- 1. Typical improvement with precision irrigation and soil sensors; varies by crop and climate zone.
- 2. Average gain observed in precision-agriculture projects with telemetry; depends on baseline.
Key features
Crop monitoring
Moisture, nutrient and growth sensors to optimize yields.
Smart irrigation
Automated irrigation based on real-time soil and weather data.
Weather stations
Local climate data for prediction and decision making.
Connected machinery
Telematics for tractors, harvesters and farm equipment.
Satellite coverage
Guaranteed connectivity even in areas without cellular coverage.
Pest control
Smart traps and early pest warning systems.
Use cases
Typical problems
- Patchy cellular coverage on large parcels: the single operator covers the farm entrance but leaves blind zones across the cultivated hectares, and sensors stop reporting.
- Battery soil sensors (Sentek Drill & Drop, Aquaspy, Decagon) that go offline for weeks because the 4G modem fails to drop into NB-IoT when coverage drops to edge.
- Weather stations (Davis Vantage Pro, Adcon, Pessl Metos) shipped with the manufacturer's SIM whose tariff multiplies as you scale to dozens of stations.
- LoRaWAN gateways on a mast with cellular backhaul that lose the tunnel to the network server every time the operator's NAT IP rotates.
- Fertigation equipment (Netafim, Galcon, Hunter) with a remote controller that requires a permanent link to the head unit and stays open or closed for hours if the SIM does not reattach.
- Tractors and harvesters with OEM telemetry (John Deere JDLink, AGCO Fuse, CNH AFS Connect) tied to the manufacturer's preselected operator, with no alternative when that network does not reach the field.
Recommended architecture
- 1
Field sensors over LoRaWAN, not cellular direct
Soil moisture, temperature, conductivity probes, and pest traps speak LoRaWAN (class A, 5-10 year battery). You concentrate everything on one or two gateways per farm. The cellular SIM lives only in the gateway, not in each sensor: cheaper to run and longer-lived.
- 2
LoRaWAN gateway with 4G/LTE-M backhaul and multi-operator SIM
Kerlink iStation, Multitech Conduit AP, or Tektelic Kona on the highest mast. Multi-operator SIM (Telefonica/Vodafone/Orange/Yoigo) that auto-switches to the strongest RSRP. For dead zones, satellite fallback via Iridium module or Starlink.
- 3
Static IP on the gateway for a stable tunnel to the network server
The gateway opens a UDP tunnel to ChirpStack, TTN, Loriot, or AWS IoT Core. Without static IP, every NAT change breaks the tunnel and you lose data. Static IP keeps the tunnel alive across reconnections.
- 4
Private APN to integrate with the farm ERP and fertigation gateway
Irrigation controller traffic should not hit the public Internet: private APN + tunnel into the farm or cooperative VPC. Same private network as the ERP (xFarm, Hispatec, Agrinet) to avoid exposing SCADA.
- 5
Per-gateway data plan with quarterly or annual pack
Each gateway uses 100-500 MB/month depending on sensor count. Annual prepay with prorated usage avoids seasonal activation churn. Satellite sensors for remote gauging can be billed per message.
Indicative data plan
| Device | Typical monthly traffic | Recommended plan |
|---|---|---|
| LoRaWAN soil/climate sensor (no SIM, via gateway) | 0 MB on SIM (data flows via gateway) | No own connectivity cost |
| LoRaWAN gateway with 4G backhaul | 100-500 MB/month depending on sensor count | 1 GB annual pack with private APN |
| Weather station with own SIM (Davis, Pessl) | 10-50 MB/month | Pay-as-you-go or 100 MB pack |
| Fertigation controller (Netafim, Galcon) | 20-100 MB/month | 100 MB pack with static IP and private APN |
| Tractor/harvester telematics (Cat-1) | 200 MB - 1 GB/month | Pooled data per fleet |
Indicative figures for 50-500 ha farms. Deployments with thousands of LoRaWAN sensors still consume little on cellular because the aggregate rides through the gateway. Video does push the bill: 4G surveillance cameras burn several GB per camera per month.
When to use static IP
- LoRaWAN gateway with persistent tunnel to the network server (ChirpStack, TTN, Loriot, AWS IoT Core).
- Fertigation or pump controller that the farm SCADA must reach to trigger irrigation or close a valve.
- Centralized cooperative platform that filters origins by gateway IP to audit which farm is sending each data point.
When to use private APN
- Irrigation controller is wired to a critical SCADA that must not be exposed to the public Internet.
- The cooperative or growers association centralizes data in a single data center and requires per-farm traffic segregation.
- Environmental compliance (water footprint, GDPR for operator data) requires traceability and centralized logging.
- Multinational deployment with a single platform requiring consistent RFC1918 addressing.
