We had a customer request that we create a solution to provide wireless network coverage in a remote greenhouse. Inside the greenhouse, the temperature and humidity could exceed the specifications for the indoor MR access points. The greenhouse was approximately 30 feet by 30 feet, so one AP should cover it with no problems. We settled on using an MR70 AP. It is outdoor rated and WiFi5 was more than sufficient for the wireless clients that will be used in the greenhouse. The greenhouse is a little bit lower than the surrounding terrain, and even though the cellular coverage was not stellar, it was present. So we chose the MG41 because of it's outdoor rating and the fact that it can aggregate multiple LTE frequencies together. Since the cell signal was sufficient inside the greenhouse, we chose to mount the network equipment inside it, even though most of it is outdoor rated. We first chose to use two PoE injectors back to back to power the AP and the cellular gateway, but decided later that they might not be able to survive the environmental conditions inside the greenhouse for an extended period of time. We chose to replace them with an 8 port, unmanaged PoE+ industrial switch. The switch should be able to tolerate the environmental conditions for an extended period of time and it also provides more wired ethernet connections in case the customer wants to hardwire any network devices. The MG41 is bonding two and sometimes three LTE frequencies together, and even though the cellular signal strength oscillates between poor, Ok and Good, the network speed tests show speeds of around 20 megabits up and down consistently. This is more than adequate for the needs of the customer. We also installed a cheap APC UPS to protect the network equipment. It may not be able to survive the environmental conditions for an extended period of time, but it was only $65 and can easily be replaced. The customer plans to use wireless sensors to monitor the soil moisture and temperature for the plants in the greenhouse and they also need to monitor the water level and temperature of an aquaculture tank with about 75 crawdads and muscles in it. Once again, Meraki equipment makes this solution viable, simple and resilient.
Greenhouse exterior view
Plants in the Greenhouse
MG41 and MR70
Side view of the MG41 and MR70
Crawdads and Muscles in the aquaculture tank
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