7 Reasons Why You Need to Use RS485 Sensors for Soil Monitoring in Agriculture
As Smart Agriculture gains popularity, the need for precise and dependable soil monitoring systems becomes increasingly important. Among the output methods (4–20 mA, 0–5V, 0–10V), RS485 emerges as the leading choice for agricultural use. In this article, I will explain why you should choose RS485 over other options for soil monitoring in agriculture.
Here are the reasons,
Now let's discuss one by one,
Robustness: RS485 sensors withstand harsh conditions like varying temperatures, humidity, and exposure to dust, making them reliable for long-term soil monitoring.
Long-range communication: RS485 allows data transmission up to 1200 meters, useful for large fields where sensors need to communicate with a central point.
Noise immunity: RS485’s differential communication offers increased noise immunity, essential in agricultural environments with electrical noise.
Scalability: RS485 supports multi-drop networks allowing multiple sensors to be connected to the same RS485 communication bus. This enables efficient data transmission among multiple devices, simplifying network expansion, and reducing the need for additional wiring.
Wide availability: RS485 is a widely-used standard, with many soil sensors supporting this protocol.
Compatibility: The ability of a sensor to work seamlessly with other devices or systems without conflicts or major modifications.
Cost-effectiveness: RS485 is a low-cost solution for connecting multiple sensors over long distances, generally more affordable than wireless or fiber-optic options.
Here is one sensor in the market and the various output types the manufacturer provide,
Comparison with various outputs in the market
According to the information I provided in the article, RS485 is the best option for soil monitoring in agriculture due to its robustness, long-range communication capabilities, noise immunity, and scalability.
This article was originally published on my medium account(Udara Kumarasena).
Cheers!