1. What a field sensor asks of the SIM
Smart agriculture uses farm sensors, weather stations, soil-moisture monitors, and irrigation controllers to collect temperature, humidity, light, soil water, and weather, and to run precision irrigation, pest alerts, and yield estimates. Soil moisture is how much water is in the soil against what the crop needs, which is the basis of an irrigation decision. A weather station records temperature, light, water, and air, and warns of frost, drought, and heavy rain. Fields sit on the edge of town or farther out. NB-IoT covers widely. 4G carries the heavier jobs. SimtoLink gives farms and cooperatives NB-IoT and 4G, a shared data pool, and an API into the agriculture cloud.
2. Field, greenhouse, livestock, or aquaculture
Smart agriculture covers open fields, greenhouses, livestock, and aquaculture. How often a sensor reports, and how live a command has to be, are not the same in each:
Precision irrigation and water saving
An irrigation controller opens valves from soil moisture and weather, on its own or from a remote command. NB-IoT or 4G carries the moisture report and the command, about 5-20MB a month.
Greenhouses and climate control
Temperature, humidity, CO₂, and light sensors report over 4G or NB-IoT, and shade rollers, fans, and humidifiers take remote commands.
Weather stations and hazard warnings
A field station records temperature, humidity, wind, rain, and light, and warns of frost, drought, and heavy rain. NB-IoT fits a fixed point that reports infrequently.
Farm machinery and crop-protection drones
A crop-protection drone or a machine reports the work track, the area, and the chemical applied over 4G, for subsidy checks and job records. For the drone itself, see the drone use case.
3. What the farm link has to guarantee
- Wide coverage, remote sites: Fields and greenhouses sit outside town, so more than one operator has to be in reach. NB-IoT fits a fixed point and a weak signal.
- Low power and a long life: Some sensors run on solar or a battery. NB-IoT can last for years. Irrigation that has to answer now can use 4G.
- A command that lands: Precision irrigation and greenhouse climate control have to receive the command in time. A hazard warning has to go out as it happens. A drop changes the farming decision.
- Security: Sessions need TLS/SSL and a private APN. Farm data is production-sensitive, so an IP allowlist should limit who can reach it.
- A clean handoff: An API joins the agriculture cloud, the farm-management system, and the subsidy-check system, which is what precision agriculture and traceability need.
4. Which SIM fits which field device
Bandwidth, how live the command has to be, and cost differ by job. Device type and where it sits both belong in the choice. Use the table as a starting point:
| Use | Recommended network | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Soil moisture and weather stations | NB-IoT | Infrequent reports, a fixed point, lower cost |
| Precision irrigation and greenhouse climate | 4G | Remote control, live commands, mid-range bandwidth |
| Farm machinery and crop-protection drones | 4G | A moving job, the work track, subsidy checks |
| Greenhouse video and pest recognition | 4G | Video, AI recognition, mid-range bandwidth |
5. How much data a field device uses
One device typically uses about 5-50MB a month. Sensors use 5-20MB. Video or frequent control uses 30-50MB. Pool by device type and leave 20%-30% spare.
6. Security around farm data
Treat this deployment as medium security. Sessions need TLS/SSL, a private APN, and an IP allowlist. SimtoLink supplies the private APN and completes real-name registration in one process.
7. What SimtoLink would put in the field
For smart agriculture, use NB-IoT on infrequent sensors such as soil moisture and weather stations, or 4G IoT SIMs on irrigation control, farm machinery, and drones. Fields are often remote, so more than one operator has to be selectable. Machinery moves over a wide area. Plan on 99.9% network availability, a shared data pool, and an API into the agriculture cloud.
8. Putting the first sensors in a field
Take a farm rollout through these stages:
Choose by device type and how the fields are spread. Check NB-IoT and 4G coverage where you will install. Set an APN, an allowlist, and an alert at 80% of the data allowance. SimtoLink stays from the first field through support. Contact us for a SIM plan sized to that farm.