Louter Control Case Study
How Netmaker helped connect IoT devices in agricultural greenhouses
IoT and Industrial Automation
These days, every industry has at least some components that are a part of the Internet of Things. IoT is now a part of critical infrastructure at most companies, especially when it comes to industrial automation. Automating components of industry helps to streamline production and increase efficiency, but how do all these companies get their IoT platforms up and running? One answer is to find a firm that specializes in IoT, who can create custom solutions that match the needs of each company.
About Louter Control
In the Netherlands, Louter Control provides such solutions to a variety of companies, across verticals ranging from oil and gas, to wind farms, to industrial systems.
The Greenhouse Challenge
On a particular project in the agricultural sector, their customer was looking to automate the regulation of sunlight that reaches into their greenhouses. The sun is good for growing things, but too much sun is a problem. This is why, in the summer months, these greenhouses are coated with a special mixture that reduces the amount of sunlight that passes into the greenhouse. In the winter, this coating is removed, to increase the sunlight.
On this project, machines were placed on top of the greenhouses, which could control the process of regulating sunlight. These devices must communicate with a solution mixer, located a kilometer away, which provides the formula to coat the greenhouses.
On this project, machines were placed on top of the greenhouses, which could control the process of regulating sunlight. These devices must communicate with a solution mixer, located a kilometer away, which provides the formula to coat the greenhouses.
Connectivity Challenges
“We initially tried connecting the operator interface to the coating sprayer on the roof over WiFi, but the distance was too far. Plus, all the glass and steel in the greenhouses would block the signal. Because of this, we needed to use LTE connections on the devices," says Remco, Louter Control's owner.”
The LTE connection alone was not enough. Once the devices were connected to the internet, Louter Control still needed a way to connect the coating sprayer on the roof to the mixer on the ground, directly and securely. This way, the coating sprayer was able to request a higher flow and pressure to the mixer when required to maintain a constant mixture flow to be applied on the roof of the greenhouse.
"We tried setting up our own WireGuard server, as well as OpenVPN, but the management involved was too time consuming. We needed something that our engineers could roll out quickly and easily, without requiring a dedicated networking expert to manage the solution."
The Solution: Netmaker
Using Netmaker, Louter Control was easily able to connect components of their customer's IoT system.
"We just wanted something reliable, flexible, and easy to customize for our needs. Our job is to focus on industrial automation. We shouldn't have to think about network connections. With Netmaker, everything was automated, and we didn't have to waste time maintaining a solution."
Results & Benefits
Beyond connecting the IoT devices together, Louter Control uses Netmaker to remotely manage, monitor, and update these devices.
"It saves me a ton of time because I can operate everything remotely," says Remco. "I can update the software on all the devices, access entire sites, route traffic to the cloud, and provide remote assistance to my clients."
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