Explore the features of Silvanet Suite and Silvanet apps.
In this section
Get started tutorial (Gen 3)
Learn how to plan for and deploy Gen 3 Silvanet Gateways and Wildfire Sensors with this step-by-step tutorial.
This tutorial guides you through the basic steps of planning a Site, preparing to deploy Silvanet devices and then deploying each Silvanet device type in a forest.
These steps do not require an actual deployment of devices. In fact, you can choose any forest in the world to prepare an example Packet.
Goal
After completing this tutorial, you should know how to:
Use the Site Management app to estimate the required Gateways and Sensor to cover a Site
Use the Deployment app to deploy Silvanet devices in a Site
View the status of deployed Silvanet devices in the Site view of the Site Management app
Prerequisites
You need the following before beginning this tutorial:
Login credentials to the Site Management app
At least one Site provided in the Site Management app
The Silvanet Deployment app installed on a smartphone
1. Plan the Site
The Planning tool is part of the Site Management app. It is used to estimate the amount and location of Border Gateways, Mesh Gateways and Wildfire Sensors to cover a Site.
Login to dryad.app
Your user credentials (Username and Password) give you access to the Dryad Site Management app (dryad.app) and the Dryad Deployment app.
Select Login and then in the Sign In form, enter your username and password.
Select or create a Site
In the Site Management app, select Sites view. The Site is where you prepare the deployment plan.
If no Site appears, select Create Site.
Give the Site a name, select a region, then select Create Site.
See Also
Plan coverage estimation
Draw paths (hiking, roads, power lines of higher Sensor density), areas (wide areas of lighter Sensor density) and connectivity zones (mesh network of gateways).
The result is a total number of Gateways and Sensors needed to cover the Site. You then export this plan to the Deployment app for use in the deployment Site.
Run the Planning tool:
From the ellipse menu (top-right), select Planning tool.
Find a deployment location:
Use the Search form to find any suitable location as this is only an example plan.
Draw some paths and areas:
Look at the map and experiment with the drawing tools.
If you see a trail, railroad or other linear area, use the Draw Path tool to draw a path along the route. Notice the dots along the path. These are estimated Sensor locations. Give the path a name and then try out some of the settings.
For larger forested areas, use the Draw Area tool to follow the perimeter of the area to be protected by Sensors. Notice the dots inside the area. These are estimated Sensor locations. Give the area a name and move the slider to increase or decrease Sensor density.
Build up the mesh network using the Connectivity Mesh:
This adds Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways. First, add a Border Gateway. Afterwards, select in the blue zone of the Border Gateway and then add a Mesh Gateway. Continue adding Mesh Gateways until the Site is covered. Make sure you select in a blue zone before adding another Mesh Gateway.
Optionally, add a few comments:
Use the Comment tool to add one or two comments.
You can always delete a route or area and add new ones. Just try the tools and get comfortable using the Planning tool.
The white and yellow dots are used to modify the route or area. Enlarge an area by selecting a white dot and moving it outward.
As you add paths, areas and connectivity zones, the device counters increment. This gives you an estimate of the number of Silvanet devices needed to provide coverage.
Save your plan using the menu on the upper left of the tool to select Save.
Planning tool tutorial
Completed plan
With the coverage estimation completed, it is ready to be exported.
Print a Summary document.
Select Export Summary to save the estimation as a printable document (.docx).
After downloading the document, it can be saved as PDF for later printing to be used to deploy the devices.
Release the deployment plan to the Dryad Deployment app.
Select Release Deployment Plan to send the deployment plan to the Deployment app associated with your user credentials.
Before releasing the plan, the Planning tool checks if there are any issues that need to be resolved. If found, use the provided troubleshooting information to fix the issues. For example, if a sensor is outside a connectivity zone, fix this by selecting the Sensor icon and moving it inside a blue zone.
After all issues in the Plan have been resolved, release the Deployment plan.
The plan appears in the Deployment app as a new Site.
2. Prepare to deploy
Pre-charge the Border and Mesh Gateways for 24 hours before bringing the devices to the deployment locations.
Required deployment tools
The following are suggested deployment tools:
Toolbox to carry all the necessary tools
Hammer for treenails, chisel to shave off tree bark and shears for trimming branches and for cutting lengths of garden wire
Binoculars to ensure line of sight between devices
10 mm wood drill bit and a 6 mm wood drill bit
Cordless drill and extra fully charged battery
Chainsaw for quickly cutting large branches (optional)
17 mm wrench used for U-Clamps
Garden wire for temporary installations
16 foot (5 meter) foldable ladder
Handheld radio (walkie-talkie) or other alternative means of communication for locations with no cell connectivity
Before heading into the deployment area, find a location with good mobile connectivity, launch the Deployment app on the Smartphone, then select the Site.
See Also
The following procedures are based on a pre-released version of the Silvanet Deployment app. The released version may differ from described. It is provided as example only.
3. Deploy Border Gateway
Deploy the Border Gateway to make a connection with the Silvanet Cloud Platform.
Select the Border Gateway in the Deployment app
From the list of devices, tap a Border Gateway.
The Install Device screen appears. Your location is indicated by a blue dot on the map.
Using the Deployment app, move towards the deployment location.
Mount the Border Gateway
Once at the location, tap Install Device, then go ahead and mount the Border Gateway.
Find a healthy tree or stable pole.
Determine the mounting location of the solar panels (towards the sun at noon) and height on the tree or pole of the Border Gateway (3 m) and solar panels (above or below Gateway).
Mount the (3) brackets for the Border Gateway and solar panels on a tree (using tree nails) or pole (using the U-Clamps).
Attach the Border Gateway and solar panels to the brackets. To secure them against theft, use locks in the holes provided.
Connect the cables from the solar panels to the Border Gateway (as well as PoE, if used).
Do not mount the solar panels behind the Gateway.
Start registration
Ensure the Border Gateway is mounted correctly before starting the registration.
Tap Confirm and Register Device to begin activating the Border Gateway.
Bring the Smartphone running the Deployment app near the NFC logo on the front of the Border Gateway and hold it there for a few seconds.
Connectivity test in progress
Wait about three to five minutes for the Border Gateway to attempt to connect with the Silvanet Cloud.
Check results
Tap the NFC tag again to see the results of the Connectivity text.
If unsuccessful, follow the troubleshooting information provided in the app, then restart the Connectivity Test.
If successful, tap Show Device Details.
See Also
4. Deploy Mesh Gateways
Deploy the Mesh Gateways to build up a Silvanet Mesh Network.
Select a Mesh Gateway in the Deployment app
From the list of devices in the Site, tap a Mesh Gateway.
The Install Device screen appears. Your location is indicated by a blue dot on the map.
Using the Deployment app, move towards the deployment location.
Mount the Mesh Gateway
Once at the location, tap Install Device, then go ahead and mount the Border Gateway.
Find a healthy tree or stable pole.
Find the location on the tree or pole that is at a minimum of 3 m above ground level and is oriented towards the sun (at 12:00 noon).
Mount the bracket on a tree (using tree nails) or on a pole (using U-Clamps).
Attach the Mesh Gateway to the mounting bracket and lock the Gateway to the bracket.
Start registration
Ensure the Mesh Gateway is mounted correctly before starting the registration.
Tap Confirm to begin activating the Mesh Gateway.
Bring the Smartphone running the Deployment app near the NFC logo on the front of the Mesh Gateway and hold it there for a few seconds.
Connectivity test in progress
Wait about three to five minutes for the Mesh Gateway to attempt to connect with the Silvanet Mesh Network (Border or Mesh Gateways).
Check results
Tap the NFC tag again to see the Connectivity results
If unsuccessful, follow the troubleshooting information provided in the app, then restart the Connectivity Test.
If successful, tap Show Device Details.
Next Mesh Gateways
Use the same procedures to deploy the remaining Mesh Gateways.
We recommend each Mesh Gateway should have connectivity to two Mesh Gateways to ensure a reliable Mesh Network.
See Also
5. Deploy Wildfire Sensors
With the Border Gateway and Mesh Gateways deployed, the Silvanet Mesh Network is ready for the deployment of Wildfire Sensors.
The Deployment plan developed by the Planning Tool indicates how many Wildfire Sensors are to be deployed and where each Sensor is to be located.
Wildfire Sensors can be registered using NFC (for Gen 3 devices) or QR Code (Gen 2 devices). The procedures in this section describe registering Sensors using NFC.
Select a Wildfire Sensor in the Deployment app
Tap a Wildfire Sensor from the list of devices.
The Install Device screen appears. Your location is indicated by a blue dot on the map.
Move towards the Sensor deployment location.
Mount the Wildfire Sensor
At the deployment location, tap Install Device.
Select a healthy tree and find a location on the tree that is at least 3 m above the ground level.
Use a chisel or axe to remove any protruding bark at the location. Do not overly damage the bark of the tree.
At the mounting location, drill a hole approximately 6-7 cm into the tree using the 10 mm wood drill bit. We recommend drilling a 6 mm pilot hole first.
Using a tree nail and a spacer, mount the Wildfire Sensor to the tree.
Ensure the Sensor is securely attached to the tree.
If the Sensor is to be mounted temporarily, use garden wire.
Start registration
Ensure the Wildfire Sensor is mounted securely before starting the registration.
Tap Confirm to begin activating the Sensor.
Bring the Smartphone running the Deployment app near the Sensor and hold it there for a few seconds.
After a few moments, the Sensor is registered.
When complete, the Installation successful screen appears.
Tap Show Device Details. You can add additional information about the deployment location in the Notes field, such as near a campground, in the shadow of a cliff-face and so on.
Calibrate the Wildfire Sensor
Allow the Sensor to fully charge (1 day), then let the Sensor calibrate for 14 days.
See Also
Next steps
After calibration, the Silvanet Suite of Gateways and Sensors are now ready for fire detection.
See Also
Get started tutorial (Gen 2)
Learn how to plan and deploy Gen 2 Silvanet Gateways and Wildfire Sensors with this step-by-step tutorial.
This tutorial guides you through the basic steps of planning a Site, preparing to deploy Silvanet devices and then deploying each Silvanet device type in a forest.
Goal
After completing this tutorial, you should know how to:
Prerequisites
You need the following before beginning this tutorial:
Login credentials to the Site Management app
At least one Site provided in the Site Management app
The Silvanet Deployment app installed on a smartphone
1. Plan the Site
The Planning tool is part of the Site Management app. It is used to estimate the amount and location of Border Gateways, Mesh Gateways and Wildfire Sensors to cover a Site.
Login to dryad.app
Your user credentials (Username and Password) give you access to the Dryad Site Management app (dryad.app) and the Dryad Deployment app.
Select Login and then in the Sign In form, enter your username and password.
Select or create a Site
In the Site Management app, select the Sites view. The Site is where you prepare the deployment plan.
If no Site appears, select Create Site.
Give the Site a name, select a region, then select Create Site.
See Also
Plan coverage estimation
Draw paths (hiking, roads, power lines of higher Sensor density), areas (wide areas of lighter Sensor density) and connectivity zones (mesh network of gateways).
The result is a total number of Gateways and Sensors needed to cover the Site.
Run the Planning tool:
From the ellipse menu (top-right), select Planning tool.
Find a deployment location:
Search for a suitable location using the Search form. You can find any location as this is only an example plan.
Draw some paths and areas:
Look at the map and experiment with the drawing tools.
If you see a hiking trail, railroad or other linear area, use the Draw Path tool to draw a path along the route. Notice the dots along the path. These are estimated Sensor locations. Give the path a name and then try some of the settings.
For larger forested areas, use the Draw Area tool to follow the perimeter of the area to be protected by Sensors. Notice the dots inside the area. These are estimated Sensor locations. Give the area a name and move the slider to increase or decrease Sensor density.
Build up the mesh network using the Connectivity Mesh:
This adds Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways. First, add a Border Gateway. Afterwards, select in the blue zone of the Border Gateway and then add a Mesh Gateway. Continue adding Mesh Gateways until the Site is covered. Make sure you select in a blue zone before adding another Mesh Gateway.
Optionally, add a few comments:
Use the Comment tool to add a comment or two.
You can always delete a route or area and add new ones. Just try the tools and get comfortable using the Planning tool.
Notice the white and yellow dots. You can use these dots to modify the route or area. Try enlarging an area by selecting a white dot and moving it outward.
As you add paths, areas and connectivity zone, the device counters increment. This gives you an estimate of the number of Silvanet devices needed to provide coverage.
Save your plan using the menu on the upper left of the tool to select Save.
Planning tool tutorial
Completed plan
With the coverage estimation completed, it is ready to be exported.
Print a Summary document.
Select Export Summary to save the estimation as a printable document (.docx).
After downloading the document, it can be saved as PDF for later printing to be used by forestry workers to deploy the devices.
Release the deployment plan to the Dryad Deployment app.
Select Release Deployment Plan to send the deployment plan to the Deployment app.
Before releasing the plan, the Planning tool checks if there are any issues that need to be resolved. If found, use the provided troubleshooting information to fix the issues. For example, if a sensor is outside a connectivity zone, fix this by selecting the Sensor icon and moving it inside a blue zone.
After all issues have been resolved, release the Deployment plan.
The plan appears in the Deployment app as a new Site.
2. Prepare to deploy
Pre-charge the Border and Mesh Gateways for 24 hours before bringing the devices to the deployment locations.
