Quantified Ag, which delivers a smart ear tag system for monitoring and managing cattle health, was experiencing some issues with inconsistent, unmanageable wired broadband. Thanks to an LTE solution from Cradlepoint, U.S. feedlots now have easy access to the data they need, wherever and whenever they need it.
The Lowdown: The Cradlepoint solution offers reliable connectivity for actionable IoT analytics, easy deployment for instant connectivity, and remote network management for simplified troubleshooting – all through a single nationwide Internet provider.
The Details: Serving dozens of cattle companies across the United States, Quantified Ag’s animal-health Web platform gathers behavior and biometric data from cattle ear tags and sends that information via LoRa WAN to computers that aggregate it at feedlot locations.
Feedlot managers can then view the data on a Web dashboard to identify animals that require medical care and to improve the speed and effectiveness of treatment. The goal is to keep livestock companies connected to cloud-based IoT data 24/7.
CHALLENGES
>Unreliable or unavailable wired connectivity when the wired Internet connection fails or is inefficient, which is all too common in rural areas
>Complex deployment and ISP management, which became an issue as Quantified Ag expanded its services across the country and was working with discrete regional ISPs at each feedlot
>Troubleshooting on-site network problems by sending members of Quantified Ag’s small, centrally located team to multiple distributed sites to address hardware and network connectivity issues
SOLUTION
Quantified Ag selected Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Service for IoT, which provides constant connectivity and enables customers to monitor cattle health remotely on feedlots all over the United States. NetCloud Service includes edge computing, SD-Perimeter technology for device-to-cloud security, and cloud configuration and troubleshooting, all delivered via an IoT router with embedded LTE and around-the-clock support.
BENEFITS
Cradlepoint’s solution provides a number of benefits to Quantified Ag and its customers:
>A single nationwide Internet provider across Quantified Ag’s entire IoT footprint
>Easy deployment of service and purpose-built hardware, allowing for instant connectivity
>Integrated IoT security with Cradlepoint’s all-in-one routers, which feature a built-in firewall
>Reliable connectivity to the cloud via advanced cellular (LTE), regardless of a feedlot’s wired options, for actionable IoT analytics
>Remote network management via Cradlepoint’s single-pane-of-glass platform for fast, simplified troubleshooting
>Single dashboard with IoT data and WAN analytics
The Buzz: “The challenges associated with managing wired ISPs were a huge pain point for us. Cradlepoint’s ability to leverage advanced cellular connectivity for our widely distributed IoT devices solved this problem,” said Alex Heine, director of customer experience at Quantified Ag. “Deploying Cradlepoint’s NetCloud Service has been incredibly painless. It’s a plug-and-play experience at each feedlot.”
