Long-range sensor networks for precision agriculture — from classroom to field
Deploy long-range, low-power sensor nodes across a real outdoor area. LoRa (Long Range) radio transmits data from field sensors back to your internal LoRa gateway, which feeds into the shared Node-RED dashboard. This is the same technology used by commercial farms for precision agriculture.
From first LoRa transmission to a full precision agriculture network.
Set up two LoRa nodes. Send a simple text message from one to the other. Measure signal strength (RSSI). Understand frequency, spreading factor, and how LoRa differs from Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Connect a capacitive soil moisture sensor to an ESP32+LoRa. Read moisture levels, encode the data, and transmit to the gateway. View the reading on Node-RED dashboard.
Add DHT22, BMP280, and LDR to the LoRa node. Transmit a multi-sensor data packet. Build dashboard panels showing temperature, humidity, pressure, and light for the outdoor location.
Combine with the Solar Power strand. Power the LoRa sensor node entirely from a solar panel + battery. Calculate power budget: how often can you transmit and still survive overnight?
Deploy 3+ sensor nodes at different locations (school garden, field, greenhouse). Each node has a unique ID. The dashboard shows a map view with live data from all locations. Compare microclimates.
Link with the Actuators strand. When soil moisture drops below a threshold, trigger a solenoid valve via a relay to water the plants. The dashboard shows moisture history and irrigation events. Full sense-decide-act loop at range.
LoRa Agritech ties together skills from across the club.
You already understand wireless communication, radio groups, and encoding data for transmission. LoRa takes those same concepts to a much longer range.
You've already wired sensors and read data with MicroPython. Now you're sending that data over LoRa instead of Wi-Fi — same sensors, different radio.
The irrigation project uses a relay and solenoid valve — the same transistor switching and control logic from the Actuators strand, triggered by remote field data.
A remote field node needs off-grid power. The solar panel + battery + charge controller setup from the Solar strand keeps your LoRa node running indefinitely.
Before you hand over to the next group: