Collars & Hardware
New Zealand’s most popular cow collar monitoring system.
SenseHub® Dairy monitoring collar & hardware components are simple yet effective, and have been designed, built and installed to handle our New Zealand weather conditions.
Farmers can choose between a cow collar tag or an ear tag. Whilst the collar is the preferred and most popular tag for our Kiwi dairy farmers, we do offer an ear tag version if you prefer. The two tags operate the same algorithms, collect the same data points and feed into the same SenseHub Dairy software. However, ear tags do not have cow ID capability like the collar tag does.
What’s included in the hardware package?
When you purchase SenseHub Dairy monitoring, your hardware package will typically include the following*:
Server
Antennas (Readers)
Computer Monitor & Keyboard
UPS
NFC Stick Reader (Wand)
Collars or Ear Tags
*A site survey is required to understand shed setup and hardware currently in place which could impact hardware requirements.
Collars
Designed with cow comfort in mind
Light weight, adjustable and waterproof. Designed with cow comfort in mind.
The collar goes around the cow’s neck, with the blue tag sitting on the left side of the neck closest to the cow’s oesophagus. The weight at the bottom of the collar keeps the blue tag in the right place and is wrapped in a rubberised plastic to minimise the noise if it hits a metal feed bin or railing in the cow shed.
An average lactating cow in NZ weighs 400 – 500kg and our collar weighs less than 1kg. Therefore, cows adapt fairly quickly to wearing the SenseHub Dairy collar.
The collar strap is designed to fit firmly around the cow’s neck. In the unlikely event the collar gets caught on something, the strap will tear if enough force is applied. Therefore, it will loosen to allow the cow to back out of the collar.
Collars & Hardware
Neck Tag Specifications
- NFC: Yes
- Size: 81.1 x 64.5mm (3.3 x 2.5in)
- Weight: <900gm (Strap, Tag, Buckle, Weight)
- IR identification: Yes
- Operating Temperature: -30° to +50° C (-22° to 122° F)
- Waterproof (IP68) durability and unique plastic composition creates an airtight strong casing
- Communication: 2.4GHz – 802.15.4 SenseHub area coverages 200 x 500m (656 x 1640 ft)
Collars & Hardware
Ear Tag Specifications
- NFC: Yes
- Size: H 70mm / W 38mm / D 17mm
(H 2.8″ / W 1.5″ / D 0.7″) - Weight: 25gr (Tag only)
- IR identification: No
- Operating Temperature: -30° to +50° C (-22° to 122° F)
- Waterproof (IP68) durability and unique plastic composition creates an airtight strong casing
- Communication: 2.4GHz – 802.15.4 SenseHub area coverage 200 x 500m (656 x 1640 ft)
How does it work?
An accelerometer sits in the blue tag on the cow’s collar. It detects 3D movement of the head, neck, and muscles near the oesophagus.
These patterns of movement indicate if a cow is performing a certain behaviour, e.g.
- Grazing
- Ruminating
- Heavy breathing
This information is then stored in the tag for up to 24 hours.
Every 20 minutes the tag sends the latest information up to the readers if the cow is within range of the readers (antennas).
Readers are normally located on the dairy shed roof, pump shed, or on mobile, solar-powered reading stations around the farm.
The readers send the information to the SenseHub Dairy server software.
Patterns of each cow’s behaviour are continuously compared to her own 10-day baseline and generic expectations of cows at different stages of lactation.
Then, if significant changes are detected, the system will flag the cow as being on heat, sick, or in distress.
The information is accessible via reports, dashboards and alerts on SenseHub Dairy software and mobile app. Therefore, available from anywhere, at any time.
Collars & Hardware
Watch how SenseHub Dairy Behaviour Monitoring works
sign up or have a chat – leave your details below
Our local Sales Specialist will get in touch soon
NZ-SHB-241200006
