Animal husbandry
How to Set Up a Network for a “Smart” Stable
Task
Horses are sensitive and valuable animals, and maintaining proper living conditions and care — especially for elite breeds — is a top priority for stable owners. Providing individual care and professional supervision is costly — both in terms of staff expenses and the costs of maintaining a comfortable microclimate for the horses. Air temperature, ventilation, open windows and doors, ammonia concentration, and humidity all depend on the type of stable and how environmental conditions are controlled.
Solution
The iotji solution, based on LoRa technology, is an automated horse care system that leverages the Internet of Things (IoT).
During cold seasons, it’s often difficult to know when to close the windows during ventilation to avoid lowering the indoor temperature too much. That’s why we recommend installing smart temperature sensors. If the facility is heated, these same sensors help regulate the heating system in livestock areas, preventing overheating — a known cause of increased disease risk in animals.
If the stables lack proper drainage and have earthen floors, LoRa sensors for air humidity, ammonia, methane, and carbon dioxide concentration are an essential part of iotji’s IoT solution. By using air quality sensors, staff can promptly perform cleaning and maintain a healthy environment inside the stables.
To avoid issues with improperly closed windows, Ukrainian system integrators recommend installing open/close sensors, which send alerts about the current window or door status. Signals from all sensors are transmitted via the 868 MHz LoRa radio channel to a LoRaWAN gateway, and then to a central server for processing. All collected data is visualized on a computer or mobile device, giving staff a complete real-time overview of stable conditions.
Result
Temperature monitoring fundamentally changes how stable staff maintain optimal conditions for the horses:
-
It allows for confident heating in winter — drinking water no longer freezes, horses drink more willingly, and the risk of colds decreases.
-
There’s no need to keep horses covered overnight, reducing sweating and preventing skin issues.
-
Temperature and window sensors help quickly identify and localize drafts, which are highly undesirable for horses.
-
With ammonia concentration sensors, staff can better plan cleaning schedules, improving overall animal health.
The most important aspect of a LoRaWAN sensor network for stables is its wireless design — sensors are battery-powered and transmit data via radio, so horses cannot snag or damage any cables, ensuring both safety and reliability of the system.