Irrometer

Irrometer’s IRROmesh product is a wireless soil moisture data collection system for managing irrigation. The original design used GSM cellular modems for worldwide application, but increasing domestic demand was driving the need to access CDMA networks. But the move to CDMA wouldn’t be as simple as just switching modems.

Because IRROmesh is deployed in farm fields and runs on a small solar power collector, energy efficiency was critical. Firmware controls the modem’s sleep/wake cycle, operating for just seconds every hour to conserve power. “The vendor of our GSM modem didn’t have a CDMA option, so we needed both a new modem and a partner that could help us develop entirely new code,” says Irrometer President Tom Penning. “We looked at numerous modem providers and their abilities to help write the many commands the new firmware would require. NimbeLink’s Skywire® modem was compact, had reasonable power requirements, and had the best documentation. Equally important, their engineers seemed both interested and capable of working with us in an agriculture application.”