Required deployment tools
Toolbox to carry all the necessary tools
Hammer for treenails, chisel to shave off tree bark and shears for trimming branches and for cutting lengths of garden wire
Binoculars to ensure line of sight between devices
10 mm wood drill bit, 6 mm wood drill bit, cordless drill and extra fully-charged battery
Chainsaw for quickly cutting large branches (optional)
17 mm wrench used for U-Clamps
Garden wire for temporary installations
16 foot (5 meter) foldable ladder
Handheld radio (Walkie-talkie) or other alternative means of communication for locations with no cell connectivity
See Also
Deployment app installed
Ensure the Deployment app is installed on a fully charged Smartphone.
Before heading into the deployment area, find a location with good mobile connectivity and launch the Deployment app on the Smartphone. Then select the Site.
3. Deploy Border Gateway
Deploy the Border Gateway to make a connection with the Silvanet Cloud Platform.
Select Border Gateway
From the list of devices, tap a Border Gateway.
The Register Device screen appears. Your location is indicated by a blue dot on the map.
Register Border Gateway
Using the Deployment app, move towards the deployment location for the Border Gateway.
Once at the location, tap Register Device to open the Scanning screen.
The Registration successful screen appears.
Mount Border Gateway
Use treenails (for trees) or U-Clamps (for poles) to mount the Border Gateway 3 m above ground level.
Use garden wire to vertically mount the solar panel above the Border Gateway and face it towards the sun (at 12:00 noon).
Connect the solar panel to the Border Gateway using the provided cable and connector.
Do not mount the solar panel behind the Border Gateway.
Run Connectivity test
Run the connectivity test to ensure the Border Gateway has connectivity to the Silvanet Cloud.
Tap Confirm & Start Connectivity Test to begin.
If unsuccessful, follow the troubleshooting information provided in the app, then restart the Connectivity Test.
If successful, tap Close or Show Device Details.
See Also
4. Deploy Mesh Gateways
With the Border Gateway connected to the Silvanet Cloud, you can begin deploying the Mesh Gateways to build up a Silvanet Mesh Network.
Select Mesh Gateway
Tap a Mesh Gateway from the list of devices.
The Register Device screen appears. Your location is indicated by a blue dot on the map.
Using the Deployment app, move towards the deployment location.
Register Mesh Gateway
Once at the location, tap Register Device to open the Scanning screen.
Scan the device's QR Code to register the Mesh Gateway.
Mount Mesh Gateway
Find the location on the tree or pole that is at a minimum of 3 m above ground level and is oriented towards the sun (at 12:00 noon).
Using tree nails (for trees) or U-Clamps (for poles), mount the Mesh Gateway at least 3 m above ground level.
Run Connectivity test
Ensure the Mesh Gateway is securely mounted.
Tap Confirm & Start Connectivity Test to run a Connectivity test. This test ensures the device has connectivity to the Border Gateway and/or Mesh Network.
If the Border Gateway cannot be reached, follow the information provided in the app and restart the test.
If the Mesh Gateway can communicate with neighboring Gateways but the signal is too weak, follow the information provided in the app and restart the test.
If successful, tap Close or Show Device Details, then go ahead and deploy the next Mesh Gateway.
Deploy next Mesh Gateway
Use the same procedures to deploy the remaining Mesh Gateways.
See Also
5. Deploy Wildfire Sensors
Select Wildfire Sensor
Tap a Wildfire Sensor from the list of devices.
The Register Device screen appears. Your location is indicated by a blue dot on the map.
Move towards the Sensor deployment location.
Once at the location, find a stable tree that is healthy and unlikely to be cut down.
Tap Register Device to open the Scanning screen.
Register Wildfire Sensor
Before mounting the Sensor, use the Deployment app to scan the QR Code on the Sensor. This app then registers the Wildfire Sensor.
After connecting with the Silvanet Cloud via the Silvanet Mesh Network, the Registration successful screen appears.
Mount Wildfire Sensor
Find the location on the tree that is at a minimum of 3 m above ground level. Use a chisel or axe to remove any protruding bark at the location. Do not overly damage the bark.
Use a tree nail and spacer to mount the Wildfire Sensor.
For temporary mounting, use garden wire to secure the Sensor to a tree.
Ensure the Sensor is securely attached to the tree.
Tap Confirm to complete the deployment.
The Installation successful screen appears.
Tap Close or Show Device Details.
Allow Wildfire Sensor to calibrate
See Also
Next steps
After calibration, the Silvanet Suite of Gateways and Sensors are now ready for fire detection.
See Also
Planning tool tutorial
Learn how to use the Planning tool to estimate of the amount and location of Silvanet devices needed to protect a Site.
This tutorial walks you through the steps required to plan the deployment of Silvanet devices using the Site Management app's Planning tool.
The example plan in this tutorial includes high density Sensor zones called Paths and low density Sensor zones called Areas.
To ensure the Sensors have connectivity to the Silvanet Cloud, the plan includes a Connectivity Mesh that consists of a Border Gateway and several Mesh Gateways.
After completing the plan, it is then released to the Deployment app and exported as a summary document.
Goal
After completing this tutorial, you should know how to:
Open the Planning tool in the Site Management app
Search for an appropriate Site location
Save the planning file (custom_name-site_number.dryad)
Define Areas and Paths and a Connectivity Mesh
Export a summary document (*.docx) and release the plan to the Deployment app
Prerequisites
To complete this tutorial, you need to complete the following prerequisites. You can skip ahead if you've already completed these tasks:
1. Find Site location
In the Planning tool, find a suitable location for the Site. You can select any location as an example. In this tutorial, we make a plan to deploy Silvanet in an area in northern British Columbia, Canada. It includes a deep valley, thick forests, a settlement, power lines, roadways and forestry paths.
Open the Site Management app.
Select Site view, then select Planning tool from the ellipsis menu (upper-right corner).
In the Planning tool use the Search field to find a deployment location.
Save your project by selecting Save from the dropdown menu (upper-left corner).
Planning tool file
When you save a project, it is saved as a Site Planning file in the form of <filename.dryad>. Make sure you save your changes to the project file after each step in the tutorial.
2. Draw three paths
Multiple paths
The Sensor count shown is the number of sensors planned for all paths in the plan.
Draw a hiking path
Add the first path which i s a line of Sensors that follow a hiking path in the Site.
The white dots indicate locations the Planning tool has determined where to place the Wildfire Sensors in the path.
Describe the path:
In the Path Settings panel shown on the left enter the following information:
Name:
Enter a descriptive name.
Path type:
Select Hiking Path.
Protection Level:
Select Mid. The slider is used to determine Wildfire Sensor density (Low, Mid, High).
The distance between Sensors affects the amount deployed. The higher the protection level, the shorter the distance between Sensors.
(Optional) Add Wildfire Sensors to path:
Select Manual Planning, then select Add Sensor. Try placing an additional Sensor icon somewhere in the path. Notice the Sensor number increments by 1.
Save the project.
Draw a power line path
Add another path but In this case select Power Line from the Path type dropdown.
Notice how the Planning tool wraps each power line tower with four Sensors.
Draw a roadway path
Add the third path but in this case select Roadway from the Path type dropdown.
Notice the increased density of Sensors for a roadway compared to a hiking path.
You should now have three paths shown on the map.
3. Draw three areas
Multiple areas
To make planning easier, define multiple areas. Sensors from all areas are included in the total Sensor count.
Add the first area
Find an area on the map to add the first of three areas. In this case, we use the area that includes a valley, a hillside and areas that are sparsely wooded.
It follows the contours of the hiking path and crosses the power line path. Name it the North ridge.
Describe the area:
Enter the following information in the Path Settings panel:
Name:
Enter a descriptive name, such as North Ridge.
Surface area:
This is automatically generated.
Accessible:
For this area, do not select this. This slider sets the area as inaccessible (such as private property, military area, restricted area).
Protection Level:
Select Mid. Use the slider to determine Wildfire Sensor density (Low, Mid, High). The distance between Sensors affects the amount deployed. The higher the protection level, the shorter the distance between Wildfire Sensors.
Save the project.
Draw a second area
Add a second area is on the opposite side of the hiking path and crosses the power line path. We call it the South ridge.
Use the same procedure as for the first area to add a second area. Give it a unique name.
Use the same Area settings as the first area.
Save the project.
Draw an inaccessible area
In this area, define an inaccessible area. This is an area that is off-limits and cannot be used to deploy Sensors.
Use the Draw Area tool to define this area but in this case, slide the Accessible selector to Off. The area then is defined without Wildfire Sensors.
Select the Draw Area tool and define this area using the same settings as the other areas but set the Accessible slider to off. This makes the area inaccessible and no Sensors are added to the area.
Save the project.
4. Add connectivity zones
Connectivity zones have the following properties:
Blue overlay:
The line-of-sight of the Gateway is indicated by an irregular blue overlay that shows areas where the Gateway has connectivity.
Open areas:
Bounded areas within a connectivity zone indicates topology such as a hill or rock face that interferes with Sensor connectivity with Gateways. These areas may require additional Mesh Gateways but they must be added within existing blue areas.
Sufficient coverage
Add Mesh Gateways until you have achieved at least 95% coverage.
Add a Border Gateway
First add a Border Gateway. Look for a location at the forest edge where the Gateway can expect clear line-of-sight to mobile towers and free of trees or structures to ensure good solar radiation on the solar panel.
Network Coverage bar
Notice the Network Coverage progress bar. This indicates the percentage of coverage achieved. The goal is 95% network coverage.
Select Add Gateway and place the Gateway icon on the map. Remember, it needs to be placed where it can get mobile connectivity and good access to solar irradiation. Double-click the Gateway icon to add the Gateway.
Select the Gateway from the side menu to open the Edit Gateway dialog, then select the following:
Gateway type: Border Gateway
Installation Height: 5m Pole
Network: Cellular
Power Type: Solar
Latitude/Longitude: GPS location of the Border Gateway is automatically generated.
Save the project.
Add Mesh Gateways
Next, add Mesh Gateways to build up a Connectivity Mesh.
Placement of Mesh Gateways
Ensure you add a Mesh Gateway within the blue zone of the Border Gateway. This ensures the Mesh Gateway has connectivity to the Border Gateway.
Add a Mesh Gateway using the same procedure as adding a Border Gateway but select Mesh Gateway from the Gateway Type. Place the Mesh Gateway within the blue connectivity zone of the Border Gateway.
Save your project.
Add additional Mesh Gateways
Continue adding more Mesh Gateways until the Site has sufficient network coverage (minimum 95%)
Use the same procedure to add more Mesh Gateways until you see the Network Coverage progress bar reaching at least 95% threshold. Ensure Mesh Gateway is the Gateway type.
Save your project.
5. Add comments
6. Release Deployment Plan
When you are satisfied with the deployment plan, generate the Packets for use by the Silvanet Deployment app. You do this by releasing the deployment plan.
Select Release Deployment Plan.
If the Planning tool identifies issues with the planned locations of Sensors and Gateways, it prevents Packets being generated. Go through the list of issues and fix them.
In this example a Sensor was placed outside a Connectivity Zone. You need to move the Sensor within the nearest blue zone. In the example below, notice the Sensor placed outside a connected area. After moving this Sensor a few meters into the Connectivity Zone, it resolved this issue.
With all issues resolved, the Deployment Plan is ready to be released. Select Release Plan to generate the Packets. You can now find the Packets in your Deployment app under the same Site you used to start the Planning tool.
Save your project.
7. Export summary
An editable .docx file can be exported for use during deployment.
From the Planning tool, select Export Summary.
Save to a local drive for use by teams deploying Silvanet devices in a Site.
See Also
Silvanet Mesh Gateway (Gen 2)
Using LoRaWAN, Silvanet Mesh Gateways act as range extenders to allow for widespread deployment of Wildfire Sensors in a linear or irregular areas.
Each forest is unique with varied topology and changing terrain such as hills, slopes, rock outcroppings, even mountains, valleys and cliffs. Linear areas such as railroad tracks, power lines, hiking trails can also have the same varied topology. So, each forest can have features that can interfere with reliable transmissions between devices. These challenges are overcome by using Dryad's Silvanet Mesh Gateways.
The Silvanet Mesh Gateway acts as a range extender by using the same Mesh Network used by the sensors to receive and forward messages to other Mesh Gateways and/or Border Gateways.
By forwarding messages, large-scale deployments of Silvanet sensors can be implemented throughout extensive forested areas or along remote stretches of rail lines, power lines and hiking trails.
As the Silvanet Mesh Gateway is proprietary to Dryad, the device is not open to 3rd party applications.
Key features
Connects to the Silvanet Mesh Network (including Border Gateways) using LoRaWAN.
Range between Gateways (Mesh and Border) is typically between 2 km to 6 km depending on topology and physical placement of the Mesh Gateways.
Low power consumption that allow it to operate using only its solar panel for its daily energy requirements. The power consumption is calculated to be 3997Ws.
Firmware is remotely updated using FUOTA (Firmware Update Over-the-Air).
Each Mesh Gateway supports up to 100 sensors.
Automatically registers with the Silvanet Cloud during the deployment process using the Device ID (scanned using a QR code).
