AirLink RV50X Increases Grain Production Efficiency

Aeration Control Australia Devises Solution for Efficient Grain Silo Monitoring

Australia produces 10-15% of the world's wheat supplies. In recent years, as the supply chain has suffered first from a global pandemic and then from the war in Ukraine, where an additional 10% of the world's grain supply originates, creating a more efficient method of monitoring grain production and storage has been a huge objective.

Grain Silo Monitoring with AirLink RV50X

In fact, so far in 2023, Australia is already on-track to harvest and receive its largest wheat crop in history as farmers work to fill the gap in global supply.

Aeration Control Australia, part of the Industrial Automation Group (IAG), focuses on delivering high-quality grain aeration control systems initially developed in association with Australia's foremost research organization, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO).

The Challenge

Monitoring Grain Silos Across A Large Geographic Area

Today's challenging economic climate is seeing smaller farms bought out by larger neighbors, resulting in consolidated farming businesses with more storage facilities spread out over a larger geographic area. To efficiently control grain facilities in multiple locations, farmers require remote monitoring of silos and control of fans from a central location. To solve this problem, Aeration Manager™ – a grain storage control system by Aeration Control Australia – provides farmers with the means to remotely control the activation of fans to either dry or cool grain within their silos.

The Solution

Sierra Wireless Provides Cellular Connectivity for Remotely Monitoring and Managing Devices

With the help of Sierra Wireless 4G routers, Aeration Manager has helped farmers monitor and control their grain storage facilities utilizing IoT and SCADA technologies for over ten years.

The Aeration Manager system is three controllers in one, allowing for drying, cooling, and maintenance of grain, with a fully automatic transition between the three stages. The Aeration Manager is equipped with control inputs and outputs for eight silos. Each silo can store a different type of grain, so the controls are fully configurable to monitor a specific type of grain.

Aeration Manager was designed a decade ago with the Sierra Wireless Raven XE powering connectivity and enabling straightforward integration within the Aeration Manager controller. However, a more appropriate solution in today's technological environment is the AirLink RV50X with AirLink Complete. For organizations with Wi-Fi applications, the AirLink RX55 - which runs on AirLink OS rather than ALEOS - is the preferred solution.

Once integrated with the AirLink RV50X, the Aeration Manager becomes a fully connected 4G LTE remote data collection point no longer reliant on wired connectivity, which can be very difficult to install in remote locations.

"Being able to improve grain production and storage efficiencies through a simple piece of equipment applies to the standard farmer," explained the managing director at Industrial Automation Group. "Using Sierra Wireless AirLink devices for cellular communication allows us to provide an affordable system that works well for smaller farms and larger facilities."

The AirLink RV50X gateway is powered by ALEOS™ embedded intelligence for reliable and feature-rich operation, enabling remote configuration of over 500 parameters, packet-level diagnostics, and network session persistence. In addition, AirLink Complete with AirLink Management Service (ALMS) also enables provisioning, managing, and troubleshooting of remote equipment from one central location. The combination of the comprehensive intelligence of ALEOS and easy-to-use AirLink device management software simplifies the deployment and management of the solution, ultimately lowering the total cost of ownership.

Finally, the rugged design of the AirLink RV50X and RX55 and the wide temperature ranges in which they can operate ensure the gateway is strong enough to perform in harsh field environments. And when combined with long-range high-power antennas from Poynting, like the LPDA-92, reliable connectivity is more easily achieved.

The Results

Anytime, Anywhere Access To Critical Data

Farmers must enter the condition (temperature, moisture, and oil content) of the grain when filling each silo and determine a target setpoint for the end product. With pervasive, two-way data communication provided by the AirLink RV50X, farmers can access measurable silo conditions at any time and from anywhere through a secure web interface.

Grain Silo Monitoring Solutions with AirLink RV50x

This centralized data access is essential for farmers with silos in multiple locations, allowing them to monitor and control silo conditions without traveling to each location. In addition, farmers can set text and email alerts to notify them of breaks in pre-determined environmental thresholds, which further helps them to catch potential issues before they can damage the product and cause financial losses.

Our Team

Device Provisioning, Activation and Installation Services

USAT specializes in designing and deploying fixed and mobile wireless data connectivity solutions for organizations of all sizes — complete with implementation, training, proof of concept (POC), system auditing, and on-site RF surveying services with optional engineering maintenance contracts. Our team not only helps you select, provision, and activate devices, we make sure they work in practical applications and real-life situations.

For over 25 years, USAT has provided cellular communications solutions across various agricultural applications across the USA (especially in relation to grain drying operations). With our extensive catalog of world-class routers, gateways, and software designed for remote monitoring and management in even the harshest environments — you can count on us to get and keep you connected.

Better mobile connectivity translates to less manual equipment maintenance, reduced downtime, and an overall increase in your business's ROI. Contact the experts at USAT to learn how our wireless networking solutions can help meet your organization's exacting needs.