Connecting sensors anywhere – Wyld Networks to discuss the tech at REAP 2021

Gold Exhibitors Wyld Networks to discuss sensor-to-satellite connectivity at REAP 2021

“I attended Agriculture 101 a few years ago – it’s a fantastic opportunity to get together with early-stage agri-tech companies, and people from outside farming,” says Eric Hewitson, Business Development Manager at Wyld Networks, who was so inspired by the event that he joined Agri-TechE as a member and will be exhibiting at REAP2021.
The workshop format of Agriculture 101 provides presentations by experts from different parts of the agricultural value-chain and gives a deep insight into the industry for those that are new to the sector.
There is also an opportunity to network with others and it was this that Eric found particularly beneficial.
“We just had a chat about what we do and how we can work together – to help each other with that ‘other bit’ that complements what we do.”  Networking at Ag101 has achieved results and going on to engage in further Agri-TechE activities has led Wyld Networks to work with partners on a soil moisture sensor that connects to the cloud from anywhere. “Most agricultural land currently lies on the 85% of the earth that doesn’t have cellular connectivity,” explains Eric Hewitson, Business Development Manager, Wyld Networks. The company is a Gold Exhibitor at REAP 2021 and will use that opportunity to discuss how enabling sensors to connect via satellite will be beneficial.
“At the moment if farmers want to use a sensor and transmit data to the cloud for analysis, they may have to install a wireless (LoRaWAN) network on the farm. However, they will still need to have access to broadband or mobile data. As well as sensors, additional costly infrastructure in the form of gateways is required which rely on line of sight between sensor and gateway. Such a network requires significant power and the whole network needs to be installed and managed – so a huge investment of time and hardware.” Eric explains that the new generation of low earth orbit (LEO) satellites will very soon provide near global connectivity, and this will offer a huge opportunity to deploy sensors in remote areas – such as the fens – where there is little cellular coverage.
“Wyld Networks are developing connectivity solutions that send data directly to LEO satellites – at low cost, low energy and minimal investment. We are looking forward to talking about this at REAP 2021.”
The LEO satellites pass overhead daily – an array of 24 of these LEO-satellites would give hourly data coverage. This low-cost data suddenly opens the doors for a range of applications and opportunities for sensor developers and their customers.
Wyld Networks became a member of Agri-TechE after being inspired by the Agriculture 101 event, explains Eric: “I attended Ag101 a few years ago – it’s a fantastic opportunity to get together with early-stage agri-tech companies, and people both inside and outside farming. It’s a great community looking at technology to solve key issues in agriculture such as increasing yields and improving biodiversity and sustainability.
In the company’s next step as a Gold Exhibitor at REAP 2021, Eric is looking forward to meeting sensor developers, agronomists and farmers with an interest in deploying, and finding new use cases for remote data collection.

Agriculture 101 – Thursday 9th September @ 9:30 am – 3:30 pm

The unique one-day introduction provides some insights into the agriculture sector, the opportunities it presents and some of the challenges that are still seeking solutions.

REAP 2021: Changing Time(s) for Agriculture – 10th November 2021

Imagine a world where agriculture is not constrained by time. The ability to manage and manipulate time is increasing and REAP 2021 will explore the advances in technology and breakthroughs in science that is making this possible.
REAP brings together people from across the agri-tech ecosystem who believe that innovation is the engine for change. The conference bridges the gap between producer needs and technology solutions and showcases exciting agri-tech start-ups.