Delivered components
Each shipment of a Mesh Gateway includes the following components:
Silvanet Mesh Gateway
Treenails (for permanent deployment)
U-bolt Clamps, M10 nuts and washers
5 meter roll of garden wire (for temporary deployment)
The dimensions of the Silvanet Mesh Gateway are (LxWxH) 68 cm (87 cm with antenna) x 29 cm x 5 cm and weighs 2.8 kg.
Large scale deployments
Messages from Wildfire Sensors hop from Mesh Gateway to Mesh Gateway until they reach the Silvanet Border Gateway. This allows for a Silvanet Mesh Network to be extended to a very large-scale deployment consisting of hundreds or even thousands of sensors.
The patent-pending architecture uses a multi-hop mesh network of Mesh Gateways each serving as a standard LoRaWAN gateway to Silvanet Wildfire Sensors.
Silvanet Border Gateway (Gen 2)
The Silvanet Border Gateway provides connectivity via the Internet between the Silvanet Mesh Network and the Silvanet Cloud Platform.
Dryad's Silvanet Border Gateway provide the connectivity between the Silvanet Mesh Network and the Silvanet Cloud Platform. It is assumed to be always on (24-hour operation) to listen for messages sent by Wildfire Sensors in the Site. It can operate using its solar panel or in combination with a mains power supply and its solar panel. Internet connectivity can be wireless (mobile), wired (Ethernet) or satellite.
The Border Gateway is typically placed at the edge of a forest. As Border Gateways are LoRaWAN compliant, they can also communicate directly with Wildfire Sensors if any are within range of the Border Gateway.
Key features
Mount directly to trees or poles
Includes a solar panel and PoE Injector
Uses LoRaWan to connect with the Silvanet Mesh Network.
Internet connectivity:
4G/LTE-M (with 2G/GPRS fallback) or NB-IoT.
Ethernet using the PoE Injector.
Satellite for remote deployments and for backup.
Energy source:
mains power supply using the supplied PoE Injector.
Solar panel to provide daily energy requirements.
Supports FUOTA (Firmware Update Over-the-Air) for remote firmware updates.
Supports deployment of up to 20 Mesh Gateways.
Directly receives messages from sensors if they are within range.
Delivered components
Each shipment of a Border Gateway includes the following components:
Silvanet Border Gateway
Solar panel
Treenails (for permanent deployment)
U-Bolt Clamps, M10 nuts and washers
5 meter roll of garden wire (for temporary deployment)
RJ45 CAT6 Ethernet network cable for use with the PoE
Dimensions
The dimensions of the Silvanet Border Gateway are (LxWxH) 27.5 cm (63 cm with antennas) x 46 cm (with the satellite antenna) x 4.5 cm and weighs 1.3 kg.
Mains using PoE
The Silvanet Border Gateway includes a PoE Injector to connect to a mains power source. If a router is available, it can be connected via Ethernet to the PoE.
The PoE provides a voltage range of between 36 V and 57 V and is IEEE 802.3af compliant.
Solar panel
For off-grid locations or when a mains power supply is unavailable, the solar panel provides the Border Gateway's daily energy requirements and ensures the supercapacitors are charged.
During the night when the solar panel loses generating capacity, the supercapacitors allow the device to continue receiving power. This ensures a continuous power supply to the Border Gateway.
The cable between the Border Gateway and the solar panel is 2 m long and is pre-connected.
Power outage
When a relatively short power outage occurs, the Border Gateway's supercapacitors allow the device to continue receiving power.
Should a power outage occur for an extended period, such as 10 hours of even several days, the solar panel guarantees a power supply to the Border Gateway by charging its supercapacitors until the power supply is restored.
Power saving mode
To reduce overall power requirements, the Border Gateway's modem wakes up ever hour and stays on for five minutes to send a message (a "heartbeat") to the Silvanet Cloud to indicate it is alive.
Supercapacitors
Use of supercapacitors
Power supply is stored in supercapacitors rather than rechargeable batteries as rechargeable batteries can ignite. This would defeat the purpose of a wildfire detection system.
Internet connectivity
The Border Gateway provides a range of options to connect to the Internet.
It supports LTE-M (Cat-M1)/NB-IoT which requires access to a 4G network with 2G fallback (GPRS). An LTE-M antenna is provided to connect to a 4G network.
If a router is available, the Border Gateway can be connected to the router using the PoE Injector and Ethernet.
Satellite (backup) connectivity is provided should Ethernet and LTE-M become unavailable or if the Border Gateway is deployed in a remote location without access to mobile towers. An antenna is provided for Satellite uplink.
Satellite uplinks provide Fire alerts only
A satellite uplink should only be used for remote deployments where there is no mobile network coverage AND no access to mains power. However, the Border Gateway sends only fire alerts when using satellite connectivity.
Firmware updates (FUOTA)
The Border Gateway supports FUOTA (Firmware Update Over The Air) with high flexibility. Large file transfers are successfully made securely and reliably even with eventual interruptions of the power supply and, consequently, sensor operation.
Firmware is updated using a chunked image transfer (no compression). All Silvanet sensors in a Site are updated at the same time using Multicast. To do this, the LoRaWAN Network Protocol is temporarily switched to Class B which allows two-way communication.
To cope with low power and the various regional regulatory requirements, both the downlink fragment size as well as the periodicity are highly configurable allowing for stretching a FUOTA process even to a week.
Silvanet Wildfire Sensor (Gen 2)
If a Wildfire Sensor detects a smoldering fire, it immediately sends fire alerts to notify users.
Dryad's Silvanet Wildfire Sensors are attached directly to trees using tree nails to detect environmental air quality within a radius of 80 m to 100 m (260 ft to 320 ft).
These solar-powered devices monitor the microclimate of the forest using an internal gas sensor along with a Machine Learning model to detect the presence of a smoldering fire within range of the sensor.
Smoldering fire
A smoldering fire is defined to be a slow, flameless combustion of a biomass material such as forest floor material, branches, leaves, and so on.
Key features
Attached directly to trees
The Wildfire Sensor is designed with a sturdy loop that allows the device to be attached directly to trees using treenails (permanent attachment) or with garden wire (temporary use only).
Solar powered
Energy is harvested by its built-in solar panel to allow the sensors to operate without the need of batteries. Energy is stored in supercapacitors which provide maintenance-free operation for 10 to 15 years. Storing energy is supercapacitors rather than batteries is a precaution against the device itself starting a fire. As an added benefit, this avoids the use of lithium and other toxic materials.
Bosch gas sensor
The Wildfire Sensor includes a Bosch gas sensor that combines ultra-low-power Air Quality sensing with a precise gas sensing mode. Carbon monoxide, hydrogen and VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) are detected at the ppm level with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) to reliably detect a fire and avoid false positives.
LoRa/LoRaWAN connectivity
Connectivity to the Silvanet Network (Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways) is provided by a LoRA-integrated radio to send and receive messages across a robust LoRaWAN-enabled mesh network. This network allows the sensors to be deployed across large forested environments or along linear areas such as rail lines, power lines and hiking paths.
Delivered components
Wildfire Sensors are shipped in a box containing the following components:
Ten Silvanet Wildfire Sensors
Ten treenails and spacers (to keep the sensor away from the tree bark)
Dimensions and weight
The dimensions of the Silvanet Wildfire Sensor are (LxWxH) 19 cm x 9.2 cm x 1.34 cm. It weighs 136 g.
Ingres protection: Ingress protection of the housing is IP67. This means the housing is completely protected against dust and is watertight.
Environmental detection
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor uses a Bosch gas sensor to monitor the microclimate of the forest. It is a low-energy hydrogen sensor that detects the presence of a smoldering fire over distances of up to 115 m.
The gas sensor detects the presence of CO (Carbon Monoxide), H2, (Hydrogen), VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and VSCs (Volatile Sulfur Compounds). It detects VOC and VSC compounds at <20 ppm. It monitors the microclimate of the forest by providing measurements under the following conditions:
Air pressure: 300hPa to 1100 hPa
Humidity: 0% to 100%
Temperature: -40°C to 85°C
Energy harvesting
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor includes a 60 mm x 60 mm solar cell on its front housing. It continuously generates energy during the daytime and recharges the device with sufficient power for the next 24 hours. After sunset, it begins to discharge until sunrise. After sunrise, it begins to recharge to 100% within about an hour.
Sufficient ambient light is available in forests to provide sufficient light for the solar panel. Forests are never entirely dark during the day, even with a thick forest canopy.
Each day the solar panel harvests 7Ws in the constrained conditions of a forest.
As a precaution against the device itself starting a fire, the sensor stores its energy in supercapacitors rather than batteries.
The solar panel provides sufficient energy supply to support continuous operation over a 24 hr period while still having enough reserve power to support the powering of the gas sensor and to send a burst of messages when a smoldering fire is detected.
Energy consumption
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor has very low energy consumption which is provided by its built-in solar panel. The two key components that consume energy are the gas sensor and the LoRa radio. The gas sensor consumes ~3.9 mA in standard gas scan mode.
The Wildfire Sensor consumes the following energy:
This allows it to operate in a shaded location for ~6 hrs.
Idle/active modes
Normally, the Silvanet Wildfire Sensor is in idle mode. Every 60 seconds it enter active mode to read the air quality. Then, every 2 hours it reads the environment, after which it sends a single packet to the Silvanet Cloud Platform via Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways.
Supercapacitor Energy Storage
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor uses a set of supercapacitors to store energy for use by the radio, gas sensor and other components. It stores the energy for day-to-day tasks and has a reasonable amount of reserve power to operate the gas sensor and radio module in case a potential fire is detected. As supercapacitors have an expected lifespan of 10 years or more, the sensors are essentially maintenance free. This allows for an expected lifespan of the sensor between 10 and 15 years.
Supercapacitors have a high capacity but a small maximum voltage of 2.7 V so a series of capacitors are loaded to 4 V. Capacitors are fully charged to 5.2 V.
Why use supercapacitors: Power supply is stored in supercapacitors rather than rechargeable batteries as they can potentially ignite. Consequently, using batteries would defeat the purpose of a wildfire detection system.
Calibration
Silvanet Suite (Gen 3)
Gen 3 Silvanet Suite builds on the features of Gen 2 Silvanet Suite with a new endurable casing, increased energy storage, NFC provisioning and Satellite options.
In this section
Silvanet Suite (Gen 2)
Gen 2 Silvanet Suite provides ultra-early wildfire detection with its AI-enabled Wildfire Sensors connected to Silvanet Gateways using LoRa, the open standards long-range radio network for IoT.
In this section
Only users with Admin rights or Resellers can grant access to the Silvanet apps. For more information, see .
Go to . Dryad recommends using Chrome.
For more information, see .
Use the Planning tool to estimate coverage requirements for your site. It is accessed within the page.
For a detailed hands-on example of preparing a coverage estimation, see .
For more information, see .
See for a description of the currently available Silvanet Deployment app.
In the , tap the Site generated by the Planning tool.
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
Review the section of a Site in the Site Management app to ensure all Sensors are sending data.
For more information, see .
Use the to estimate the required Gateways and Sensor to cover a Site
Use the to deploy Silvanet devices in a Site
View the status of deployed Silvanet devices in the of the Site Management app
Only users with Admin rights or Resellers can grant access to the Silvanet web and mobile apps. For more information, see .
Go to . Dryad recommends using Chrome.
For more information, see .
Use the Planning tool to estimate coverage requirements for your site. It is accessed within the page.
For a detailed example of preparing a coverage estimation, see .
Bring the appropriate :
For more information, see .
In the , tap the Site generated by the Planning tool.
Scan the device's QR Code to .
If available, use a mains power supply and router, with the PoE Injector. as described in .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
Allow 14 days for the Wildfire Sensors to .
For more information, see .
Review the section of a Site in the Site Management app to ensure all Sensors are sending data.
For more information, see .
Access credentials to the Site Management app. Contact if you don't already have them.
installed on your Smartphone.
Site created in the Site Management app. To learn how to create a Site, see .
Use the tool to define high density areas the Site. They can be set as hiking paths, power lines, roads or railroads.
Create a path.
Select the Draw Path tool. Select a starting point and drag the path along the route. End the path by double-clicking on the map.
Use the tool to define lower density areas of the Site. It also can be used to define inaccessible areas within the Site.
Create an area:
Select the Draw Area tool. Begin the area by selecting a start point, then drag the path along the boundary of the area. Double-click on the map to complete the area. Notice how the Planning tool placed Sensors. These locations are automatically generated.
Add or remove sensors
You can add, move, rename or delete a Sensor in an Area. For details, see .
Use the Plan Connectivity tool to define connectivity zones. Each zone (shown in blue) represents the areas around Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways where Wildfire Sensors can connect to the Gateway.
Create a Connectivity zone:
Select Connectivity Mesh tool.
Use the Comment tool to add a few relevant comments to the map. They can be anything you notice about the terrain, the amount of human activity, anything you think needs to be noted directly in the plan.
For detailed information about the Planning tool, see the section .
For deployment information, see .
Deployment scenarios
The Border Gateway can be set up in various deployment scenarios depending on the availability of power supplies, internet connectivity and deployment locations. See .
For more details, see .
The Border Gateway's internal supercapacitors provide a power supply of 5415Ws. They provide a large amount of power for a short duration (for example, when it sends a "heartbeat") and are continuously recharged from an external power supply ( or ).
For more details, see .
For deployment information, see .
These data packets contain normal (non-fire detection) environmental data which includes temperature, pressure and humidity internal values. These values are then displayed in the .
