Driving on-farm Wi-Fi connectivity

A collaborative project between Charles Sturt’s Global Digital Farm, the Food Agility CRC and Wagga Wagga innovation start-up company Zetifi is focused on turning tractors and trucks into mobile Wi-Fi providers on farms.

Improving connectivity for Australian farmers is critical for driving productivity and sustainability in agriculture as farms become more reliant on automation and data analytics.

Our research teams are experimenting with antenna arrays fitted to mobile and stationery farming equipment to provide long-range communications in black spot areas. The project is expected to be completed in 2023 with expectations of a commercial product available for farmers in that timeframe.

Building on this collaboration, Wagga Wagga company Zetifi has received a $644,000 grant to develop the commercial prototype, and a further US$500,000 from Grow-NY to establish a team in the United States and look at solutions and markets for the technology there. Zetifi engaged with our Incubator Program provided through our Innovations Hubs to develop the idea into commercial reality.

Food Agility Chief Scientist, Professor David Lamb, said the technology will enable innovation in agriculture: “This new technology will be the backbone for the future of autonomous farming.”