Compatible devices
Kerlink iStation / Wirnet iFemtoCell
Industrial LoRaWAN gateway for masts, IP67, PoE or solar power. 4G/LTE-M backhaul with multi-operator SIM. Standard in large cooperatives.
MultiTech Conduit AP / IP67
Modular LoRaWAN gateway with mPCIe slot for swappable cellular modem. Useful when you already have your own SIM and modem inventory.
Tektelic Kona Macro / Micro
Canadian LoRaWAN gateway widely used in North American agtech. Variants with GPS and satellite fallback option.
Sentek Drill & Drop / EnviroPro
Multi-depth soil moisture probes (10/30/60/90 cm), conductivity, and temperature. Connect via LoRaWAN or Modbus to the gateway.
Davis Vantage Pro2 + Davis WeatherLink
Reference weather station for vineyards and olive groves. Measures temperature, humidity, rain, wind, pressure. WiFi or 4G SIM connectivity on specific variants.
Pessl Instruments Metos / iMetos
Weather and agroclimate stations with built-in 4G SIM and predictive disease models (mildew, powdery mildew, scab). Common in high-value crops.
Frequently asked questions
- Do I need a SIM per sensor or just one per LoRaWAN gateway?
- One per gateway is the efficient choice. LoRaWAN is designed so that hundreds of sensors talk to the gateway without their own SIM: the gateway handles the Internet backhaul. This drops per-sensor connectivity cost to cents per month and the sensor battery lasts years. Only put a direct SIM on a sensor that sits outside the LoRaWAN range of any gateway.
- What do I do in zones where there is no cellular coverage for the gateway?
- Three options: 1) relocate the gateway to a high spot (mast, tank, building) until you find usable signal, 2) install an outdoor yagi cellular antenna with 10-15 dB gain, 3) use satellite backhaul (Iridium for small data, Starlink for modern gateways). Cost goes up but you guarantee reporting.
- LTE-M, NB-IoT, or 4G for my gateway?
- Classic 4G (Cat-1 or Cat-4) if you need low latency for remote irrigation commands or to relay many sensors in real time. LTE-M if seconds of latency is fine and you prefer better indoor coverage and lower power. NB-IoT only for small volumes and tolerant latency (weather station, well-water level). In Spain all major operators have LTE-M and NB-IoT deployed.
- How do I manage hundreds of sensors across different parcels?
- Centralized platform (xFarm, Agrinet, Hispatec, EOS Data Analytics, Sencrop, Smag) that ingests data from the LoRaWAN network server. Tag sensors by farm/parcel/crop. Cellular layer is managed separately: one SIM per gateway, usage alarms, blocking on fraud or unauthorized swap.
- How long do LoRaWAN sensors last in the field?
- Soil probes and pest traps with class A LoRaWAN last 5-10 years on a standard lithium AA or D cell. Weather stations sampling every 5-15 minutes usually carry a small solar panel and buffer battery. Direct 4G/LTE-M sensors consume far more: battery for 1-3 years or mandatory solar.
- Do I comply with GDPR if I log tractor operator data?
- Yes, with a contractual or legitimate interest legal basis and clear notice to the operator. Data such as GPS location, engine hours, driving behavior is personal data processing under GDPR. To minimize risk, separate machine data (anonymous) from operator data (personal) and apply short retention to the latter.
- Can I use the same SIM in gateways across several countries?
- Yes with multi-operator SIM and an international plan. For cooperatives with cross-border parcels (Spain-Portugal, Spain-France) or farms managed across countries, multi-IMSI with a unified European tariff simplifies billing. Verify your central platform (xFarm, Sencrop) accepts gateways from any country.
Pre-deployment checklist
- 1Farm map with sensor locations, planned gateways, and a per-point cellular coverage study.
- 2LoRaWAN vs cellular direct decision per sensor type; inventory of which assets carry their own SIM.
- 3RSRP study at the gateway mast for the 4 national operators and outdoor antenna plan if needed.
- 4Chosen LoRaWAN network server (ChirpStack on-prem, TTN, Loriot, AWS IoT Core) and tunneling plan from gateways.
- 5Static IP decision for gateways and fertigation controllers, documented per farm.
- 6Public vs private APN decision based on the criticality of the agricultural SCADA.
- 7Power plan: solar, PoE, battery; sized for winter and shaded zones.
- 8Maintenance plan: solar panel cleaning, battery replacement every N years, annual gateway tests.
- 9Integration with the farm ERP/platform (xFarm, Hispatec, Agrinet, Sencrop) and the digital field notebook required for some crops.
- 10Pilot with 1-2 gateways and 20-50 sensors over a full season before rollout.
Need a printable version? See the pre-deployment guide.
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