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The Growficient Ecosystem

What is the Growficient ecosystem? How do the sensors measure? What is the point of the gateway? What is the Growboard? How do the sensors and the Growboard communicate? 

This article explains some of the basics of the Growficient ecosystem from hardware to the Growboard. This is a brief explanation. For more details, please see the other articles on our help page.

About the sensor

The sensor comes with two pins, a thick and thing one. There are two types of sensors: 70mm pins and 95mm pins to suit different substrates and containers.

  • Water content is measured by the pins

  • EC is measured between the pins

  • Substrate temperature is measured with the thick pin

  • Atmospheric temperature is measured by a sensor inside the casing

The wireless sensor runs on a battery that has a battery life of 5-7 years, based on use. Battery changes are done by Growficient and you can arrange one via support@growficient.com. An offline sensor can store up to 24h of data.

About the gateway

The gateway is the connection point between the sensor and the Growboard. The sensor sends data to the gateway, which stores the information and sends it to the Growboard. The transfer of data from the gateway to the Growboard requires an internet connection. The gateways can connect to the internet in three ways:

  • Ethernet cable: Self-provided
  • WiFi: Configured by Growficient with the credentials you deliver to us
  • 4G SIM: Installed by Growficient before shipping the gateway or self-provided SIM, installed by you with our instructions and support

The gateway's range can reach up to 500m/546yd in an open field. However, in practice, plant mass, metals, metalloids, and other materials block the signal. Commonly, the range within a greenhouse/indoor facility is between 50-80m or 55-87yd.

About the Growboard

The Growboard is the online platform on which you can view the data gathered by the sensors. The Growboard is organized to reflect the real-life set up at your facility.

  • Compartments often reflect rooms or cultivations
  • Sections often reflect valves, tunnels, or zones
  • Placements often reflect rows, pots, or troughs

The set up is discussed and planned during the installation meeting, and you can always consult your Growth Success Manager or Support about any changes you may want to make.

The Growboard consists of tables of values in the overview, a graph tool, a heatmap, and a number of functionalities like plant activity and company management, and fine-tuning settings like lighting settings. These will be discussed during the implementation meeting after the installation. You can also always consult your Growth Success Manager or Support about these features.

The measurements you can view on the Growboard (depending on your subscription) are:

  • Water content
  • Dry out/Dry back
  • EC
  • Substrate temperature
  • Atmospheric temperature
  • Dry out speed
  • Drain

 The measurements are updated every 5 minutes.

You can have different levels of access to the Growboard, which come with different responsibilities:

Guest: View-only access to the Growboard and graph

Grower: Access to all features, but only has permission to rename Compartments, Sections, and Placements, cannot add, (re)move, and delete anything

Admin: Access to all features, can rename, add, (re)move, and delete freely

 

You can also have a company with multiple locations registered under it. You can read more about company management in the company management help pages.