South African Fruit Farm Goes Wireless.

January 2004 -Komatipoort, South Africa.

A large fruit farm, situated close to the Mozambique border, supplies fresh fruit not only to the local South African market, but also provides to the export market as well.  Due to the farm being in a remote area, the local Telco is unable to provide economical telecommunication infrastructures to the vicinity.

The farm comprises of various ‘pack houses’ that are scattered throughout the farmland.  After each day’s packing, the stock records at each station needs to be consolidated and the data must be recorded at the central office situated in the nearby town.  The lack of communications meant that farm attendants had to get into their cars to drive between the points to obtain packing information and updated statistics.  This proved to be not only time consuming, but also an inaccurate method of stock management. 

Wireless LAN (PTY) Ltd. provided the wireless solution and network design, linking eight remote sites to a Central Office.  Further to the ‘point to multipoint’ network, it was also necessary to enable each ‘pack house’ to have communications with each other as well.  Wi-LAN’s ‘VIP110-24 Wireless Ethernets’ was recommended not only for the multipoint function but also because of the incorporation of Vine™ technology.  This meant that transmissions can also take place as an ‘any point to any point’ within the farm’s network. 

Wi-LAN’s VIP110-24 Wireless Ethernets have proved to be the exact solution for this application. The introduction of wireless communications has resulted in a highly efficient management system for the fruit farm.  All aspects of the business can now function at optimum levels, providing ‘real time’ information and allowing for super fast supply and delivery of orders.

Since the introduction of the VIP110-24 wireless Ethernets, both productivity and profitability levels have risen to significant levels.   Wireless LAN (Pty Ltd.) has once again been part of completing a very successful wireless network using Wi-LAN wireless equipment.  A project that has proved to be a very worthwhile investment!

Please see notes below outlining the capabilities and functionality of Wi-LAN’s ‘Vine’ technology;

Wi-LAN VINE Network:

The Wi-LAN VINE solution is a hybrid between point-to-multipoint and the mesh topologies that keeps the advantages of both and avoids the disadvantages of either.

VINE consists of a network topology and Medium Access Control (MAC) protocol that facilitates the deployment of a fixed wireless network with the following characteristics:

1.   The network can be deployed a node at a time with no need for base stations.

2.   For a new node to become part of an existing network, all that is needed is for it to be within RF reach of any other node already in the network.

3.   Once part of the network, the new node can become the attaching point for other new nodes.

4.   Only two independent communication channels are required.

5.   Medium access method self synchronizes all nodes in the network with no overhead or dedicated transmissions for synchronization.

6.   Frequency and directional diversity are combined, allowing multiple nodes to transmit simultaneously in the same geographical area without collisions.

7.   No backbone is needed initially.  All traffic can be forwarded by the deployed radios, through multiple hops if necessary, to reach its destination.

8.   Backbone point-to-point links can be added at a later time to scale up the network.  These are only needed once the total offered load starts exceeding the available bandwidth.

9.   The radio equipment deployed at each subscriber is identical for all locations.  There is no expensive hub or base station equipment.

The transceiver platform necessary to implement VINE contains at least three ports: one port for interfacing with the subscriber equipment (typically Ethernet), and two RF ports, designated as A and B, available for connection to two distinct antennas.  The RF ports are switched under software control, so that the receiver or transmitter circuitry is connected to one of the antennas at a time.  Over RF the transceiver operates in half duplex mode, i.e., at any given time it may either be transmitting or receiving.