After deployment, the Wildfire Sensor requires 14 days to calibrate. Until then it can generate false-alarms. See for details.
Select preferences for units, date and time used throughout the Site Management app.
User role
Any registered user can set preferences for measurement units and date/time formats.
Hover over the user profile image (upper-right corner) to reveal a menu, then select Settings.
Set your preferences:
Unit system:
Select Metric or Imperial for measurements, distance, area, temperature, pressure.
Date format:
Select from either (DMY) dd/mm/yyyy or (YMD) yyyy-mm-dd. Other traditional methods such as mm/dd/yyyy are not supported.
Time format:
Select 24 hour clock (22:00) or 12-hour clock (10:00 PM).
Select the Dryad logo to return to the Dashboard Overview.
Silvanet Mesh Network
Silvanet devices are connected in a mesh network using LoRaWAN where each device implements LoRa, a low power wireless platform for IoT.
Silvanet devices use the long-range, low power LoRa modulation to communication between devices using LoRaWAN.
LoRaWAN and Silvanet devices
The Silvanet Mesh Network uses LoRaWAN, which allows large-scale deployment of Wildfire Sensors in the challenging environment of forests where leaves, trees, hills and topology often inhibit radio waves. In these types of environments, the range of traditional LoRaWAN gateways is very limited.
Border Gateways are responsible for transmitting messages to all devices in the Silvanet Mesh Network for firmware updates using FUOTA.
The Silvanet Mesh Network connects to Silvanet Border Gateways using LoRaWAN. This allows the Gateway to communicate with the proprietary Silvanet Mesh Gateways or directly to Wildfire Sensors if they are within range.
LoRa frequency bands
Silvanet devices - Border Gateways, Mesh Gateways and Wildfire Sensors - are IoT devices based on LoRa. The frequency bands used by these devices depend on the region in which they is deployed:
Europe: 868 MHz
North America: 915 MHz
Asia: 923 MHz
These frequencies are set in the Silvanet devices by Dryad.
64 channels:
902.3 MHz and incrementing linearly by 200 kHz to 914.9 MHz
250 kHz
8 channels:
903.0 MHz and incrementing linearly by 1.6 MHz to 914.2 MHz
Max radio frequency power - EU and North America
Maximum radio frequency power transmitted (Tx) in frequency bands in which the sensor operates (EU and North America):
EU Max Tx power: 25 mW EIRP
US Max Tx power: 25 mW EIRP
LoRa Frequency bands (MHz) - select countries
Region
Country
FB 1
FB 2
FB 3
FB 4
Freq. Antenna
Europe
Germany
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
Greece
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
Spain
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
Portugal
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
Romania
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
Italy
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
Turkey
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
North and South America
USA
902-928
915
Canada
902-928
915
Brazil
902-907.5
915-928
915
Argentina
902-928
915-928
915
Australia
Australia
433-435
915-928
915
Asia
Indonesia
923-925
915
Thailand
433.05-434.79
920-925
915
South Korea
917-923.5
915
India
865-867
868
Africa
Egypt
433.05-434.79
863-870 / 865-868
868
Middle East
UAE
433.05-434.79
863-870 / 870-875.8
915-921
868
Saudi Arabia
433.05-434.7
863-870
868
Lebanon
433.05-434.79
863-870
868
Jordan
433.05-434.79
865-868
868
Silvanet Wildfire Sensor (Gen 3)
Silvanet Wildfire Sensors provide ultra-early detection of fires by monitoring the environment to detect gases associated with smoldering fires and alert users.
Dryad's 3rd Generation Silvanet Wildfire Sensor is designed to detect forest fires within minutes, often during their early smoldering phase. This reduces the risk of the fire spreading out of control and allows firefighters to extinguish smoldering fires before they spread.
The Wildfire Sensors now have an updated, endurable casing and incorporates NFC for offline device registration and local debugging.
The Sensors are mounted directly on trees using tree nails or securely attached to poles or fenceposts using garden wire.
See Also
Overview
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor monitors the forest’s microclimate, measuring temperature, humidity, and air pressure within a radius of 80 m to 100 m (260 ft to 320 ft). It combines ultra-low-power air quality sensing with a precise gas sensing mode.
As the end-device, it uses LoRaWAN to communicate with the Silvanet Mesh Network and can operate maintenance-free for 10-15 years. Energy is stored in supercapacitors rather than batteries to prevent the Sensors from being a source of fires themselves.
Range of Sensors
Silvanet Wildfire Sensors can detect fires within a 100 m range.
Ratio of Sensor to Mesh Gateway
Up to 100 Silvanet Wildfire Sensors can be supported by a single Silvanet Mesh Gateway.
Key Features
Gen 3 Silvanet Wildfire Sensors have an updated design for better gas sensing and allows device registration using NFC.
New features
Integrated NFC:
Integrates NFC for registering and connectivity testing (using the Silvanet Deployment app) and for offline local debugging.
New gas sensor:
Updated gas sensor for improved fire detection capabilities.
Deployment features
Detection radius:
Deployed every 100 m (typical) for a fire detection range of 100 m radius for 60 minute detection of a 2 m x 3 m fire.
Maintenance free:
Runs maintenance free for 10 to 15 years without the need of batteries.
Weatherproof casing design:
Endurable casing design (weather/UV proof) with IP67 Ingress protection. Integrated loop for quickly mounting on trees or wooden poles with a single tree nail and spacer (at minimum 3 m above forest floor).
Solar powered
Power is supplied by a built-in 6 x 6 cm solar panel. As a precaution against the device itself starting a fire, it stores its energy in supercapacitors rather than batteries. This avoids the use of lithium and other toxic materials.
LoRaWAN connectivity:
LoRa-integrated radio sends and receive messages to the robust LoRaWAN Silvanet Mesh Network (Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways).
Firmware update:
Remotely update firmware using FUOTA (Firmware Update Over-the-Air).
Environmental monitoring
Bosch gas sensor combines ultra-low-power Air Quality sensing with a precise gas sensing mode. It is a low-energy hydrogen sensor that can detect the presence of a smoldering fire over distances of up to 115 m.
Detects the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VoCs) and Volatile Sulfur Compounds (VSC) and detects these compounds at <20 ppm.
The gas sensor detects CO (Carbon Monoxide), H2, (Hydrogen) and VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) at the ppm level with built-in artificial intelligence (AI) to reliably detect a fire and avoid false positives.
Monitors the microclimate of the forest by reading temperature, humidity and air pressure.
Regulatory compliance
USA (FCC, PTCRB)
Canada (IC)
Europe (CE RED)
CB Scheme
LoRa Radio
ISM Bands: NA902-928, AU915, EU868, AS923
Tx Power: 14 dBm
Delivered components
10 Wildfire Sensors
10 tree nails
10 spacers
Garden wire
Dimensions and weight
The dimensions of the Silvanet Wildfire Sensor are (LxWxH) 19 cm x 9.2 cm x 1.34 cm. It weighs 136 grams.
Ingres protection
Ingress protection of the housing is IP67. This means the housing is completely protected against dust and is watertight.
Environmental detection
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor uses a Bosch gas sensor to monitor the microclimate of the forest. It is a low-energy hydrogen sensor that detects the presence of a smoldering fire over distances of up to 115 m.
The gas sensor detects the presence of CO (Carbon Monoxide), H2, (Hydrogen), VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds) and VSCs (Volatile Sulfur Compounds). It detects VOC and VSC compounds at <20 ppm. It monitors the microclimate of the forest by providing measurements under the following conditions:
Air pressure: 300 hPa to 1100 hPa
Humidity: 0% to 100% condensing
Temperature: -40°C to +85°C
Energy harvesting (solar panel)
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor includes a 60 mm x 60 mm solar cell on its front housing.
Each day the solar panel harvests 7Ws in the constrained conditions of a forest.
The solar panel provides sufficient energy supply to support continuous operation over a 24hr period while still having enough reserve power to support the powering of the gas sensor and to send a burst of messages when a smoldering fire is detected.
It continuously generates energy during the daytime and recharges the device with sufficient power for after sunset. It then begins to discharge until sunrise. After sunrise, it begins to recharge to 100% within about an hour.
Charging superconductors within forests
Sufficient ambient light is available in forests to provide sufficient light for the solar panel. Forests are never entirely dark during the day, even with a thick forest canopy.
Supercapacitor Energy Storage
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor uses a set of supercapacitors to store energy for use by the radio, gas sensor and other components. It stores the energy for day-to-day tasks and has a reasonable amount of reserve power to operate the gas sensor and radio module in case a potential fire is detected.
As supercapacitors have an expected lifespan of 10 years or more, the sensors are essentially maintenance free. This allows for an expected lifespan of the sensor between 10 and 15 years.
Supercapacitors have a high capacity but a small maximum voltage of 2.7 V so a series of capacitors are loaded to 4 V. Capacitors are fully charged to 5.2 V.
Why use supercapacitors?
Power supply is stored in supercapacitors rather than rechargeable batteries as they can potentially ignite. Consequently, using batteries would defeat the purpose of a wildfire detection system.
Energy consumption
Wildfire Sensor energy consumption
The Wildfire Sensor consumes 0.7 mW per day (63 Joule per day). This allows it to operate in a shaded location for ~6 hrs.
The two key components that consume energy are the gas sensor and the LoRa radio:
The gas sensor consumes ~3.9 mA in standard gas scan mode.
Idle/active modes
Normally, the Silvanet Wildfire Sensor is in idle mode. Every 60 seconds it enters active mode to read the air quality. Then, every 2 hours it reads the environment after which it sends a single packet to the Silvanet Cloud Platform via Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways.
Steps
Mode
Duration
Normal State
Idle mode
60 seconds
Every 60 seconds
Active mode - Check Air Quality
1 second
Every 2 hours
Active mode - check Air Quality and send data packet.
1 second
These data packets contain normal (non-fire detection) environmental data which includes temperature, pressure and humidity internal values.
These values are then displayed in the Site Details section of the Site Management app.
See Also
Sensor calibration
After deployment, the Wildfire Sensor requires 14 days to calibrate. Until then it can generate false alarms.
See Also
Firmware update
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor supports FUOTA (Firmware Update Over The Air).
Using FUOTA, the Wildfire Sensor can successfully and securely receive firmware updates even if its power supply is interrupted.
See Also
Deploying Wildfire Sensors
Silvanet Mesh Gateway (Gen 3)
Mesh Gateways allows for large-scale deployments of Silvanet devices using a patent-pending multi-hop Silvanet Mesh Network.
Dryad's 3rd Generation proprietary Silvanet Mesh Gateway acts as a range extender using the patent-pending multi-hop LoRaWAN Mesh Network. It now incorporates NFC for offline device registration and local debugging.
Gen 3 Mesh Gateways are available in two models:
SMG-3 (LoRaWAN only):
This model provides LoRaWAN connectivity but does not include Satellite connectivity.
SMG-3S (LoRaWAN and Satellite):
In addition to LoRaWAN connectivity, this model provides Satellite connectivity. Available in North America and Europe only.
Overview
The Silvanet Mesh Gateway provides connectivity for large-scale deployments of Silvanet Wildfire Sensors. It allows the Silvanet Mesh Network to overcome signal interference from terrain such as hills, valleys, rock outcroppings, cliff faces, mountainous areas or any topology that prevents reliable communication.
It can be deployed for wide-area deployments or for linear deployments such as railroads, wooden bridges, power lines, hiking trails and more.
Ratio of Wildfire Sensors to Mesh Gateways
Mesh Gateway range
Key features
Gen 3 Silvanet Mesh Gateways have an updated design for ease of installation including a new separate mounting bracket and internal antennas. It also provides improved energy capacity, NFC registration and satellite connectivity.
Durable mounting Bracket:
A separate endurable mounting bracket is first attached to a tree or pole, after which the Mesh Gateway is clipped on to the bracket. This allows for an improved mounting experience as the light bracket can easily be carried up the ladder and attached to the tree or pole (min 3 m above forest floor). A lock can then be used to secure the Mesh Gateway to the attached mounting bracket.
Built-in antennas:
LoRaWAN (SMG-3 and SMG-S3), Satellite (SMG-3S only) antennas are now integrated. Users no longer need to attach antennas after mounting. It also prevents damage or theft of the antenna.
Integrated NFC:
Integrates NFC for registering and connectivity testing (using the Silvanet Deployment app) and for offline local debugging.
Improved energy capacity:
60% more power capacity compared to Gen 2 Mesh Gateway for a longer and more reliable power supply.
EchoStar satellite connectivity:
Ensures off-grid operations in remote areas. Provides data transfer to the Silvanet Cloud if the Mesh Gateway loses connection to the Silvanet Mesh Network (such as vandalism/theft of devices). Available in North America and Europe only.
General features
Ease of use
Quickly mounted on trees or poles through the the use of mounting brackets.
Maintenance-free for 10 to 15 years.
Covers a radius of 2 km to 10 km depending on local topology and positioning.
No need for 4G/LTE or wired connections.
FUOTA support for remote firmware updates.
Supports paths to multiple Mesh Gateways in the Silvanet Mesh Network.
Mesh network connectivity
LoRa connectivity to support Silvanet Wildfire Sensor
LoRaWAN enables communication with other Silvanet Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways.
Supports any LoRaWAN-compliant sensors and other third-party devices.
