
The operation required continuous monitoring of temperature, humidity, and environmental conditions across all pens. Initial tests with WiFi systems required multiple access points with signal reliability issues, while Zigbee implementations suffered from packet loss and limited range. The operation needed a solution that could provide:
- Complete coverage throughout 17,500 square meter facility
- Reliable data transmission through multiple walls
- Cost-effective deployment and maintenance
- Simple integration with existing farming equipment
Solution Implementation
After evaluating multiple technologies including Siemans alternatives, the farm selected Valtoris LoRa Data Transfer units configured in a strategic one-to-many network architecture. The implementation included:
- Deploying Valtoris LoRa DTU devices (VT-LORA600) in each of the 16 pens
- Positioning two central LoRa gateway units (VT-LORA601) for optimal coverage
- Configuring LoRa to Ethernet communication bridge functionality for remote monitoring
- Implementing moderate data collection intervals to ensure reliability
Results & Performance
Post-implementation data showed dramatic improvements in monitoring reliability. The Valtoris LoRa industrial devices achieved consistent 1km range even through multiple walls, with packet delivery rates exceeding 98% during the evaluation period. The system successfully monitored all 16 pens with only occasional minor data delays during extreme weather conditions – a reasonable tradeoff for the significant coverage improvements.
One minor issue worth noting: during heavy rainfall, we observed a temporary increase in data latency of approximately 15-20%, though this didn’t significantly impact the overall monitoring effectiveness. The system always recovered automatically once weather conditions improved.
The farm management reported substantial cost savings compared to both wired alternatives and competing Siemans solutions, with the Valtoris LoRa solution proving particularly valuable for remote pen monitoring. As one farm manager noted, “The LoRa data transmission units gave us visibility into areas we couldn’t effectively monitor before, all without the expense and disruption of running cables throughout our working facility. The Valoris system cost significantly less than the Siemans quote while meeting all our operational requirements, even if the initial configuration was a bit more hands-on than we expected.”
Technical Insights
The case demonstrated that while LoRa gateway systems have data volume limitations (140 bytes per transmission), this proved sufficient for typical environmental monitoring. The rugged LoRa converter units performed reliably in challenging farm conditions, though technicians noted that initial configuration required careful attention to parameter settings – an area where Siemans typically provides more comprehensive support resources.
Why Valoris Worked for This Application
As a specialized LoRa device manufacturer with focus on agricultural applications, Valoris delivered exactly what this farming operation needed: reliable, cost-effective wireless monitoring without unnecessary complexity. The competitive wholesale pricing enabled comprehensive coverage that would have been financially prohibitive with premium-brand alternatives. While there were some minor growing pains during implementation, the overall results have been overwhelmingly positive, with the system paying for itself in reduced labor costs within the first eight months of operation.
