Use case: Società Agricola Fienilnuovo adopted a solution to bring fast connectivity to an area where there was no fixed and mobile coverage
Network infrastructure and connectivity solution capable of supporting the technologically advanced activities of the agricultural company, located in an area without network coverage (both fixed and mobile)
Organizations involved
Società Agricola Fienilnuovo Srl (adopter), Uniontel Srl (system integrator), Cambium (solution provider, wireless antenna supplier), Nethesis (solution provider, VoIP switchboard supplier).
Objectives obtained
Starting from a situation of total absence of networking, two distinct and separate internet accesses were provided on site (the first for services, the second for security and backup), as well as a firewall in a rack cabinet (main node of the network), a wireless network for total coverage of the area, sector antennas, secondary nodes, a VoIP switchboard with 10 extensions and a cordless network in dect technology.
The challenge
Società Agricola Fienilnuovo Srl is a company active since 1876 in the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Developed over an area of 600 hectares, it covers the entire supply chain from cattle breeding to the transformation of milk into the finished product. Today it has around 3000 heads of livestock. Fienilnuovo’s strong point is the use of cutting-edge technologies to guarantee total animal welfare and production control: all phases are in fact highly automated.
The company’s production department is located in Palidano di Gonzaga (Mantua), in a large rural area. The company is well connected to the main road arteries, but the area was poorly covered by the cellular network. Landline coverage was completely absent. To date, the company has managed itself through a radio link internet connection and by installing mobile SIM cards on board the machinery. However, the quality and speed of the network are insufficient and hence the need to find a solution that can bring the fast connectivity necessary to maintain quality standards within the structure.
The solution
Starting from a situation of total absence of networking, Uniontel Srl‘s proposal made it possible to bring two distinct and separate internet accesses to the headquarters. The first access dedicated to services, while the second for security and backup. Since there was no fixed network coverage, it was decided to exploit the existing radio link antenna to relaunch on-site fiber optic connectivity present in another company headquarters, located in a country far from the factory about 800 meters as the crow flies. In this way, it was possible to equip the production with a faster and more stable line, as it was of a physical type and not a radio one like the one used so far. The connection is point-to-point.
On the roof of the office building (where only the radio link antenna was present) it was decided to install an additional receiver to allow the management of the second connectivity, the one responsible for security and backup. Since these are two distinct, independent and separate connectivities, it was possible to minimize possible interruptions following physical failures. These two connectivities converge in a firewall located in a rack cabinet inside the offices, which constitutes the main node of the network.
The wireless network branches out from the main node, capable of covering the entire headquarters, via two Cambium sectoral antennas which allow the connection of 5 secondary cabinets positioned in strategic areas for the collection and management of data via wi-fi transmission. The antennas are always positioned on the roof of the offices and by adding the two coverage radii of 90° each, 180° coverage will be obtained over the entire area of the company (the offices are not positioned in the center but on the side, near the road).
The five cabinets that constitute the secondary nodes of the network are equipped with wireless receivers and wi-fi antennas from Cambium (models E410 and E501S) made with materials suitable to withstand extreme temperatures, with an adequate IP protection (waterproof) rating.
The internet connection between the three main office-reception-dairy buildings is made via Wi-Fi with E410 Cambium antennas. The voice part is managed with the Nethesis Nethvoice voip switchboard, via a V15 box to manage around 10 extensions, and Gigaset N870 antennas for the cordless dect part.