Question 1

Q1. What is LoRaWAN and why is it suited to agriculture?

Accepted Answer

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is a wireless communication protocol designed for low-power, low-bandwidth devices over long distances. A single LoRaWAN gateway can communicate with sensors across several kilometres — making it ideal for fields, large yards and remote outbuildings. Sensors run on batteries for months or years without any cabling or mains power, which makes deployment practical across a working farm.

Question 2

Q2. What do I need in place before you can install AgriTech monitoring?

Accepted Answer

Before sensors can transmit reliably, you need the right connectivity infrastructure in place. This means broadband that reaches your farm or estate, WiFi that covers the yards and buildings, and either a LoRaWAN gateway or mobile coverage for remote field locations. Dragon WiFi install all of these as well as the monitoring technology — so if your farm needs the connectivity upgrading first, we can manage that as part of the same project.

Question 3

Q3. Can I monitor my livestock remotely on my phone?

Accepted Answer

Yes — all monitoring systems we deploy include mobile and web dashboards, giving you access to live sensor data, alerts, and historical trends from anywhere with an internet connection. Alert thresholds are configured during installation, so you receive notifications when values go outside the agreed parameters — for example, a temperature spike in a poultry building or a calving alert from an animal in labour.

Question 4

Q4. What was the Capestone Farm project?

Accepted Answer

Dragon WiFi worked with Capestone Organic Poultry Farm to deploy a comprehensive IoT monitoring system covering environmental conditions, cold chain monitoring and operational tracking. The project demonstrated how connected technology can reduce labour, improve compliance and give farm managers real-time visibility of their operation. You can read the full case study at /case-studies/capestone-embraces-iot/

Question 5

Q5. How long do sensor batteries last?

Accepted Answer

Battery life depends on the sensor type and the transmission frequency. For typical agricultural monitoring applications — temperature, humidity, soil moisture — battery life of one to three years is standard, but some can last even longer. For high-frequency applications such as animal movement tracking, batteries are replaced more regularly. We document all battery schedules during handover and offer ongoing battery management as part of our support packages.

Question 6

Q6. Can LoRaWAN sensors work without a mobile signal?

Accepted Answer

Yes — LoRaWAN sensors communicate with a local gateway rather than with the mobile network directly. As long as a sensor is within range of a LoRaWAN gateway, it will transmit data regardless of mobile coverage. The gateway itself needs an internet connection — typically via farm broadband or a local 4G/5G router — but the sensors themselves are independent of mobile signal.

Question 7

Q7. Can you integrate monitoring data with our existing farm management software?

Accepted Answer

In many cases, yes. Common farm management platforms support data import from IoT monitoring systems, and we work with our technology partners to configure integration where it is available. For bespoke integrations, we can provide API access and work with your software provider to establish a data feed. We will assess this during the scoping process.

AgriTech Solutions
For Modern Farming

A Connected Farm
From the Ground Up

Case Study