Our business decisions and operations are based more and more on data. If you want to optimise your profits and adhere to legal requirements you need to collect data. You can collect these by hand, but having them collected automatically is much easier. But as soon as you start to explore the possibilities of the so-called Internet of Things, you get confused by information overload. In this article, we'll explain it in words you understand and we'll show you how easy it really is to get started.
Remote sensors can help you gain insights and data you need to optimise your processes and maximise your profits. They can also benefit your sustainability efforts
Getting started with the Internet of Things and LoRaWAN may seem daunting. Looking up information you get bombarded with discourses about nodes, gateways and servers, blockchain, connectivity, interference resilience and chirp spread spectrum modulation. Do you need to understand all that? The short answer is no, you don't. Just like you don't necessarily need to know exactly how the music gets to your smart speaker, or how your navigation knows where you are and which is the quickest route to your destination at this moment. You can easily start collecting data without having to know exactly how it works. All you need is the right partner, who knows all about it.
LoRa sensors, the 'Things' in Internet of Things, can be used to measure variables such as location (GPS), temperature, air humidity, soil moisture, distance, presence, liquid levels and other variables. LoRa is short for Long Range, as these sensors transmit small packages of data through a long range radio signal. Because the data packages are so small, the sensor uses very little energy. This results in a long battery life.
These sensors transmit data over a low power, wide area network aka LPWAN (the 'Internet' in Internet of Things). Small data packages are broken up into even smaller pieces, keeping them safe. Long Range means sensors can transmit up to 2 kms in built up urban areas, to as many as 10 to 15 kms in rural areas. And with a worldwide network of gateways connecting with each other to transmit the data, you can get all your data on your screen at any moment, wherever you are.
Data transmission is done using special security protocols and encryption codes to protect your valuable and confidential business information as it is sent from the sensor to your dashboard. Your data is safe at all times and accessible only for those who are authorised to do so.
The data you collect will get passed on via the LoRaWAN wireless Wide Area Network and will land in your dashboard. You can access your data for analytical and administrative purposes, export data for reporting or calculating and jump into action the minute you receive an alert. Easily set minimum and maximum values and alerts and make sure the right person gets notified when something is wrong.
Jeremy is responsible for the dairy products in 165 supermarkets across the country. Temperatures in cold stores and refrigerated display cases are checked every day by an employee, who writes them on a list. Temperature records are copied in Excel once a week and sent through to Jeremy. Sometimes it is unclear at what time readings were made or why temperatures were high (and how long for). This makes it difficult to know exactly whether all foodstuffs remain safe. On 6 January during the night one of the refrigerators gave up the ghost. By the time employees found out it was too late to save the contents. Milk, yoghurt and other dairy products in the display needed to be disposed of, as temperatures had been too high for hours.
In order to prevent future product loss and spoilage Jeremy starts looking for a solution. Now each cold store and display case in each of the 165 stores has a sticker in it, that measures temperatures at set times and stores all data in a central database. Getting started turned out to be easy: stickers arrived pre-programmed and only needed to be stuck in the display cases. After that, the measured data could easily be retrieved from the dashboard. Easy settings mean that minimum and maximum values, as well as contact information for alerts can be specified quickly and easily. If at any time the temperature gets too high or too low, an alert is sent to the responsible person, even if this occurs outside business hours. This makes it easy to take immediate action to prevent spoilage. As the system also shows battery levels and proper operation, Jeremy can rest assured that all sensors do their work, even when no-one is present.
Getting started with LoRaWAN sensors is as easy as that. It's a quick and easy process and both purchasing and operational costs are low. The benefits are high, as the above story shows.
At Connect IoT we understand your business needs and help you get connected easily. A comprehensive all-in-one dashboard lets you approach all data from any sensor you have. Let's keep it easy. Let's Connect.
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