The short answer
Agtech devices for remote Australian farms need to work without reliable coverage, survive heat, UV, dust and livestock, run for long periods on solar or batteries, and meet ACMA rules through an Australian responsible supplier. To Be Named Labs, a hardware product studio in Mumbai, designs offline-first connected devices for exactly these conditions.
Australian agriculture has a structural problem for connected hardware: the land is enormous and the network is thin. A sensor that works perfectly on a demo farm near a town can go silent forty kilometres out. Designing for Australia means designing for absence — of signal, of grid power, of shade, and of anyone nearby to press reset.
Australia's 3G networks shut down in 2024. Anything still relying on 3G stopped working, which is a lesson in itself: connectivity choices outlive network decisions you don't control.
| Option | Strengths | Trade-offs |
|---|---|---|
| LTE-M / NB-IoT | Low power, uses existing mobile infrastructure | Coverage still patchy in remote areas |
| LoRaWAN | Long range, very low power, private networks possible | Needs gateways; low data rates |
| Satellite IoT | Works almost anywhere | Higher cost per message; small payloads |
| On-farm Wi-Fi or mesh | High bandwidth near buildings | Short range, needs power |
Most serious agtech systems combine two: a low-power local network on the property, backhauled by cellular or satellite from a gateway. LoRaWAN in Australia uses the AU915 frequency plan, so hardware and gateways need the right band configuration.
Whatever the network, assume it disappears.
Our automated hydroponics system runs its watering and nutrient logic on local schedules and thresholds. Network loss doesn't stop the system. Open-field agriculture takes the same principle much further.
Remote devices rarely have grid power.
Electronic products supplied in Australia generally need to meet ACMA requirements for electromagnetic compatibility and radiocommunications, and carry the Regulatory Compliance Mark, RCM.
Key points for overseas design teams:
Plan your Australian distribution partner or entity alongside the hardware design. It decides who holds the compliance file.
Australian Eastern time runs 4.5 hours ahead of India in winter and 5.5 hours ahead in summer. Perth sits 2.5 hours ahead. The Australian afternoon overlaps the Indian working morning, which works well for weekly reviews and field-trial debugging.
Usually a combination: a low-power local network such as LoRaWAN on the property, with cellular or satellite backhaul from a gateway. The right mix depends on coverage and data needs.
Electronic and radio products supplied in Australia generally need to meet ACMA requirements and carry the RCM, applied by a registered Australian responsible supplier.
With a measured power budget, deep sleep and solar sized for winter, well-designed sensors can run unattended for years. Poor sleep design can drain batteries in weeks.
Australia's 3G networks shut down in 2024, so devices relying on 3G stopped connecting. New designs should use LTE-M, NB-IoT, LoRaWAN or satellite.
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