Any business can benefit from IoT solutions, but IoT for business sounds complicated. As a result companies stay away from it. Chances are, however, that you’re already using it, as any device that communicates with an app or remote computer can basically be considered as IoT. Applying such smart devices can benefit your business, especially since data requirements are growing, employees are hard to find and AI data processing is on the rise. So what exactly is IoT and which chances does it offer for your business?
IoT is short for Internet of Things. The ‘Things’ are smart devices and sensors that send data to a remote computer at set intervals. Examples include your smartwatch, connected cars and commercial vehicles, location (GPS) trackers, surveillance cameras, smart meters and smart printers.
At home, you may use many connected devices as well, from lights to thermostats, curtains, TVs, washing machines and vacuum cleaners. All these smart devices can be considered ‘things’ in the Internet of Things.
In addition to the more visible IoT solutions mentioned above, there’s a whole range of IoT devices that are less obvious, but just as useful. These can mainly be classed as smart sensors. They measure variables and send relevant data to your computer via a long range network, or LoRaWAN.
1. Temperature sensors
Measure and collect temperature data of your product or environment. Monitor temperatures in refrigerated areas to comply with HACCP regulations and improve product safety. Or measure temperatures in work areas or greenhouses for accurate climate control and comfortable work environments.
2. Humidity sensors
If high or low humidity affects your product, raw materials or ingredients, you need to constantly monitor humidity levels. You don't necessarily need to know exactly how high or low the humidity is at this time as long as you're notified when it reaches a certain level. That's exactly what your IoT device does for you.
3. Soil moisture sensors
It's easy, really: your crops grow best with exactly the right amount of moisture. Smart soil moisture sensors send data to your computer at set intervals. The moment your soil gets too dry, you will get notified so you can take appropriate action. And once you've started up the irrigation system, it can measure exactly when it's enough.
4. Weather stations
Conditions can vary between different locations. Especially when you have fields in different parts of your region or country, smart weather stations will show you what the weather conditions are in your fields, at any time of the day or night. This will help you improve your crop yields, as you can take the right action.
5. Asset trackers
Know exactly where your assets are at any moment, so you can keep them safe and use them efficiently. New IoT GPS trackers do not need expensive SIM cards, but use the LoRaWAN long range wide area network to keep your system informed about the exact whereabouts of your vehicles and equipment.
6. Distance, presence and level sensors
A sensor to detect whether vehicles are present at a certain location, or how high the level of a liquid or solid in a tank or silo is, can help your business.
Data collection is key to a successful business. Whilst your knowledge and gut feeling play an important role, your decisions need to be supported by hard figures. Using LoRaWAN IoT sensors you can analyse the collected data and make decisions based on realtime data. This provides a number of benefits for your business.
Your smart sensors will send their readings at set intervals, without human intervention. You don’t depend on employees to remember to collect data and send it through and even outside business hours the sensors do their jobs. You can use the collected data to analyse the exact circumstances or get notified when variables are outside defined variables.
This may be relevant, for example, when working with foodstuffs. Getting notified when the temperature in a refrigerated environment gets too high may help you save valuable products and prevent them from spoiling. Equally, products like paper, yarn or fabric are sensitive to humidity. Too dry and they will tear or break, too moist and they'll become unusable. Smart sensors will constantly monitor moisture or humidity levels and will notify you the moment the readings exceed a set level. The same goes for foodstuffs, where products like sugar and flour are sensitive to air humidity levels.
Production output or agricultural yields often rely on optimal conditions. Keeping track of these variables gives you a chance to intervene at the right time, thus optimising the conditions for maximum output. An example: Measuring relative air humidity or soil moisture levels may enable you to always act at exactly the right moment.
Soil moisture is important in agriculture, horticulture and floriculture. Too high a water content will ruin your harvest, whilst too dry conditions will discourage growth. Optimal conditions can be achieved by constant monitoring, which can be done with easy to install sensors that will provide you with instant insight. Producing with better quality materials or ingredients may improve the quality of your end product, thus strengthening your competitive position.
Rather than sending someone out to check the temperatures or humidity on every hour of the day (and night), these sensors carry out that time consuming (and boring) task for you. Human error is ruled out and you can be sure that data are collected even when there's no-one there to measure them. Smart notifications mean you will know exactly when your attention is needed.
Especially cars, trucks and any other moving equipment / vehicles can be easily tracked and monitored. You can keep an eye on fuel management, but also in optimal use of such vehicles. Once a job is done, you'll know exactly where it's located, so you can plan the next location for it to travel to. A simple, low cost and low-energy tag can even detect whether a vehicle moves outside a predefined area, which will prevent losses as a result of theft. Again, you are reducing your overhead costs, thus improving your results.
Connect IoT offers the sensors that benefit your business. They come fully set up, so all you have to do is place them in the relevant location. After that, you can easily access and analyse your data.
Would you like to know more? Take a look at our website or contact us today.
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