Category: Smart Energy

Smart Farming Use Case – Powered by IoT Data Connect IoT Connectivity & Cellular Routers
Customer Profile

A large mixed‑crop and livestock farm in rural Europe operating across several hundred hectares. The farm uses a combination of tractors, irrigation systems, soil sensors, livestock trackers, and automated feeding equipment — all requiring reliable, always‑on connectivity.

The Challenge

The farm wanted to modernise operations using smart farming technologies, but faced several long‑standing issues:
- Poor rural network coverage causing IoT sensors and equipment to disconnect
- No central visibility of machinery, livestock, or environmental conditions
- High fuel and fertiliser costs due to inefficient resource use
- Machinery downtime during peak seasons
- Manual processes slowing down decision‑making
- Inconsistent data from different devices and vendors
To unlock the full value of precision agriculture, the farm needed reliable IoT connectivity and rugged cellular routers capable of supporting sensors, automation systems, and cloud‑based analytics.

The Solution: IoT Data Connect + Industrial Cellular Routers

IoT Data Connect deployed multi‑network IoT SIMs across all sensors, trackers, and connected machinery, paired with industrial‑grade cellular routers installed in key locations around the farm.

Key Components
- Multi‑network IoT SIMs ensuring devices stay online by switching to the strongest available signal
- 4G/5G cellular routers providing stable connectivity for gateways, irrigation systems, and farm buildings
- Centralised SIM management portal for monitoring usage, diagnostics, and remote control
- Low‑power IoT connectivity for long‑life soil, weather, and livestock sensors
- Secure VPN connectivity for remote access to machinery and farm systems
Results & Impact

Precision Agriculture at Scale

Soil sensors, weather stations, and irrigation systems now deliver real‑time data, enabling targeted watering and fertiliser application. Outcome: lower input costs and higher yields.

Reduced Machinery Downtime

Routers and IoT SIMs enable telematics for tractors and harvesters, providing predictive maintenance alerts. Outcome: fewer breakdowns during critical harvest windows.

Improved Livestock Health & Welfare

Connected tags track animal movement, temperature, and behaviour. Outcome: early detection of illness and reduced losses.

Full Visibility Across the Entire Farm

All devices from soil probes to fuel tanks report into a single dashboard via IoT Data Connect. Outcome: faster decisions and better planning.

Reliable Connectivity in Remote Fields

Multi‑network SIMs eliminate coverage blackspots across the farm’s land. Outcome: consistent data flow, even in isolated areas.

Increased Revenue & Lower Costs

Automation, reduced waste, and improved productivity directly increase profitability. Outcome: measurable ROI within the first season.

Why IoT Data Connect for Smart Farming?
- Proven performance in rural and remote environments
- Multi‑network resilience across Europe
- Industrial routers built for harsh agricultural conditions
- Scalable connectivity for thousands of devices
- Expert support for agri‑tech deployments
Summary

By combining IoT Data Connect IoT connectivity with industrial cellular routers, the farm transformed its operations into a fully connected smart farming ecosystem. The result: higher yields, lower costs, healthier livestock, and a more sustainable, data‑driven future.
22 January 2026
IoT Data Connect – Environment Monitoring Use Case
Customer Profile

A large environmental services organisation responsible for monitoring air quality, water levels, soil conditions and climate data across multiple remote locations in the UK and Europe. Their operations support government agencies, local councils, agriculture, and private industry.

The Challenge

The customer needed a reliable way to collect real‑time environmental data from hundreds of sensors deployed across rural and hard‑to‑reach areas. Their existing connectivity solution suffered from:
- Poor network coverage in remote locations
- Unreliable data transmission, causing gaps in reporting
- High maintenance costs due to site visits for SIM swaps and troubleshooting
- Lack of centralised control over SIMs and devices
- Slow response times when environmental thresholds were breached
These issues created operational inefficiencies, compliance risks, and delays in delivering accurate environmental insights to stakeholders.

The Solution: IoT Data Connect Multi‑Network IoT Connectivity

IoT Data Connect deployed multi‑network IoT SIMs and a unified connectivity management platform to ensure every sensor stayed online, regardless of location.

Key Components
- Multi‑network SIMs that automatically switch to the strongest available signal
- Real‑time data transmission from sensors to the customer’s cloud platform
- Centralised SIM management for activation, monitoring and diagnostics
- Low‑power IoT connectivity optimised for long‑life environmental sensors
- Instant alerts when environmental thresholds are exceeded
Results & Impact

99.9% Uptime Across All Monitoring Sites

Multi‑network connectivity eliminated coverage gaps, ensuring continuous data flow from remote sensors.

Faster Environmental Response

Real‑time alerts enabled the customer to respond immediately to pollution spikes, flooding risks, or soil condition changes.

Reduced Operational Costs

Fewer site visits, fewer SIM swaps, and remote diagnostics cut maintenance costs significantly.

Improved Data Accuracy & Compliance

Consistent, uninterrupted data streams strengthened reporting for regulatory bodies and environmental audits.

Scalable Deployment

The customer can now add new sensors anywhere in the UK or Europe without worrying about coverage or configuration.

