Wireless soil moisture and temperature logger

Soil moisture sensor

How does the soil moisture sensor work? The external Watermark probe, which is placed in the soil is a resistance device that reacts to changes in soil moisture. Inside the probe there is an electrode placed in the granulate, which swells when water is taken from the soil. The granulate is enclosed in a hydrophilic material that provides good conductivity. As the soil dries, the water is removed from the sensor and the resistance measurement increases, and vice versa when the soil moisture increases, the resistance decreases. By using a coherent granulate filling the probe, the sensor has a high accuracy of the measurement. The correct reading of measurements allows accurate knowledge of soil moisture in the area of ​​the plant root system during irrigation periods and between them. The recorder has the ability to configure the measurement in the range of 1 minute to 10 days. At any time, the user can check with the Efento Logger application, the readings on the chart that create soil moisture curves, showing how the humidity level changes. Slow growth means a gradual drying of the soil, which makes it possible to maintain the desired degree of hydration and the ability to plan the frequency of irrigation. Too rapid increase of 10-15 centibars in a few days means that the soil dries very quickly and additional measures should be taken. The data obtained from the probe inform about the degree of soil hydration: Before placing the probe in the soil for the first time, soak it in the irrigation water. The probe should always be installed moist.

1. place the probe in the water for 30 minutes in the morning and let it dry until the evening
2. place the probe in the water for 30 minutes and let it dry overnight
3. place the probe in the water for 30 minutes in the morning and let it dry until the evening
4. place the probe in the water in the morning and leave it there until the next morning
5. the next morning, install a moist humidity probe with a temperature probe at a similar depth in the soil. To place the probe in the soil, make a hole to the desired depth. Make a thick slurry from soil and water and place at the bottom of the hole, into the resulting "mud" push the probe. Surrounding the probe with a layer of moist soil allows maximum contact of the soil with the sensor and obtaining an accurate measurement. The temperature probe is used to automatically calibrate the soil moisture probe depending on the soil temperature. It should be placed near the soil moisture probe (0.1 – 1m) – at the same depth.

Data security

Data transmitted wirelessly can be encrypted. Thanks to that, unauthorized persons cannot hijack the communication between sensors and other devices. Efento sensors' software can be updated over the air, which will allow you to easily install any security patch that is released.

Integration

We believe that the Internet of Things is about integrating data sources, analysing the data and drawing conclusions based on it. If you want to integrate Efento loggers with your software, cloud platform or mobile application, we will provide you with the necessary documentation, libraries, SDKs and we will gladly assist you.