Regulatory compliance
USA (FCC, PTCRB)
Canada (IC)
Europe (CE RED)
CB Scheme
Delivered components
1 Mesh Gateway
1 mounting bracket
2 C-Clamps + bolts
4 tree nails
Dimensions and weight
The dimensions of the Silvanet Border Gateway are (LxWxD) 82 cm x 34 cm x 6 cm (16 cm with mounting bracket) and weighs 6.8 kg (without Mounting Bracket).
Energy harvesting
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor includes a 50 cm x 25 cm solar cell on its front housing. It continuously generates energy during the daytime and recharges the device with sufficient power for after sunset. It then begins to discharge until sunrise. After sunrise, it begins to recharge to 100% within about an hour.
Supercapacitor energy storage
The Silvanet Mesh Sensor uses a set of supercapacitors to store energy for use by the radio and other components. It stores the energy for day-to-day tasks and has a reasonable amount of reserve power to operate the radio module during the night.
As supercapacitors have an expected lifespan of 10 years or more, the Mesh Gateways are essentially maintenance free. This allows for an expected lifespan between 10 and 15 years.
Supercapacitors have a high capacity but a small maximum voltage of 2.7 V so a series of capacitors are loaded to 4 V. Capacitors are fully charged to 5.2 V.
Why use supercapacitors?
Power supply is stored in supercapacitors rather than rechargeable batteries as they can potentially ignite. Consequently, using batteries would defeat the purpose of a wildfire detection system.
NFC for Provisioning
The Mesh Gateway provides NFC to allow users to configure the Mesh Gateway in locations without mobile connectivity (when offline). It also allows for local debugging.
With the Silvanet Deployment app running on a Smartphone, a deployer holds their Smartphone near the embossed NFC symbol on the Mesh Gateway to register the device. Afterwards the Gateway can be mounted on a tree or pole.
Firmware updates
The Mesh Gateway supports FUOTA (Firmware Update Over The Air). Using FUOTA, the Mesh Gateway can successfully and securely receive firmware updates even if its power supply is interrupted.
See Also
Deploying Mesh Gateways
Silvanet Border Gateway (Gen 3)
Border Gateways provides connectivity via the Internet between the Silvanet Mesh Network and the Silvanet Cloud Platform.
Dryad's 3rd Generation Silvanet Border Gateway provides connectivity between the Silvanet Mesh Network and the Silvanet Cloud Platform. It is assumed to be always on (24 hour operation) to listen for messages sent by Wildfire Sensors in the Site. It now incorporates NFC for offline device registration and local debugging.
Gen 3 Border Gateways are available in two models:
SBG-3S (with Satellite option):
In addition to mobile and Ethernet connectivity, this model provides Satellite connectivity for deployment in areas lacking mobile network coverage. Available in North America and Europe only.
SBG-3 (without Satellite option):
This model provides mobile and Ethernet connectivity but does not include Satellite connectivity.
About
The Border Gateway operates using its solar panels or in combination with a mains power supply and solar panels. Connectivity to the Internet can use its built-in wireless modem (LTE-M/NB-IoT) or use a wired connection (Ethernet with PoE Injector). SBG-3 provides Satellite connectivity (Europe and North America only).
Satellite connectivity allows deployments in remote locations lacking mobile network coverage, ensuring reliable communication even in the most isolated areas.
Ratio of Border Gateways to Mesh Gateways
Border Gateway range
Key features
Gen 3 Border Gateways have an updated design to provide a improved mounting experience and a better power supply. The new design simplifies installation and prevents theft/vandalism of the device. Other highlights include:
Durable mounting bracket:
A separate endurable mounting bracket is first attached to a tree or pole. Afterwards, the Border Gateway is clipped onto the bracket. Holes are provided to lock the Gateway to the bracket. The mounting bracket keeps the Border Gateway 10 cm away from the tree or pole to improve signal connectivity.
Built-in antennas:
All antennas are now integrated in the device: LTE-m/NB-IoT, LoRaWAN and Satellite (SBG-3S only). This prevents damage or theft of the antennas.
Integrated NFC:
Integrates NFC for registering and connectivity testing (using the Silvanet Deployment app) and for offline local debugging.
Redesigned casing:
New endurable casing design (weather/UV proof) provides IP66 Ingress protection for both Border Gateway and Solar Panels. Connectors are now integrated into the casing (with waterproof caps) for solar panels, PoE Injector and for an optional M2M SIM card.
Improved energy capacity:
60% more power capacity compared to Gen 2 Border Gateway for a longer and more reliable power supply.
Two solar panels:
To increase energy supply, two solar panels are now provided that provide 40 W + 40 W = 80 W of energy supply to the supercapacitors. They use the same mounting system as the Border Gateway. The solar panels can be mounted facing the sun (at 12:00 noon) while the Gateway can be mounted in line of sight to the nearest deployed Mesh Gateway.
General features
Ease of use
Quickly mount on trees or poles through the the use of mounting brackets for both Border Gateway and Solar Panel.
Maintenance-free for 10 to 15 years.
FUOTA support for remote firmware updates.
Mesh network connectivity
LoRa connectivity to support Wildfire Sensors
LoRaWAN enables communication with other Mesh Gateways
Multiple deployment scenarios
Wireless only: LTE-m/NB-IoT (Model SBG-3 only)
Wired + wireless: Ethernet and LTE-m/NB-IoT (Models SBG-3 and SBG-3S)
Satellite only: For remote, isolated areas (Model SBG-3S only)
Energy supply
Solar panels only
Mains power supply and solar panels
eSIM plus an external SIM slot
Built-in IoT eSIM for worldwide network coverage.
Provides 4G/LTE-M (with 2G/GPRS fallback) and NB-IoT mobile connectivity.
PoE Injector (included)
Allows for Ethernet connectivity.
For use with a mains power supply.
EchoStar satellite connectivity
S-band EchoStar Mobile LoRa satellite network connectivity
Ensures off-grid operations in remote areas without mobile network coverage.
Available in North America and Europe only.
Regulatory compliance
USA: FCC, PTCRB
Canada: IC
Europe: CE RED
CB Scheme
Delivered components
1 Border Gateway
2 Solar Panels
3 mounting brackets
6 C-Clamps
12 tree nails
Cables for Solar Panels
PoE Injector and power cable
RJ45 CAT6 Ethernet network cable for use with PoE
Dimensions
The dimensions of the Gen 3 Silvanet Border Gateway are (LxWxD) 51 cm x 34 cm x 10 cm and weighs 4 kg (with mounting bracket). With the mounting bracket, it is 18 cm deep.
The dimensions of the Solar Panel is (LxWxD) 67 cm x 35 cm x 8 cm (18 cm with mounting bracket).
Connectors
Connectors are located on the lower side of the Border Gateway.
SIM Card slot for a customer-specific M2M SIM card that supports NBIoT / LTE-M.
LoRa radio parameters
ISM bands: NA902-928, AU915, EU868, AS923
Tx Power: <27 dBm (local regulations)
LoRa antenna gain: 0.75 dBi
Receive channels: 5
Transmit channels: 1
Power supply
As the Border Gateway must be "always on", how it obtains an energy source must be carefully considered.
Deployment scenarios
Mains using PoE Injector
A PoE Injector is provided to connect the Border Gateway to a mains power source. If a router is available, it can be connected via Ethernet to the PoE.
PoE voltage range
The PoE provides a voltage range of between 36 V and 57 V and is IEEE 802.3af compliant.
Solar panels
In most deployment cases, the two Solar Panels can provide sufficient energy (2 x 40 W = 80 W) to supply power for storage in the supercapacitors (which have a 30% increased storage capacity). This allows the Gateway to be "always on" under even the most challenging environmental conditions (such as where sunlight may be limited during part of the year).
If a mains power source is used, the Solar Panels guarantee the Border Gateway continues to receive an energy source should a temporary power outage occur.
NFC for provisioning
The Border Gateway provides NFC to allow users to configure the Border Gateway using the Deployment app in locations without mobile connectivity (or when offline). It also allows for local debugging.
With the Silvanet Deployment app running on a Smartphone, a deployer holds their Smartphone near the embossed NFC symbol on the Border Gateway to register the device. Afterwards the Gateway can be mounted on a tree or pole.
Firmware updates
See Also
Deploying Border Gateways
Dashboard
The Dashboard provides a summary of deployed devices and coverage of all Sites available to you (based on role, client, or reseller).
User role
After logging in to the Site Management app, the Dashboard is displayed, which provides access to Sites to which the user has access.
Creating a new Site
Sidemenu
The side menu provides options for accessing the Sites:
Dashboard
API Integration:
Create and manage webhooks to receive Sensor data from Silvanet Cloud for use by third-part applications.
Selecting Collapse minimizes the side menu. Selecting the right arrows maximizes the side menu.
Sites summary lists
The Dashboard displays totals of Wildfire Sensor, Gateways and number of Sites in your organization. It also provides quick access to your Sites.
Sensors
Total Sensors:
Number of deployed Wildfire Sensors in all Sites associated with an organization (client)
Sensors in each site:
Number of Wildfire Sensors deployed in each Site. Site names are also linked to the Site Dashboard of a site.
Gateways
Total Gateways:
Number of deployed Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways in all Sites associated with an organization (client).
Gateways in each site:
Number of Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways deployed in each Site. Site names are also linked to the Site Dashboard of a site.
Sites
Total Number of Sites:
Number of Sites belonging to an organization (client).
Covered area of each Site:
Area (in hectares) protected by a Silvanet deployment for each Site. Site names are also linked to the Site Dashboard of each site.
Silvanet Cloud Platform
The Silvanet Cloud Platform provides an all-in-one set of web and mobile apps for device deployment, device management, Site monitoring and sending alerts to end users.
It is an integrated suite of tools for planning and deploying Silvanet devices, for monitoring Site health monitoring and for identifying the Wildfire Sensors triggering alerts.
Access to Silvanet Cloud Platform apps
The Silvanet Cloud Platform provides a comprehensive set of tools to alert users of a forest fire in its ultra-early stage. The Web-based Site Management app is the starting point for planning a Site while the Smartphone-based Deployment app is used for device deployment.
Amongst other features, the Site Management and Deployment apps are used to access the following tools:
Site Planning tool in the Site Management app for coverage estimation, including the amount and location of Gateways and Sensors. It results in a printable plan and a deployment plan accessible from the Deployment app.
Interactive Map that shows the location of Gateways and Sensors on an embedded map. The map provides a fire risk overlay that provides insights into the fire risk of an area.
Device overview which displays the Sensor data that shows the health of a forest at a glance as it monitors the microclimate including temperature, humidity and air pressure.
Multichannel alerts to deliver notifications through in-app messages, emails and push notifications to ensure a timely and reliable communication of critical events.
See Also
Sites view
Sites View displays Sites that you are permitted to access. New Sites can be created by Admin users or Resellers.
User role (client)
Create Site
User role
If you have an Admin or Reseller role, you can create a Site. It requires a unique name. Users with a Standard role can request a new Site from a user with an Admin role.
Organization (Resellers only)
Only Reseller Admins can create an Organization.
Select Sites from the side menu, then select Create Site.
In the Create Site dialog, enter a Site Name and select a Region.
Resellers only: Select an Organization or If required, create a new organization by checking Create new Organization.
When completed, Select Create Site.
The new Site appears in the Sites view.
Rename a Site
The name of a Site can be edited or changed as required. However, the Site ID number cannot be changed.
User role
Site ID
The Site ID can be found in the URL of the Site as well as part of breadcrumbs when a Site is opened.
Open a Site.
From the Ellipsis menu next to a Site name, select Site Name.
In the Edit Site dialog, enter a new name, then select Save Changes.
Open a Site
Open the Ellipsis menu next to a Site name and select Open to display a Site.
Map view
Map View shows all your Sites on an embedded world map and provides access to device details. 3D and fire risk views are available.
User role
Use the Map view to locate Sites on an embedded world map.
Each Site is shown as an icon. Once located, zoom in to view the Site. Choose between 2D/3D Terrain views or add a Fire Risk overlay to the map.
2D/3D Terrain views
Selecting 3D Terrain displays the terrain otherwise hidden hills and valleys (in 2D view) may cause problems with communication between sensors and gateways.
Toggle to 3D view by selecting the Enable Terrain button.
Use the arrows to rotate the view.
Toggle to 2D view by selecting the Enable Terrain button again.
Fire risk overlay
Select the Fire risk icon displays a Fire Risk overlay which shows various levels of fire risk on the map.
Site details
The Site Details page is the key page in the Site Management app. It provides access to Site planning tools, current state of Site devices and to view environmental data from Sensors.
User role
Use this page to do the following:
Plan Site coverage estimations:
The Planning tool is used to generate a coverage estimation for the Site.
Monitor the Site:
Environmental data provided by each deployed Wildfire Sensor is provided.
Locate source of fire alerts:
Locate which Wildfire Sensor(s) has detected a fire. GPS coordinates are provided to identify where the Sensor is that triggered a fire alert.
Creating a Site
Site ID
After a Site is created, it is assigned a Side ID which cannot be changed. You can find the Site ID in the URL of the Site as well as part of breadcrumbs on a Site details page.
Site name and Organization
The Site name and Organization to which the Site belongs is shown in the line below the Site ID.
Changing Site name
Ellipsis menu
The ellipsis menu provides access to Site tools:
Edit Site Name
Select to edit or rename the Site. As noted above, the Site ID cannot be changed.
