Farmo is committed to the most transparent and easy-to-understand pricing model for our customers.
The principle is this:
1. Pay for your hardware (with all prices clearly displayed on the website).
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2. Pay a subscription per device that covers data, alerts, data processing and the dashboard. Our Subscription Plans include discounts when you buy more devices.
You can purchase Farmo hardware at a local distributor or online. When the hardware arrives and you are ready to set it up, jump online and purchase your Subscription Plan.
At the moment we have LoRaWAN and NB-IoT devices, with satellite devices coming in 2024.
LoRaWAN devices only count as 0.5 units in your subscription plan because these devices don't have a SIM card or telco carrier charges (but they will normally have the additional capital cost of installing a gateway).
NB-IoT devices have higher subscription charges but they can be deployed wherever there is telco coverage, without the cost of installing your own gateway.
You can mix and match device types. Data is just data when it arrives at your dashboard, it doesn't matter how it got there.
Some rules of thumb to consider:
- If you have existing LoRaWAN coverage: use it, it's cheap.
- If you have Telstra coverage on site and less than 10 sensors: use NB-IoT, it's cheap.
- If you have good line of sight and not too many trees, LoRaWAN is a great option.
- If you are outside Telstra coverage and sensors are over 10km from base look at satellite options.
We appreciate that having to understand which communications technology to choose when setting up your digital technology is frustrating and confusing, and we don't have a simple way around this issue yet. If you were just to choose satellite because it works anywhere, 90% of customers would be paying 300% more than they need to. So for the moment we are accepting some frustration in order to get a better value solution.
Example Pricing.
Mixed farming property in Cavendish, Victoria.
Coverage review:- 30% of the property is covered by pre-existing LoRaWAN coverage installled by the local council.
- Areas not covered by pre-existing LoRaWAN could be covered with a gateway installed on top of the shearing shed.
- Second block, 40kms from the homestead has good 4G coverage but no pre-existing LoRaWAN.
Proposal:
Install a LoRaWAN gateway on the home block shearing shed (using a 4G SIM card inside for the backhaul). The areas on the main block not reached by this gateway will be covered by the council gateway coverage. Deploy NB-IoT devices on the second remote block, where there is no mains power and installing a gateway would be costly.
Proposal:
Home block:
LoRaWAN Gateway
12 month data SIM for gateway
6x Water Level Monitors (LoRaWAN)
3x Electric Fence Senors (LoRaWAN)
1x Rain Gauge (LoRaWAN)
2x Gate Sensors (LoRaWAN)
1x Soil Moisture and Temp Sensor (LoRaWAN)
Remote Block:
5x Water Rat (NB-IoT)
Costings:
| Qty | Item | Hardware Price | Hardware Total | Annual Cost | Annual Total |
| 1 | LoRaWAN Gateway | $1199 | $1199 | $150 | $150 |
| 6 | Water Level Monitors (LoRaWAN) | $599 | $3594 | $75 | $450 |
| 3 | Electric Fence Sensor (LoRaWAN) | $499 | $1497 | $75 | $225 |
| 1 | Rain Gauge (LoRaWAN) | $299 | $299 | $75 | $75 |
| 2 | Gate Sensors (LoRaWAN) | $349 | $698 | $75 | $150 |
| 1 | Soil Moisture and Temp Sensor (LoRaWAN) | $379 | $379 | $75 | $75 |
| 5 | Water Rat (NB-IoT) | $749 | $3995 | $135 | $675 |
| Total | $11,661 | $1650 |
All prices include GST.
**Installation of gateway using customer's own labour and materials. Approx. $1000
