Spending hours each day driving to the field, starting, stopping, and checking on your center pivot is now a thing of the past. With recent advances in irrigation technology, many growers are taking advantage of equipment that lets them manage their irrigation system remotely. With the right equipment, you can streamline your operation without missing out on the things that really matter in life – whether it’s dinner with the family or re-investing that time into other areas of your farm. Increasing the efficiency of your operation will not only give you more time, but can also lower labor costs.
As you leap into the world of irrigation remote control technology, you may hear some unfamiliar words. Understanding what specific terms mean will make a big difference when you are selecting technology products. Here are some terms to be familiar with:

App – An app is software that lets you perform a certain task. You can use apps on your computer (known as desktop applications) or on a cell phone or mobile device (these are called mobile apps). In the irrigation control technology world, the app is what you will use to monitor/control your irrigation pump.

The Cloud – Cloud computing means you are using the Internet to store, manage, and process data rather than hosting everything on your own computer. This may sound intimidating, but many times the benefits of cloud computing outweigh the risks. Using “the cloud” means you will not have to worry about updating software or whether your computer may crash because everything is stored on a remote server. Working from the cloud makes it much easier to access your data from any mobile device. Most companies that use the cloud use secure servers and have redundancy plans so your data is secure and backed-up, but you can always ask companies about how your data is processed and stored.

Telemetry – This is the sending and receiving of data. Telemetry is how the equipment in the field and the computer or mobile device talk to each other. Many times you will hear the term RTU, or Remote Telemetry Unit. The RTU is what is gathering the data about the position and status of the equipment and sending it through the Internet or cell data to be viewed on your computer or mobile device.

Wi-Fi – Wi-Fi is the Internet connection available wirelessly. With Wi-Fi technology you don’t have to connect to a network via a “hard-wire” or cable to access the Internet.

Monitor – When used with irrigation control technology, this term means you can see different statistics about your machine, but you cannot interact with the machine remotely. For instance, you may be able to see that the machine is running dry, but you may not be able to turn the water on remotely.

Control – This irrigation control technology term means that you can both see and interact with your irrigation equipment. The amount of remote control you have over your machine will vary, so this is definitely something to ask about before making a selection.