Renaming a Site
Open Planning Tool
Select to open the Planning Tool. This tool is used to rapidly generate a coverage estimate for the Site. It estimates the amount and placement of Silvanet devices required to provide ultra-early fire detection.
The Planning tool generates a set of deployment Packets available in the Silvanet Deployment app.
Planning tool
Open Packet Editor
If any of the resulting Packets need to be modified, open the Packet Editor to make modifications. Packets can be added or deleted as required.
Packet editor
Number of deployed devices
Under the Site name, you can quickly see the current state of the deployed Silvanet Border Gateways, Mesh Gateways and Wildfire Sensors.
Status of the devices can be one of the following states:
Active - Device connected to the Silvanet Cloud and is transmitting messages.
Inactive - Device not sending data to the Silvanet Cloud for 12 hours.
Fire Alerts - Sensor detected a fire and has sent a Fire alert to the Silvanet Mesh Network.
Embedded map view
An embedded Site map allows you to easily navigate around the Site and get an overview of the Site's terrain without leaving the Site details page.
Use the tools to expand the map, toggle on/off 3D Map View, Fire Risk View and more.
See Also
Devices details list
The Device overview section lists all deployed devices in a Site.
Devices are sorted into Active, Inactive, Fire Alert as well as Calibrating.
Alerts and warnings
Devices are listed in a compact list sorted by device type. If a device icon shows an alert or warning, troubleshooting messages (alerts and warnings) are displayed when a device listing is expanded.
See Also
Sensor data
For Sensors, expanding a Wildfire Sensor in the list displays the data sent from the Sensor.
See Also
Device info
The Device Info link opens the Technical details page which displays device technical information.
See Also
Device overview
The Device overview section provides access to the current status of each Silvanet device deployed in a Site.
Blank Device overview?
If the Silvanet devices have not been deployed for a Site, the Device overview section is blank. As soon as devices have been deployed and are sending data to the Silvanet Cloud, the device listing appears.
Device status tabs
Devices are sorted into Active, Inactive, Fire Alert and Calibrating tabs. Troubleshooting messages are displayed when expanding a device that shows alerts or warnings.
Device information
For each Border Gateway, Mesh Gateway and Wildfire Sensor planned or deployed in a Site, the following is provided:
Troubleshooting messages
If a device is not responding as expected, alert or warning icons are displayed which notify the user of an underlying issue that needs to be resolved. Expanding device details provides troubleshooting information.
See Also
Device not reachable. May be due to connectivity and/or charging issues. These issues need to be resolved immediately to ensure the device continues normal environmental monitoring and returns to Active state.
See Also
Silvanet device is currently experiencing delays in sending environmental data to the Silvanet Cloud. However, the device is still monitoring the environment. Fire detection is still operational.
Warning should be resolved as soon as possible to allow the device to return to normal functioning.
See Also
Additional information that does not require user-interaction but may affect device performance.
A key exception is the Device Calibration notification. It indicates the Wildfire Sensor is currently in calibration and needs to complete (14 days) before the device is ready for environmental monitoring.
See Also
Device info tabs
The Device Info link in the Device overview section opens the Technical details page which displays device technical information in a set of tabs.
Metadata tab
Name:
User-readable Device ID.
Notes (editable):
If a note was added during deployment, it appears here. Otherwise, a note can be added by making the field editable.
Location tab
Installed device location (editable):
Provides current GPS coordinates (Latitude/Longitude) set during deployment. If the device has been moved, update the GPS coordinates in these fields.
Update GPS location after relocating a device
If a Silvanet device has been relocated from its deployed location, its GPS coordinates (latitude and longitude) needs to be updated. This can occur when a tree on which a sensor is attached falls or if a pole on which a Mesh Gateway is deployed must be moved. The GPS coordinates of a device can be easily changed.
Technical Info tab
Displays uneditable technical information about the Silvanet device.
Sensor ID:
Identifies the device in the Silvanet System.
EUI:
64-bit Extended Unique Identifier.
Join EUI:
Internal use only.
LoRaWAN PHY Version:
PHY Version.
LoRaWAN Version:
MSC version corresponding to the PHY Layer version.
Firmware Version:
Indicates which version (and related Region) installed on the device.
ML Version:
Indicates which Machine Learning (ML) firmware applied to the device.
NS End Device ID:
LoRaWAN Network Server (NS) End-Device ID.
Sensor Data tab
Display the sensor data based on a selected time range.
This is the same data as displayed in Device Details.
See Also
QR Code
Displays the QR Code used in the Silvanet Deployment App.
Wildfire Sensor data
Each Silvanet device sends data to the Silvanet Cloud. This data is then displayed as line graphs for a selected time period.
The default period is 24 hours. Select a time period for the displayed data sent in a range of 6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 3 days or 10 days.
User Management view
User Management view allows administrators to add new users, delete users and assign user roles.
User types
Access to the Site Management app requires user credentials. Access to features of the app is dependent on the type of user role:
Standard User:
Users with a Standard role can do the following:
Select from Sites to which they have access
Use the Planning tool to plan Sites
Cannot add new Sites
Cannot add new users
Admin:
Users with an Admin role are responsible for team organization. Admins can do the following:
Create new users and assign them to an Organization
Create new Sites
Use the Planning tool to plan Sites
Cannot add new Organizations
Reseller:
Users with a Reseller role have overall responsibility for client access to Dryad apps. Resellers can do the following:
Create new Organizations
Create Admin users and add them to Organizations
The following table shows an overview of the roles and rights:
Organizations
User role
Organizations typically represent a company or client using a Dryad Silvanet System to provide ultra-early wildfire detection for the client's Site or Sites. They are usually created by Resellers for their Clients. They can also be created by Dryad for specific clients.
How Organizations work
When a user is created, they are assigned to one Organization. A user cannot be part of multiple Organizations (see 1 in the figure below).
If a user is created in an Organization with multiple Sites, they have access to all those Sites (see 2 in the figure below).
When a Site is created, it is linked to at least one Organization which means multiple Organizations can be linked to a single Site. All users from all linked Organizations have access to the particular Site (see 3 in the figure below).
Creating Organizations
New Organizations can be created in the Create User form when adding a user.
Select Create new Organization.
Enter the name of the new Organization.
Create user
User role
You must have Admin rights (or a Reseller) to add new users.
Select User Management from the side menu, then select Add User.
In the Create User form, add new user details:
First Name (required) and Last Name (required).
Email (required):
Enter the new user's email address. This becomes the Username. Once added, this cannot be changed.
Organization (required):
Select an Organization from the dropdown menu. A user can only be a part of one Organization.
Permission level (required):
Select from Standard User or Admin.
Receive fire alert emails:
Select to send fire alerts to the user (at the email address provided).
Select Submit to add the new user.
Dryad (or Reseller) sends an invitation to the email provided in the form to the new user, such as the following:
This is to inform you that an update request for your account has been initiated by the administrator.
We request you to update your Dryad Networks account by performing the following action(s): Update Password. Click on the link below to start this process. Link to account update This link will expire within 3 days.
If you are unaware that your administrator has requested this, just ignore this message and nothing will be changed.
Best Regards, Dryad Support
After selecting the link, the new user enters a new password in the Update password form, then selects Submit.
The new user now has access to the Site Management app.
Forgot your Password?
If you forgot your password, select the Forgot Password? link on the Sign In form. In the form that appears, enter a new password and select Submit.
Edit user profile
User role
Currently, user profiles cannot be edited
Delete user
User role
Users with an Admin or Standard role cannot delete a user. Currently, only Dryad can delete a user.
Fire detection
The Silvanet system continuously monitors air quality. The detection of a smoldering fire triggers fire alerts.
If a Wildfire Sensor determines with a high probability that a smoldering fire has occurred, then fire alerts are immediately sent to notify users of the fire.
Fire Alerts
False alerts may occur before end of 14 day calibration period
Silvanet Wildfire Sensors are ready to detect fires ONLY after the sensors have been calibrated for 14 days after deployment.
Consequently, before the calibration period ends, the Wildfire Sensors do not provide useful information and may generate false alerts.
Smoldering fires
A smoldering fire is defined to be a slow, flameless combustion of a biomass material such as forest floor material, branches or leaves.
Continuous monitoring
After the Wildfire Sensor has been calibrated, the gas sensor continuously monitors the microclimate of the forest air to measure:
Air pressure
Temperature
Humidity
At the same time the Wildfire Sensor "smells" the air around the sensor for the presence of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) and carbon monoxide.
VOCs
Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are compounds that have a high vapor pressure and low water solubility. Wildfire smoke contains many toxic VOCs depending on the type of fuel source of the fire.
Index of Air Quality (IAQ)
The sensor “smells” the air on a regular basis to determine if the air quality has deviated from the saved Normal Air Quality (see below). Air quality is quantified as an Index of Air Quality (IAQ) which has a range of values that indicate the quality of air within range of the sensor.
This continuous monitoring allows the Wildfire Sensor to distinguish between normal and declining Air Quality:
Normal Air Quality:
Normal Air Quality is the baseline reading of the Wildfire Sensor. It is the result of the 14 day calibration period of the sensor.
This process continues after calibration.
Declining Air Quality:
When the Air Quality deviates from the baseline reading (Normal Air Quality), this is considered a decline of Air Quality.
However, this decline could have many causes. It could be the result of similar gasses which the sensor has detected. These gases could be diesel fumes from a passing truck, cigarette smoke or other factors that can cause a decline in air quality.
The role of the Wildfire Sensor is to determine if this decline is the result of a smoldering fire or some other source.
Triggered Fire alerts
Once per minute, the Sensor wakes up and performs an environmental monitoring gas scan. During each gas scan, hydrogen, carbon monoxide and other Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are measured. It also measures air pressure, temperature and humidity.
The Wildfire Sensor uses a default sliding time window of 5 minutes to "smell" the air. If the Wildfire Sensor detects a significant deterioration of air quality within the past four gas scans, a prescribed set of gas scans are triggered to determine if the observed deterioration is from a smoldering fire or from some other source.
The Wildfire Sensor only needs only 2-3 minutes to determine if a fire is present.
For each gas scan, the results of the gas scan are compared with with a pre-trained Machine Learning (ML) Model. This is done to determine if the observed decline in air quality can be classified as wildfire smoke or from some other source. As these gas scans consume a lot of energy, they are kept to a minimum.
Returning to normal values after tests
After the sensor performs gas scans, it needs approximately 30-60 minutes for the sensor to return to baseline. During this time, the sensor does not perform fire detection.
Machine Learning models
These models have been trained in Dryad's lab to detect typical gas compositions of smoke from burning trees.
Deployment App
Use the Deployment app to deploy Silvanet Sensors and Gateways and to run Connectivity Tests between Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways.
Android installations
If you already have the Deployment app installed, to access the latest features, open the Play Store on your Android device, search for our app 'Silvanet Deployment', and select 'Update' to install the newest version.
Run the Deployment app to find the planned deployment locations. Use it to register the Device ID and then after mounting the device, use it to test connectivity.
Install the app
Search for Silvanet Deployment on your Smartphone's App Store or Google Play, then install the app.
Ensure you have given the Silvanet Deployment app the appropriate permissions, including Location and Cellular Data.
Sign in
Open the app, then in the Sign In screen enter your user credentials and tap Sign In. If required, you can change the language used.
Once signed in, the app remembers your login credentials, unless you log out.
Select a Site
After signing in, the Select Site screen appears. It displays all Sites to which you have access. Any Site within your Organization is displayed in the Silvanet Deployment app.
From the list of Sites, tap a Site or arrow to open the Site. The Site's devices appear.
Device list
The Device list shows all planned and/or deployed devices for a Site.
For each device in the Site, the app shows:
Name of device.
Packet in which the device was added.
Status of device (see below).
Link (arrow) to open map show location of the device.
Button to show all devices on the map.
Device status icons:
Planned (all devices):
State of device after a Silvanet device has been added during a Site planning. The device has not yet been deployed.
Registered (all devices):
State of device after scanning the QR Code.
Connectivity Test Running (Border and Mesh Gateways): State of a Gateway if it's currently running a connectivity test.
Connectivity Test Failed (Border and Mesh Gateways):
State of a Border or Mesh Gateway if a Connectivity test fails between two Gateways. Reasons for the failure could include insufficient sunlight to charge the device, the device is currently charging or the device may need to be relocated.
Deployed (Border and Mesh Gateways):
State of a Border Gateway or Mesh Gateway after the installer has performed Connectivity tests and the device is connected to the Mesh Network.
Deployed (Wildfire Sensors):
State of a Wildfire Sensors after the installer has confirmed the device has been correctly mounted.
Device filter
The Deployment app provides a selection of filter to find specific devices. You can filter the devices by:
Device type
Status
Deployment Packet
Tap a filter, then top Apply to view only the selected devices in the list. To view all devices again, tap Clear which clears the filter.
Map view
Specific device:
To view the location of specific device, tap the link to a device on the Site page. The map opens with the device selected at its planned or deployed location on a map. The Status Icon shows the state of the device.
All devices:
To view the Site to show all devices, tap Show Devices on Map on the Site page. Zoom or pan on the map in to locate specific devices.
Plan Sites
Learn how to use the Planning tool to generate a coverage estimation for a Site.
