How to set up a wireless soil moisture sensor network for large-scale farming

Managing water across hundreds of hectares without reliable soil data is a gamble. A well-designed wireless soil moisture sensor network eliminates that guesswork — giving farm managers real-time visibility into soil conditions across every zone of the operation. This guide walks through exactly how to plan, install, and connect a wireless monitoring network that scales with your farm.

Step 1: Understand your monitoring requirements

Before purchasing any hardware, define what you actually need to measure. The size and complexity of your network depends on several key variables: the number of distinct soil types across the farm, the variety of crops being grown, the depth of the root zones you want to monitor, and the irrigation zones already in place.

For large-scale arable farming, a common starting point is one sensor probe per 5 to 10 hectares, with probes positioned to represent each distinct soil management zone. High-value crops like fruit or vegetables typically warrant higher sensor density. Mapping the farm into monitoring zones before choosing hardware prevents under-investment in some areas and unnecessary spending in others.

It is also worth deciding at this stage how frequently you need data. Hourly readings are sufficient for most field crops. For greenhouses or high-value horticultural production, 15-minute intervals may be more appropriate.

Step 2: Choose the right wireless technology

The wireless protocol you choose determines the range, power consumption, and infrastructure cost of your network. Three technologies dominate large-scale agricultural deployments in 2025.

LoRaWAN (Long Range Wide Area Network) is the most widely adopted choice for open-field agriculture. It offers a range of several kilometres per gateway in flat terrain, consumes very little power (sensors can run on batteries for years), and supports large numbers of devices on a single network. A single LoRaWAN gateway positioned centrally can cover a farm of 500 hectares or more. Services like The Things Network or private LoRaWAN servers can handle the data routing.

Cellular (4G/LTE or NB-IoT) is a strong alternative where LoRa coverage is unreliable — for example on farms in hilly terrain or near urban areas with good mobile infrastructure. NB-IoT in particular is designed for low-power IoT devices and is cost-effective for remote deployments. The downside is ongoing SIM card costs per device.

Wi-Fi based wireless soil moisture sensor systems are best suited to smaller farm areas, greenhouses, or locations with existing infrastructure nearby. They offer high data throughput but require routers within range and are impractical across large open fields without significant networking investment.

Step 3: Select and position your sensor probes

Sensor selection should match your soil type and crop root depth. For most arable applications, capacitance-based probes measuring volumetric water content at multiple depths (30 cm, 60 cm, 90 cm) give a complete picture of the root zone. Brands like METER Group (TEROS series), Sentek, and Soil Scout are commonly used in large-scale network deployments.

Sensor placement is critical. Install probes in locations that are representative of the broader zone — avoiding field edges, drainage channels, compacted headlands, or areas with unusual shade or aspect. In fields with variable soil texture, consider installing multiple probes to capture the range of conditions rather than relying on a single representative point.

For permanent installations, bury cable conduit at the time of sensor installation to protect cabling from cultivation damage. Wireless sensors that transmit from fully below ground (such as Soil Scout) eliminate the cable management problem entirely and are increasingly popular in mechanised operations.

Step 4: Install gateways and connect your network

Once sensors are in the ground, the next step is getting data off the farm and into a usable platform. For LoRaWAN networks, install gateways at elevated points — rooftops, grain stores, or purpose-built masts — to maximise coverage. Most commercial LoRaWAN gateways are weatherproof and can run on mains power or solar with battery backup.

Check gateway coverage by mapping signal strength across the farm using the gateway’s diagnostics or a handheld signal tester before committing to final gateway positions. Overlap between gateways ensures reliability if one goes offline.

For cellular deployments, each sensor node connects independently via its SIM to the mobile network, so no additional gateway infrastructure is required. Data flows directly to the cloud platform from each device.

Step 5: Integrate data into your farm management platform

Raw sensor data is only useful if it informs decisions. Most commercial wireless soil moisture sensor systems come with a companion cloud dashboard where you can visualise moisture levels over time, set threshold alerts, and compare zones. Platforms like Agrosignal, Sencrop, and manufacturer-specific portals (METER’s ZL6 cloud, Sentek’s IrriMAX) are commonly used.

For farms with existing farm management software (FMS) or precision agriculture platforms, look for sensors and gateways that support standard data protocols such as MQTT or REST APIs. This allows moisture data to flow automatically into the broader decision-making environment — including automated irrigation controllers that can trigger zone valves based on live sensor readings.

• Set alert thresholds for each crop and growth stage so the system notifies you before crops reach water stress.
• Review historical data at least weekly to spot sensor drift, probe displacement, or unusual readings that may indicate a fault.
• Calibrate sensors to your specific soil type after installation — factory calibrations are generalised and may introduce systematic error in heavy clay or sandy soils.

Step 6: Maintain and expand the network over time

A wireless soil moisture sensor network is not a set-and-forget installation. Battery-powered sensors typically need replacement every two to five years depending on the transmission frequency. Check connections and probe positioning after cultivation or heavy rain events that may shift sensors.

As the network matures, data from multiple seasons allows for better zone definition and more refined irrigation scheduling. Many farmers start with a pilot area of 50 to 100 hectares and expand the network progressively as they gain confidence in the system and demonstrate return on investment.

Conclusion

Setting up a wireless soil moisture sensor network for large-scale farming is a structured process — from defining monitoring zones and selecting the right wireless protocol, to positioning probes correctly and integrating data into actionable farm management workflows. The upfront planning pays off quickly: farms with well-designed sensor networks consistently report significant reductions in water use, more consistent crop performance, and a clearer picture of what is happening below the surface across their entire operation.