KEEPING A CONSTANT EYE AT EXCEPTIONAL DISTANCE

Freedom from manual farm jobs means farmers and their staff can spend more hours working on the business rather than in it – or even have valuable time away. A new fence monitoring technology is giving farmers the confidence to do just that.

The Tru-Test Farm Network Fence Monitoring Solution is a new mesh technology monitoring voltage across multiple parts of a fence system 24/7. This smart technology was launched last year by Datamars Livestock. Now borders are open, farmers will know what’s happening on their property no matter where they are in the world. The mesh network uses fence nodes to monitor the full length of wire, not just the voltage at the end. Each node relays information via radio frequency and notifies farmers on any drop along the way. It’s as simple as a ping on the phone. Then staff can investigate and make easy work of fixing the fault.

Extensive, real-time monitoring brings ManY advantages.

• Peace of mind that animals and crops are secure, and wildlife is adequately deterred.
• There’s an immediate heads up on any power issues and causes can be pinpointed within a small area.
• Faults are found quickly, and multiple faults located and fixed at the same time, instead of just the one that dropped the fence.
• There’s no need to walk kilometres looking for a fault. That time can be directed to more pressing tasks or farm management activities.
• Current and historical data is readily available to review fence performance trends so farmers can determine when maintenance is required.

Datamars Livestock Head of Sales, Mark Peters says that while the solution has phenomenal reach, producers can start out with a basic installation and build up to more extensive coverage as they go.

“Farmers can begin simply with one Fence Monitoring Node and a gateway or grab a Fence Monitoring Starter Kit. This is a shelf-ready unit of three Fence Monitoring Nodes and a gateway.”

“Installation is plug and play with screw-on connections, one to earth, one to the hot wire, screwed to wooden posts or droppers. There are LEDs on each device along with directions via the Datamars Livestock App for a smooth install process and the Datamars Livestock team is available for training and on farm demonstrations.”

“Also, the system can retrofit to any electric fence and pair with any energizer. It doesn’t matter whose product is on the fence.”

COVERAGE
A highlight of the solution is its extensive coverage 24/7 measuring up to 12,000V over long stretches and maintaining voltage even when the fence condition is poor. This makes it ideal for remote blocks, run offs and waterways. Fifty nodes, up to 500 metres apart within line of site, can be used across one farm network and single nodes can be added to the main infrastructure to keep a finger on the pulse of temporary break fencing. Every node is supported by a battery and solar power panel to keep it performing in all seasons including when the sun disappears for days on end.

IMMEDIATE ACTION
When managing feed and other scarce resources, late is never the best option. The Tru-Test Farm Network Monitoring System is highly responsive. Voltage data is relayed to the Cloud every two minutes, and if voltage dips or drops away, notifications alert farmers and staff immediately, no matter where they are.

CONNECTIVITY
Another significant advantage of this system is its reliability in areas without cell phone coverage. It does not need a cell connection at the fence. The gateway can be located within the farmhouse Wi-Fi range or connected with an ethernet cable.

To find out more about Tru-Test Fence Monitoring give the Datamars Livestock team a call on 1800 641 324).