Silvanet Wildfire Sensors and Mesh Gateways form the Silvanet Mesh Network to forward messages from remote Wildfire Sensors to . This network is designed to work in areas where mobile coverage is weak or non-existent, which allows for large off-grid deployments.
LoRaWAN uses .
For a full list, see .
For information about deploying Silvanet Wildfire Sensors, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor has very low energy consumption which is provided by its built-in .
LoRa radio - see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information about deploying Wildfire Sensors see and .
Each Mesh Gateway supports up to 100 sensors. For more information, see .
The recommended range between Mesh Gateways is 2.0 to 3.0 km. The recommended range between Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways is also 2.0 to 3.0 km. For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information about deploying Mesh Gateways, see and .
Each Border Gateway supports up to 20 Mesh Gateways. For more information, see .
The recommended range between Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways is 2.0 to 3.0 km. For more information, see .
An external SIM port allows customer-specific M2M SIM cards to be inserted. The SIM must support NBIoT / LTE-M. (Contact for more details).
PoE Connector for connecting the Border Gateway to a Mains power supply using the provided .
Solar Panel connectors for the two provided .
For a description of the various scenarios, see .
The Border Gateway supports (Firmware Update Over The Air). Using FUOTA, the Border Gateway can successfully and securely receive firmware updates even if its power supply is interrupted.
For more information, see .
For more information about deploying Border Gateways, see , and .
A user with Admin rights can create a new Site. See for details.
:
Displays a provides access to each Site.
:
Displays a world map showing the location of each Site as icons.
:
Displays fire alerts generated by any Site within an Organization.
:
List registered users in an Organization. Administrators can add users here.
Each registered Dryad user receives (username and password) to access the Silvanet web-based and mobile apps.
For more information, see and . For the Site Planning tool, see .
The new Site also appears in the .
The page is displayed.
The Site details page is accessible from the , and .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
.
to generate a coverage estimation for the Site
to edit Packets created for the Site.
For more information, see .
For more information, see and .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
Tab
Icon
Device
Description
Column
Sortable?
Description
For a detailed description of troubleshooting solutions, see .
Alerts - Inactive status
For more information, see Alerts in .
Warnings - Pending status
For more information, see Warnings in .
Notifications
For more information, see Notifications in .
For a description of the displayed graphs, see .
Graph
Device
Description
Reseller
Reseler
Admin
Standard
Send a request to to have a user deleted.
For details about Fire alerts displayed in the Site Management app, sent via email and available with the MQTT interface for fire alerts, see .
Low probability of fire (Sensor Normalization):
If a source other than a fire caused the decline in air quality (diesel fumes or some other similar gasses), then the sensor stops the gas scans and does not trigger a fire alert. In this case the sensor normalization is required which takes 30-60 minutes. See .
High probability of fire (Fire Alerts):
If a smoldering fire caused the decline in air quality, then the gas scans are terminated and the sensor immediately triggers a stream of fire alert packets to the Silvanet Mesh Network. Users are then notified via and through the p.
ML (Machine Learning) Models are pre-trained in the Dryad laboratory and can be fine-tuned / programmed specifically for the species of trees present in a particular deployment. Updated models can be remotely installed in the sensors by Dryad’s support team using .
Displays the environment's barometric Pressure (in hPa) over a selected time period.
Temperature
Wildfire Sensor
Displays the air temperature (in Fahrenheit or Celsius depending on user settings) over a selected time period.
Humidity
Wildfire Sensor
Displays the humidity level in the environment over a selected time period.
Air Quality
Wildfire Sensor
Displays the quality of the air available in the environment around the sensor.
Energy Level
Gateways and Sensors
Displays the level of energy stored in the supercapacitors throughout the day and during the night. Under normal conditions the Silvanet device should have sufficient energy stored to remain powered up throughout the night.
Dryad recommends visiting the Site prior to planning device locations to make notes about the topology and other features of the Site that might inform where to place Silvanet devices.
If possible, visit the Site and make notes about the natural features such as hills, valleys, rock formations, streams and rivers. Also, note the locations of high human use such as paths or any structures within the site. Use this information when planning deployments.
Forest variations and density
Look for areas of the forest that are lightly or thickly wooded, open areas, bushland and grasslands. Note the density of the trees in various parts of the forest as a thicker forest can have an effect on signal propagation through the forest. Also, take note of how much undergrowth does the forest have and is there evidence of recent unauthorized logging activity which may result in a tree with a deployed device being cut down.
High human use areas
Identify paved roads, lanes, gravel logging roads, hiking trails, woodland paths and other means of traversing through the forest. Where are areas of high human use such as campsites, trailer parks, bridges, power lines or other wooden structures.
Areas that are difficult or impossible to traverse
Note areas that are difficult to hike through to locate deployment positions, such as streams, steep hillsides, ravines, narrow bridges, etc. This may affect the time required to deploy the devices. Note restricted areas where Silvanet cannot be implemented.
Power supply availability
For Border Gateways, identify locations that could provide a mains power supply. Otherwise, the Border Gateway needs to be powered only from its solar panel.
Mounting poles
Ideally Border Gateways should be mounted on poles, but this is not a requirement. Mesh Gateways can also be mounted on poles, if available.
Topology
Mesh Gateways need line-of-sight to communicate with other Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways. Identify areas of the forest topology that might interfere with line-of-sight such as hills, ravines and hidden areas. This may require mounting the Mesh and Border Gateways higher than the recommended 3 meter to as much as 5 or 6 meters. Mounting a Gateway on a hilltop may also be a solution. In all cases, ensure line-of-sight between Mesh Gateways.
Import KML, KMZ and Shapefiles
Build a plan in a third-party tool and import KML, KMZ and Shapefiles into the Planning tool.
Import KML, KMZ and Shapefiles
The Planning tool allows for externally prepared Reference files to be imported as a starting point.
You can import KML, KMZ and Shapefiles as a geographical reference.
Shapefiles must be uploaded as a .zip file bundle containing all required components (.shp, .shx, .dbf, etc.).
Import reference file
Open the Planning tool.
Select + next to Reference field label (or select the field).
Import a prepared reference file. It can be a .kmz, .kml, or Shapefile.
The Planning tool imports the paths, areas and pins from the reference file.
Make the required modifications, such as paths, area and connectivity zones.
Silvanet Cloud can reach these devices and are sending data to the Silvanet Cloud.
Inactive
All devices
Device not reachable. May be due to connectivity and/or charging issues. These issues need to be resolved immediately to ensure the device returns to Active state.
Fire Alert
Wildfire Sensor
Wildfire Sensor has transmitted a Fire alert. This also appears as a blinking icon in the app's title bar.
Calibrating
Wildfire Sensor
Currently in 14 day calibration mode (after deployment). During this period, the reliable data and alerts are not provided.
Show device information
--
Device type icon
No
Name
Yes
User-friendly device name assigned to the device. This cannot be changed.
Status
No
Connectivity
Yes
Shows the device's level of signal strength based on RSSI (Receive Signal Strength Indicator) at the nearest Mesh Gateway.
Energy
Yes
Shows the energy level (%) of a device's supercapacitors.
Firmware version
Yes
Version of the firmware currently running in the device.
Gateway ratios
The amount of Mesh Gateways supported by Border Gateways is variable but should not exceed on Border Gateway for every 20 Mesh Gateways.
For every one Border Gateway deployed, up to 20 Mesh Gateways can be deployed, depending on the Site's topology. However, as Mesh Gateways act as repeaters, any number of Mesh Gateways can be deployed on a Site.
Ensure each Mesh Gateway can communicate with at least two other Mesh Gateways. This ensures a reliable Mesh Network in the forest.
Additional Border Gateways can be deployed as a backup for the Mesh Network.
In the following figure, one Border Gateway (plus a backup Border Gateway) receives communication from 20 Mesh Gateways. Note the connectivity paths between Mesh Gateways. With a few exceptions, each Mesh Gateway connects with at least two other Mesh Gateways.
Planning guidelines
Guidelines for planning Border Gateways, Mesh Gateways and Wildfire Sensors locations in a Site.
In this section
Gateway ranges
Ensure Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways are within specified ranges which is 2.0 km to 3.0 km.
The range of a Border Gateway to a Mesh Gateway is approximately 2 km to 3 km.
At approximately 2 km to 3 km, Mesh Gateway to Border Gateway range is similar to Mesh Gateway to Mesh Gateway.
The actual range between Gateways may vary depending on the Site topology. With direct line of sight between Gateways, the range can exceed 3 km or even up to 8 km (during conducted tests).
Increasing potential range
It is possible to increase the range between Gateways by mounting the device higher than the recommended 3 meters above the forest floor. This may also overcome line-of-sight issues where hills and other aspects of Site topology may interfere with line-of-sight.
Coverage planning
Use the Planning tool to quickly generate an estimation of the number and type of Silvanet devices needed to cover a Site.
The Site Management app provides a Planning tool for rapidly estimating the number and placement of Silvanet devices to provide fire-detection coverage for a Site, .
You can begin by importing KMZ, KMZ and Shapefiles into the Planning tool, then create high Sensor density Paths, lower Sensor density Areas and Connectivity zones called Connectivity Meshes.
Once completed, export the plan as a document (.docx) and release it as a set if Packages to the Deployment app for deploying the Silvanet devices in the Site.
In this section
Planning tool
Learn how to access and use the Planning Tool.
Save your work regularly
While working on the Planning project, save your progress regularly to a local drive on your computer or to a network drive. If you quit or refresh the page without first saving the project, your progress will not be saved.
Access
From the Site Dashboard select Planning from the Ellipsis dropdown menu to open the Planning tool.
Planning tool file
A Planning tool file is saved as <Descriptive Name - Site #.dryad>, where<Site #> is the Site Id which is shown in the breadcrumb of the Site Management app. You can use a more descriptive file name but it must use the .dryad extension.
Save your work
Any work is lost if you do not save your work before closing.
Main menu
The main menu provides access to saving and opening planning projects.
Open:
Open a saved Planning tool file on a local or network drive.
Save:
Save and store your progress locally.
Export to CSV:
Export device coordinates to a CSV file.
Quit:
Close the Planning tool.
Toolbar
The Toolbar provides access to the tools for estimating coverage requirements.
Select:
Use to select paths, areas or Gateways on the map.
Draw path:
Use the Path tool to define high-density deployment areas such as hiking paths, rail lines, power lines.
Draw area:
Use the Area tool to define lower density deployment areas such as forested areas.
Plan connectivity:
Use the Connectivity tool to define the number and placement of Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways to build up a successful Mesh Network in the Site.
Comments:
Use the Comment tool to add relevant comments to the plan.
Views
Terrain view (topology)
Select the Terrain icon at the lower-left edge of the map.
Terrain view shows the topology of the path and how it may affect message transmissions to/from the sensors.
Fire risk view
Select the Fire Risk icon to display an overlay that indicates areas of high to low risk of fires.
3D View
Select the 3D View icon to show a 3D map of the Site.
It shows areas that may cause connectivity issues such as hills and valleys. It also may show areas that are challenging for deployments such as steep hills that may be difficult to traverse.
Comments tool
The Comments tool allows users to include additional information about the deployment or any other relevant topic. They can be added anywhere on the map.
Add comment:
Select Comment and then click anywhere on the map to add a comment. Remember to save the project.
Deleted comment:
Select a comment icon. Erase the text in the Comment field to delete the comment item, then save the project.
Paths (high sensor density)
Linear areas of high human use such as hiking paths or valuable assets such as power lines are called Paths.
Areas (low sensor density)
Parts of the Site that have infrequent human use that include forests, hillsides, ravines, waterways or other places distant from a WUI (Wilderness Urban Interface) are called Areas.
Connectivity zones (Gateways)
The Sensors need to be connected to the Silvanet Mesh Network. This is done by defining a Connectivity Mesh that consists of Border Gateways and Mesh Gateway zones.
Complete plan
When completed, the result is an estimation of the number and placement of Wildfire Sensors, Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways to cover a Site. This estimated coverage is then:
Exported as a document
Sent as a set of Packages to the Deployment app.
Practice with a tutorial
The plan includes several types of Paths and a set of Areas. To ensure Sensors have connectivity to the Silvanet Cloud, the plan includes a Connectivity Mesh consists of a Border Gateway and several Mesh Gateways.
After completing the plan, it is then released to the Deployment app and exported as a summary document.
Expand to display device information. alerts and warnings are displayed. displayed. Select duration from Time dropdown (6 hours, 12 hours, 24 hours, 3 days or 10 days).
Device . Any alerts and warnings are overlaid on the icon.
Indicates current status of the device. See below.
When using the , the Connectivity tool helps to ensure Mesh Gateways have multiple paths to the Border Gateway.
Help:
Links to the topic .
You view the Site in view, Map view, 3D view and Fire risk view.
To learn how to add paths, see .
To learn how to add areas, see .
To learn how to add connectivity, see .
To learn how to export the plan as a document and to the Deployment app, see .
To learn how to use the Planning tool, a is provided that guides you through the steps to prepare a coverage estimate for an example Site using the Planning tool in the Site Management app.
For every 100 Wildfire Sensors deployed, use at least one Mesh Gateway or more, if necessary. This is dependent on Site topology which may or may not interfere with connectivity to Mesh Gateways.
Ratio of Wildfire Sensors to Border Gateways
No limit but must be in range:
The Border Gateway does not have a limit on the number of Wildfire Sensors it can support. However, it can support sensors that are within range of the Border Gateway.
