Monitoring system experiences

[Maplewalnut]

Now that everyone is finishing up, I am curious how monitoring systems have played out and what peoples experiences have been. I know more and more producers are installing them. A lot of companies out there now from Smartrek and cdl systems, has anyone set themselves apart from others in relationship to being user friendly or greater range etc? We are looking to add a another remote bush and nothing worse than pulling up to a hung up releaser or no vacuum.

thanks
Mike

[DrTimPerkins]

http://www.uvm.edu/~pmrc/Smartrek%20-%20Maple%20News.pdf

We have one vacuum sensor on each mainline and a level sensor on every tank. We also have custom pressure sensors on a few trees. Next year we'll be putting in some float switches and a flow meter.

[Thompson's Tree Farm]

Used TapTrack this year and very satisfied. They are solar charged and they have a radio with a bit longer range. Finding that releaser hung up at ten at night instead of the morning is a mixed blessing. We get the extra sap but stumbling around in the mud and dark is not pleasant. The system definitely did its job!

[wiam]

I used a $21 wifi cam and a straighttalk hotspot. Live video and sound from my releaser. Camera can be rotated and pivot up and down remotely.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/381834032936?_mwBanner=1

[wiam]

163901639216391Here are some screen shots. It also has infrared so can see at night.

[PerryFamily]

William
those are great shots! I had this happen to me 3-4 times this year. I lost quite a bit of sap. I really want to do this but how are people doin this in places with zero, and I mean zero cell service?

[Maplewalnut]

Used TapTrack this year and very satisfied. They are solar charged and they have a radio with a bit longer range. Finding that releaser hung up at ten at night instead of the morning is a mixed blessing. We get the extra sap but stumbling around in the mud and dark is not pleasant. The system definitely did its job!

Doug- is there a catalog with prices or US dealer to speak to?

Thanks
Mike

[ennismaple]

We got our Smartrek tablet, gateway and 2 sensors in time to use them for 2 days at the end of the season. It's quite easy to install. They tell us the sensors have a battery life of 7 seasons. I managed to mount the gateway high in a building that faces the woods so I went a few hundred yards to the first sensor. I drove on the ATV until the other sensor was out of range and then figured out how far to come back to mount the 2nd.

We will get more sensors for each of the next few years until we have good coverage throughout the woods.

[S.S.S]

We have used smartrek system for two years now. We only have one vacuum sensor by releaser and one tank level sensor and use 2 repeaters. We have wifi at the shack so we can see what's going on at all times when we leave shack. Works great

[wiam]

William
those are great shots! I had this happen to me 3-4 times this year. I lost quite a bit of sap. I really want to do this but how are people doin this in places with zero, and I mean zero cell service?
The camera I use would not work for you. The smartrek does not use cell but uses radio to get back to the base unit. If bush is very far I assume you would need cell to get back to sugarhouse. Why/when is your releaser hanging up?

[spud]

I used a $21 wifi cam and a straighttalk hotspot. Live video and sound from my releaser. Camera can be rotated and pivot up and down remotely.

http://m.ebay.com/itm/381834032936?_mwBanner=1

So you have the 720P model for $21 ? What is the range? My sugar house is 270 feet from my house. Can I view this from my cell phone? Thanks

Spud

[wiam]

So you have the 720P model for $21 ? What is the range? My sugar house is 270 feet from my house. Can I view this from my cell phone? Thanks

Spud

Yes i have two of those. One in my bush using a wifi hotspot. Other one is pointed at my RO in my sugarhouse approximately 300' from my house. My wifi router at the house will reach the sugarhouse barely. So I have a wifi range extender at the sugahouse for the RO camera. The one that uses the house wifi does not use internet.

[wiam]

The camera needs power USB. I use a deep cycle in the woods for the camera and hotspot. The hotspot used just over 2 gig of data for the season.

[S.S.S]

Is the camera and hotspot 12volt or are you using a converter?

[wiam]

Is the camera and hotspot 12volt or are you using a converter?
Lighter socket with a double USB outlet.

[PerryFamily]

The camera I use would not work for you. The smartrek does not use cell but uses radio to get back to the base unit. If bush is very far I assume you would need cell to get back to sugarhouse. Why/when is your releaser hanging up?

one is a CDL single vertical that arbitrarily hangs up. Then the SS float was taking in water, turned out to be a crack in the weld.

other one has since been replaced.

I'd just like to verify tank and vacuum levels and flow. would save a lot of windshield time

[wiam]

one is a CDL single vertical that arbitrarily hangs up. Then the SS float was taking in water, turned out to be a crack in the weld.

other one has since been replaced.

I'd just like to verify tank and vacuum levels and flow. would save a lot of windshield time

Is there another way to get wifi other than cell at your tank?

My releaser is a Lapierre single vertical. Most hang ups are at/near freezing. Next year it will be in an enclosure with minimal heat.

[wiam]

I should mention that as any piece of equipment the camera I have mentioned has some faults. The app needed to access the cameras has to be closed when not being used. On my iPhone 6 it would use up my battery quickly if the app was left open even in the background. Also I think it was 2 or 3 times the camera had to be powered off and on to reset because it would not work.