Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Local Govt | National News Video | Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Search

 

NZ gets another Low Power Wide Area Network

Aotearoa/New Zealand gets another Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) option.

Papaioea/Palmerston North, Aotearoa/New Zealand <19 February 2018>

New Zealand’s first Weightless Internet of Things (IoT) wireless network has launched. In order to support the economic aspirations of Iwi in the Manawatū, First Tree Growing Ltd is providing local Māori farmers hands on access to a range of emerging technologies in smart agriculture including the low power, wide area network technology called Weightless. One of the first projects to benefit from the newly established Weightless network is a Māori Future Farm initiative. The aim is to pilot technologies that will help small farming operations to be more sustainable and competitive while delivering on their commitment to the environment and local community.

First Tree Growing is in the process of deploying 300 IoT sensors exchanging data using the new low power, wide area (LPWA) wireless technology called Weightless. The decision to use the new technology Weightless over the well-known LoRaWAN has garnered attention from the IoT community. Graeme Everton points out three major drawbacks of using LoRaWAN that was key in making his team’s decision.

1. LoRaWAN bears risk of transmission collisions between end devices
2. LoRaWAN class A for battery operated devices cannot support Firmware-Over-The-Air
3. LoRaWAN uses substantial amount of spectrum

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

Weightless has addressed these critical issues by implementing a time-based synchronized network so end devices transmission does not collide. This also allows reliable and efficient downlink to support firmware-over-the-air, system control, and security patch updates. In addition, a Weightless base station is using just 100kHz for 8 channels; 10 times less spectrum than LoRaWAN.

“After really diving into the technical limitations of LoRaWAN, we were in search of a more future-proof technology to introduce to the New Zealand IoT community,” explains Graeme Everton. “The increase in reliability, data rate, and scalability will open new doors to innovative solutions for our ecosystem of partners and provide a wider choice for critical applications.”


First Tree Growing has partnered with Ubiik, a Weightless technology vendor in Taiwan to continue to enhance the deployment effort and evangelization of the new technology. The main objective of the deployment site is to bring attention to the value IoT technology can bring to the New Zealand primary sector by demonstrating the unique capabilities of a long range, ultra low power wireless technology. Virtually any sensor can be made wireless by using Weightless. First Tree Growing has chosen to first deploy temperature, humidity and GPS sensors sending data every 5-10 minutes to a base station located multiple kilometres away.

The First Tree Growing team is motivated by the lack of initiatives aimed at catering to the specific needs and profiles of the Māori primary producer given that Māori are significant investors in the sector.

First Tree Growing invites the New Zealand IoT community to reach out to acquire additional information about deploying Weightless LPWAN networks.


About First Tree Growing Ltd

First Tree Growing’s Innovation Lab located in the Manawatūis committed to introducing cutting-edge technology to New Zealand’s primary sector. First Tree Growing works along side of IoT device makers, system integrators and educational institutions to make innovations around IoT accessible to the New Zealand market.

© Scoop Media

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading
 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.