Why IoT Data Connect?
- Proven reliability in rural and remote environments
- Multi‑network resilience across Europe
- Easy‑to‑use management portal
- Flexible data plans for large sensor deployments
- Expert support for environmental and IoT projects
Summary

IoT Data Connect enabled the customer to transform their environmental monitoring operations with robust, always‑on IoT connectivity. With reliable data, lower costs, and faster response times, the organisation can now deliver higher‑quality insights and meet growing environmental compliance demands.
22 January 2026
Renewable Energy Solutions Use of Roaming SIM Card

Renewable Energy Solutions are using the M2M Data Connect roaming SIM card for extensive IoT connectivity coverage for all key areas of electricity generation, air and water heating or cooling and solar.

Renewable Energy Solutions get transformed by Roaming SIM card

Renewable energy mainly provides energy in the key areas of electricity generation, air and water heating or cooling and solar. These then feed into the national grid, and off-grid energy services. The industry is increasing massively in size in the United Kingdom and internationally. One of the major requirements is to have very secure remote connectivity to monitor and control the assets on a daily basis, especially due to the environments in which the expensive renewable energy assets are located.

Using the Multi-network, roaming SIM card enables remote asset management, which results in thousands of pounds on human labour costs incurred from frequent site visits. These assets include Solar Farms, Wind Turbines and Hydroelectric generators. Which can sometimes operate in harsh environments and remote locations. As a result, this makes them ideal assets to utilise the Multi-network, roaming SIM card.

Assets can be connected to over the internet with a click of a mouse button via a secure connection using the M2M Data Connect private APN. Whether you monitor energy production from a solar farm, or the CCTV footage of a camera on a solar site, an M2M Data Connect roaming SIM card allows you to do it all remotely.

Intelligent Smart Grid utilise M2M solutions

A smart grid is an “intelligent” electricity distribution network that uses M2M solutions to enable the automated interaction of intelligent devices to react to critical events helping to improve efficiency and reliability in energy distribution and optimize the allocation of resources and the usage of assets. Energy efficiency is becoming a factor in business success, as is planned energy management in the public and private sectors, allowing to reduced energy consumption. M2M technology can help improve energy efficiency by remotely monitoring and controlling the consumption of powered devices and tracking usage for billing and reporting.

Automated meter readers (AMR) are innovative and advanced utility meter that records a business or consumers energy, water or gas usage in real-time. M2M technology enables customer relationship management, demand-side management and value-added services, helping to provide a more reliable and sustainable supply.

Managing solar and wind farms that are sited offshore or in remote locations is a challenge. M2M technologies provide a simple, cost-effective solution for retrieving assessment and monitoring data to maximize energy production and reduce the need of other sources by enabling real-time response to output changes caused by changing weather, failure or maintenance issues. In the oil, gas and petroleum industry, production and distribution systems can span hundreds of kilometres and suffer inclement weather.

M2M solutions allow centralizing monitoring and access, helping controllers to communicate with instrumentation at wellheads, pipelines and other remote sites.

How to get connected with M2M Data Connect

For more information or help just complete the enquiry form and we will be in touch.

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3 January 2022
IoT based solar energy monitoring system
Looking for IoT solutions for solar energy for your building’s energy needs?

You’re in good company, it’s estimated that over 70,000 solar panels will be installed every hour over the next five years worldwide. Among the many decisions, you’ll be making about your solar power system is how to approach monitoring. Therefore, monitoring is a critical component of any system. And contributes to its overall cost and effectiveness.

In this M2M Blog, we will discuss IoT based solar energy monitoring systems and how they work. What data you’ll get from using them, and how to monitor cost-effectively and reliably.

Solar Energy Monitoring Systems Using The IoT

Every solar power installation comes with a monitoring device. Above all, because it’s important to stay informed about what the system is producing and how well it’s performing. It is very important to know when something goes wrong so you can address the issue in a timely way. As a result, this enables you to derive the maximum benefit from your investment.

IoT devices work for solar energy

The success of your monitoring system depends on the reliability of your communication network. If for some reason the network fails, your devices won’t be able to transmit data. This could cause you to miss important data indicating performance issues, or misinterpret other available data. As a result, M2M Roaming SIM Cards are the best solution.

M2M Roaming SIM Card solutions for wireless IoT configurations, help to reduce costs. They allow for a higher level of data collection, monitoring capabilities, and subsequent learning/AI applications.

You will find that solar power systems for commercial use often come with a subscription component for a monitoring service. And/or cellular connection as part of the package.

What’s being monitored IoT based solar energy monitoring systems

Monitoring systems provide a wealth of information about the performance of a solar system. As a result, sensors can help monitor external conditions such as:
- Wind speed
- Radiance of the sun
- Temperature
- Cell temperature
They also measure elements surrounding system performance, such as:
- String voltage
- Inverter performance
- Actual vs. modelled energy production
- System output (the AC electric energy)
- Battery voltage levels to determine battery health
Getting your IoT solutions connected for solar energy

Our team of experts can help with the best M2M Data SIMs for your solar energy IoT Solution. Contact us today.
5 June 2021