Senet, WHIN Deploy LoRaWAN Connectivity in Indiana

The companies plan to increase access to IoT networks and sensor-enabled solutions, making the rural region an epicenter for manufacturing automation and digital agriculture.
Published: June 24, 2022

Senet, a provider of cloud-based software and services platforms designed to enable global connectivity and on-demand network build-outs for the Internet of Things (IoT), has announced a collaboration with the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network (WHIN) to increase access to IoT networks and sensor-enabled solutions. The goal, according to the companies, is to establish the largely rural agricultural region as an epicenter for next-generation manufacturing automation and digital agriculture enablement.

WHIN, a consortium of 10 counties throughout north-central Indiana, will partner with Senet to deploy the network. This will entail delivering thousands of square miles of LoRaWAN coverage for use by local manufacturing, agriculture and research organizations that are focused on driving prosperity across the region, the companies report. This regional network is part of the Senet Low-Power Wide-Area Virtual Network (LVN), one of the largest public carrier-grade networks in the United States.

Senet, WHIN Deploy LoRaWAN Connectivity in Indiana

The companies plan to increase access to IoT networks and sensor-enabled solutions, making the rural region an epicenter for manufacturing automation and digital agriculture.

Boosting Manufacturing Automation and Digital Agriculture

The WHIN LoRaWAN network is designed to support millions of messages per day, from sensors in agricultural fields and at manufacturing facilities, to inform decisions, reduce costs and make operations more efficient. IoT programs currently offered by WHIN and its partners include manufacturing and agriculture IoT solution testbeds at Purdue University and Ivy Tech Community College, digital readiness education programs throughout the region, and the implementation of IoT solutions through a network of technology partners.

“WHIN exists to foster economic growth and broad community prosperity throughout the Wabash Heartland region, and through a combination of strategic planning and strong partnerships we are accelerating the adoption of IoT technologies to support our objectives,” said Johnny Park, WHIN’s CEO, in a prepared statement. “Based on longstanding expertise in delivering carrier-grade LoRaWAN networks for highly scalable applications, Senet has become a foundational partner in the implementation of the connectivity framework needed to expand the economic opportunity for our industry clusters and their operations.”

Enabling Real-Time Analysis of Privatized and Anonymized Data

With IoT solutions in place across the region, the partners explain, WHIN envisions establishing what it describes as “a new paradigm for agriculture and manufacturing research.” This, it says, will be based on the real-time analysis of privatized and anonymized data collected from connected devices throughout the entire value chain.

“The promise of IoT is being realized on a daily basis as organizations and industries are using low-cost sensor data to improve their infrastructure and operations, advance sustainability efforts, and deliver economic opportunity across towns, counties and entire regions,” added Bruce Chatterley, Senet’s CEO, in the statement. “To make better data-driven decisions, rural businesses require as much data about their assets, infrastructure and operations as their urban neighbors. Senet’s partnership with WHIN helps to level the playing field across north-central Indiana—from farms to factories and everywhere in-between.”

Key Takeaways:

  • Senet and the Wabash Heartland Innovation Network are partnering to increase access to Internet of Things networks and sensor-enabled solutions in Indiana.
  • The companies hope to establish the rural region as an epicenter for manufacturing automation and digital agriculture.