The use of sensors, drones and robotics in agriculture depends on fast and robust wireless connections — but research suggests that UK farmers looking to invest in these technologies will need more network capacity than is presently available to the public.
In a University of Lincoln study, researchers carried out a series of experiments with an automated sprayer robot using different types of networks.
A private 5G connection, a private connection to the latest form of WiFi, known as WiFi6, as well as a publicly-available 4G service were tested. The robot used is designed to autonomously drive in a field, identify weeds and engage in spot-spraying, with streamed video of detected weeds to involve a prospective farmer in decision-making.
Handling heavy data flow
Scientists analysed network performance at different data collection points, as well as the ability of the networks to carry heavy loads, in the form of streaming video from the robot to a computer for analysis, and then back to the robot or a human user for commands to be carried out.
One of the focuses of the work was on what is known as latency: the delay in conveying information across a network. This is crucial where farm workers may need immediate data to inform their decision-making.
4G not viable for agri-tech
Over the course of the study, WiFi6 outperformed 5G, with 4G lagging far behind.
Despite WiFi6’s superior performance, it proved considerably less effective over longer distances than 5G, leading the researchers to conclude that no single wireless technology is best suited to agri-robotics. Rather, the use of both 5G and WiFi may be required, to manage both data load and distances between devices on farms.
“It is clear that 4G cannot support agricultural activities, and the lower coverage, higher attenuation and much slower commercial uptake of WiFi6 make it an impractical solution,” the researchers reported.
The risks of inadequate network connections when using a robot like that used in the study could be mislabelling of plants or even damage to crops, they noted.
Results may help farmers make 5G case
Public 5G is likely to be able to support ‘smart farming’, they said. However, coverage is currently patchy, with it not supported in many rural areas.
“As public 5G roll-out continues world-wide, having better understanding of the benefits in agriculture will help farmers make the case for rural deployments of such networks,” they concluded.
“The contribution of the work shared here helps to demonstrate that the wireless infrastructure of 5G is required to facilitate even the most basic precision agriculture use case.”
