Elite Agri Solutions strives to provide background information on topics which are hard to research. In cases where no reputable print resources were available for us to reference, we interviewed industry experts, so it is inevitable that the contents of this document will contain inaccuracies and bias. Use this as a resource to help you ask the right questions, not as a source of definitive answers. Elite Agri Solutions and its employee will not be responsible for the consequences of any decision made based on this guide. Where text or data has been copied directly, the sources have been noted, otherwise it can be assumed that all the information in this guide has only been curated by Elite Agri Solutions and is not our original property.

(Information in this document was gathered from equipment distributers, and internet service providers)

Internet Connection

Most of today’s new livestock barns have a need for internet connection. Most commonly it is for live camera streams or for remote monitoring and control of ventilation, heating, feeding and robotic equipment. It is important to consider how technology will be integrated when building a new barn.

Type of Connection

Rural internet users are increasingly getting better access to internet. Each of the following connection types has its own advantages and disadvantages which are best discussed with providers in your area. For basic use, any of them will have enough speed, so the most affordable or reliable one is likely the best option.

• Fiber
• DSL cable
• Mobile Network
• Satellite

If the barn is being built on a farm that already has internet in another building or in the house it may be possible to:

• Use a WIFI repeater to increase the range of an existing network. (short distance).
• Extend ethernet cable to the barn. (medium distance)
• Outdoor wireless link (long distance)

You can test the speed of an existing connection by using an online “speed test” application.

Infrastructure

If you are planning on having a barn camera system, run cable to the locations where you need cameras and have all the wire pulled back to an office or cabinet. Even if you don’t have an immediate need for internet connection, it may be useful to get electricians to pull Cat6 internet cables to key locations of the barn when they are doing the rest of the electrical work.

Plan to have a central protected location for internet equipment to be housed.

It may be wise to have a small battery backup for your internet equipment, so that when power is interrupted remote caretakers of the barn are notified.

Speed

Though the speed requirements for agricultural tech is typically rather low, we reached out to numerous companies to see what they recommend for minimum internet speed. If you know what equipment you want early in the build, get their recommended internet speed and use that as a tool to choose your internet connection.

• Maximus Controller: (1 user) 2 MBpS Download and 1 MBpS upload (multiple users) 10 MBpS Download and 5 MBpS upload
• Rotem One Controller: no minimum, will work on anything
• Verifan Controller: (Recommended) 30 MBpS Download, 10 MBpS upload and below 100ms ping (Minimum) 5 MBpS Download, 5 MBpS upload and below 500ms ping
• Electroguy Barn Cam: 1 MBpS upload
• DeLeval Robots: 1.51 MBpS upload and download
• Lely Robots: 1.5 MBpS Download and .7 MBpS upload