Use of Mesh Gateways
Do not deploy Wildfire Sensors without the use of Mesh Gateways.
Learn how to add paths that typically have a high density of Wildfire Sensors.
Paths are typically areas that require a higher density of sensors. For example, this can include hiking paths, lanes and roadways, rail lines, power lines or other linear areas that have a high level of human activity.
Draw a path
Start path:
Start creating a new path by selecting a location on the map where you want the path to start.
End path:
End the path by double-clicking on the map where you want the path to end.
Save the project.
Remember to save the project frequently.
Path settings
The Path settings are accessed by selecting a path.
Name:
Give the path a descriptive name.
Path type:
Choose a path presets which influence the placement and amount of sensors on the path:
Hiking path
Road
Railway
Power line
Protection Level:
Set based on the path type. It can be adjusted. Low level of protection is 100m between each sensor. High level is 20m between each sensor.
Distance between Sensors:
The distance between Sensors is set by the Prediction Level slider. A precise value can be entered here, as required.
Amount of Sensors:
The number of Sensors in a path are set by Prediction Level slider based on the length of the path and density. A precise number of sensors can be entered, as required.
Edit paths
Any path can be modified after it has been added and saved to the project file.
Two types of dots are used that follow the route of the path:
White dots:
Key points in the path that alter segments of the path. They can be deleted to straighten a path in that segment.
Yellow dots:
Mid-points between white dots. Selecting a yellow dot converts them into white dots which adds other mid-point yellow dots.
Access Edit Path panel
Select a path from the list of paths to open the Edit Path panel.
Global changes
Make basic changes to the path.
Change global settings using the Global Coverage tab:
Name:
Update the path name.
Path type:
Choose from Hiking Path, Road, Railway, Power LIne.
Protection level:
Modify the Protection level using the slider or manually change the distance between Wildfire Sensors and amount of Sensors.
Save the project.
Modify paths
Paths can be easily extended, re-routed, shortened or even deleted.
Select the Pencil icon to make the path editable:
Change the route of the path:
Drag a white dot to move a section of a path.
Add an angle:
Drag a yellow dot to a new location to add an angle to the path.
Remove a path dot:
Remove a path dot by selecting a white dot and press Delete or Backspace.
Delete a path:
When a path is active, select the Trash icon to delete a path.
Select any location on the map to deselect the path.
Save the project.
Add a Sensor to a path
Additionalsensors can be added to a path where requried.
Select the Manual Planning tab.
Select Add Sensor.
Drop the Sensor icon in a new location within the boundaries of the path.
Save the project.
Connectivity zones
Learn how to place Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways in a Site to ensure connectivity between the Wildfire Sensors and the Silvanet Cloud.
Plan connectivity
Use the Plan Connectivity tool to add Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways to the Site. When adding a Gateway, the Planning tool creates a connectivity zone identified by an irregular blue pattern on the map. This zone shows the range of the Gateway based on several factors including:
Site topology
Expected range of the gateway
Installation height
Areas outside the blue zone do not have direct Line of Sight to the Gateway.
Add Border Gateway
First add a Border Gateway to ensure connectivity to the Internet. Find a location that is at the edge of a forest and, ideally, has access to a mains power supply. Then you add the Mesh Gateways to build up a Silvanet Mesh Network.
Place your first gateway by clicking on the map at the desired location. If you already know where your Border Gateway should be placed, start by placing your first gateway at this location.
Ensure at least one Border Gateway per mesh network. If you create a site with several Border gateways, account for them manually.
Select Connectivity Mesh, then select Add Gateways. A Gateway icon appears on the map.
Place Gateway on the Map where you plan on locating it (based on requirements).
Installation Height:
Options include 3m Standard, 5m Pole, 10m Tower
Location:
Latitude and Longitude is set automatically based on where the Gateway was placed on the map.
Add additional Mesh Gateways as required.
Save the project.
Building a resilient Mesh Network
To build a resilient mesh network, we advise that each gateway should be in line of sight with at least 2 other Gateways, when possible.
Deleting Gateways
Estimated network coverage
After placing the Border and Mesh Gateways on the map, the Planning tool estimates the network coverage. When reaches a high enough coverage percentage, it is indicated by a Sufficient Coverage message.
Connectivity threshold - 95%
When connectivity reaches 95%, this is considered a threshold for acceptable coverage in a Site.
Deploy Silvanet
Learn how to deploy Silvanet Gateways and Sensors at their planned locations in a Site.
In this section
Sensor range
Wildfire Sensors detect gases of a smoldering fire in its ultra-early stage within a range of between 80 m to 100 m around the Sensor. The maximum range between the Sensor and a Mesh Gateway is 1 km.
The Silvanet Network supports any number of Wildfire Sensors through the use of the Silvanet Mesh Network. However, this support is possible only if range and ratio values are followed. The Planning tool takes into account these range and ratio values when preparing a deployment plan.
Gas detection range
Gas detection range is 80 m to 100 m (260 ft to 320 ft)
Site topology and range
Range values are dependent on the Site topology such as hills, valleys, density of trees and structures in the forest deployment locations.
Sensors connectivity range
Maximum distance to a Mesh Gateway is 1 km
Sensors communicate with Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways that are approximately 1 km away from the sensor, depending on topology. In dense forests, the range may be less while direct line of sight to the Mesh Gateway may have a longer range.
Deployment guidelines
Review these guidelines before starting the deployment of Silvanet Gateways and Sensors.
Deployment preparation
Ensure you have the right tools to deploy Silvanet Gateways and Wildfire Sensors.
Deployment app permissions
Ensure you have allowed the Silvanet Deployment app to access the Smartphone's location and camera.
Work in teams of two
When installing Silvanet devices in a forest, always work in teams of at least two people. When using the ladder, ensure it is securely leaned against the tree and is stable before climbing the ladder. If possible, have an assistant securely hold the ladder./
Prepare Deployment app
Ensure the Smartphone is fully charged:
Smartphones need to be fully charged. Bring a backup power supply.
Launch Deployment app while the Smartphone has good mobile connectivity:
Launch the Deployment app while you have a good wireless connection. This allows the app's local database to be updated with device information. Mobile connectivity may become unreliable in areas of the Site.
(Optional) Bring handheld transceivers:
If mobile connectivity is unavailable in the deployment locations, use a handheld transceiver (portable two-way receiver) to communicate with a worker who is in a location with mobile network connectivity. This person can then enter the Device ID and location manually.
Suggested deployment tools
Bring sufficient devices for a day's work:
Before going to the forest, ensure you have the correct number of devices, spacers, treenails and garden wire (if required) for deploying devices for a day's work.
Carefully carry devices while in the forest:
Carry the required number and type of Silvanet devices in a strong backpack or toolbox.
Bring a folding ladder:
Provide a 16-foot (5 meter) ladder for installing sensors and gateways. A folding ladder is easier to carry through the uneven ground of a forest.
Use sturdy workboxes:
Provide a workbox or backpack for carrying devices, depending on how many and type of devices are planned for a day's deployment.
Suggested tools for device deployment:
Hammer for treenails, chisel to shave off tree bark and shears (snips) for trimming branches (if required) and for cutting lengths of garden wire
Binoculars to ensure line of sight
Compass (analogue or an app on the Smartphone)
Cordless drill (min 18V) as well as a backup battery pack
10 mm wood drill bit and a 6 mm wood drill bit (optional) to drill a pilot hole to prevent splitting, especially with hardwood trees
17 mm wrench for the U-clamp bolts
Garden wire for temporary installations
Pencil and notepad
Backup power supply for Smartphones
Walkie-talkie or other alternative means of communication for locations with no cell connectivity
Bring sturdy footwear for walking through forests and climbing rocks (as well as climbing the ladder to mount the devices).
Validate the scalability of the Silvanet System using a Pilot deployment followed by a full-scale Live deployment.
Dryad recommends visiting the Site prior to planning device locations to make notes about the topology and other features of the Site that might inform where to place Silvanet devices.
The amount of Mesh Gateways supported by Border Gateways is variable but should not exceed on Border Gateway for every 20 Mesh Gateways.
Ensure Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways are within specified ranges which is 2.0 km to 3.0 km.
Each Mesh Gateway can support up to 100 Wildfire Sensors. Each Border Gateway has no limit on the number of Wildfire Sensors in can support.
Wildfire Sensors detect gases of a smoldering fire in its ultra-early stage within a range of between 80 m to 100 m around the Sensor. The maximum range between the Sensor and a Mesh Gateway is 1 km.
The number of sensors per hectare is dependent on human activity in a Site as well as the presence of WUIs (Wildland Urban Interface) in a Site.
Path length:
Length of path in Imperial or Metric, depending on app settings. See .
If you need to delete one or all Gateways, see
Depending on the topology and density of the forest, the Silvanet Wildfire sensor can detect gases, especially Volatile Organic Compounds (), in the surrounding air within a radius of 80 m to 100 m (260 ft to 320 ft). It can also detect smoke from a smoldering fire that drifts into its detection zone from beyond the gas detection range.
Ensure Deployment app is installed:
Make sure the is installed on the Smartphone and you have signed in to the app. Also, ensure the app has been given Location and Cellular Data permissions.
Open the relevant Site in the Deployment app:
Before entering the forest, open the Site in the Deployment app. For details, see .
Cache the Map:
From the respective Site, load the view to cache the map. This ensures you have access to the Map view should a mobile connection become poor or unavailable.
Use toolboxes for the required devices and tools:
Use a waterproof toolbox to keep the devices safe and dry while in the forest. Use another toolbox for the required tools. For details, see .
Deployed Mesh Gateways required access to good solar irradiation and located where Wildfire Sensors have reliable connections to the Silvanet Mesh Network.
The Wildfire Sensor must be mounted correctly to ensure its solar panel has sufficient illumination to charge it superconductors and to reliably connect to Mesh Gateways.
After building the deployment plan, export it as a document and release it to the Deployment app.
Completed plan
When completed, the result is an estimation of the number of Wildfire Sensors, Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways.
Device counter
The Device Counter keeps track in real time of all Border Gateways, Mesh Gateways and Sensors placed on the Site.
Once you have created all the paths and areas you wish to protect and have placed gateways to ensure sufficient mesh network coverage, the estimated number of Gateways and Wildfire Sensors are shown.
Estimation uses
Completed coverage estimate
After planning the coverage, you are ready for deployment:
Export Summary document:
Export your plan which appears as a set of devices with their planned deployment locations.
Release Deployment Plan
When finished, release the deployment plan. Any issues that need to be resolved before release are identified. After resolving these issues, the plan becomes available in the Deployment app.
Export summary
After completing the Site plan, you can export a Planning Summary document as either a .docx file or a CSV file.
Selecting Site overview document (.docx) generates an editable .docx file that includes an overview of site planning, details of the connectivity network and a comprehensive view of each planned packet. It also provides an estimate of the deployment time.
After selecting Confirm, the Planning tool builds the .docx and/or CSV file and generates a .zip file that can be saved on a local or remote drive.
Dryad recommends opening the .docx file in Word, OpenOffice or GoogleDocs and exporting it as a PDF file.
Release deployment plan
However, before it can be released, the Planning tool analyzes the plan and ensures the plan does not have any connectivity issues. If any issues are detected, they need to be resolved before continuing.
For example, a Sensor may have been located outside a connectivity zone, which means it is not connected to the Mesh Network. Move the Sensor within a connectivity zone.
Warning icon
A warning icon is displayed next to the Package containing the issue.
After resolving the issues, the Deployment Plan is ready to be released.
Add or move Sensors
Add, delete or change locations of Wildfire Sensors.
After a path or area has been drawn, a sensor may have been placed in a location free of trees or perhaps in a location where a sensor cannot be deployed, such as on a building.
Add Sensors
Wildfire Sensors can be added to areas or paths.
Any customization of an area or path overwrites the default placement of sensors.
Select an Area or a Path.
From the Edit Path panel, select the Manually Planning tab.
Select Add Sensor.
Drag the Sensor to the required location, then click to place the Sensor icon.
A red icon indicates the sensor is outside the zone of the selected path or area.
Save the project.
Move Sensors
The name and location of a Sensor can be changed.
Change Sensor name
In an area or path, select a Wildfire Sensor.
In the Edit Sensor dialog, enter a descriptive name in the Name field.
Save the project.
Move Sensor location
In an area or path, select a Wildfire Sensor.
Using the mouse, move a Sensor to update the latitude and longitude settings of the sensor. This may be required if a Sensor is placed outside a Connectivity zone.
Save the project.
Delete Sensors
In an area or path, select a Wildfire Sensor.
In the Edit Sensor dialog, select Delete Sensor. This cannot be undone.
Save the project.
Register Border Gateway
Before mounting the Border Gateway, register the Device ID using the Deployment app to provide its GPS location with the Silvanet Cloud.
Device ID
Each Silvanet Border Gateway has its own unique Device ID (also referred to as Serial ID). It is provided as a unique text string as well as a QR Code printed on a label attached to the Border Gateway.
Register Device ID
To register the Border Gateway's Device ID, scan the QR Code (for Gen 2) or use NFC (for Gen 3).
In the Silvanet Deployment app, select a Site.
In the list of devices that appears, select a Border Gateway. Alternately, select Show Devices on Map.
On the map that appears, tap Register Device. The blue dot on the map shows your current location.
Finding the deployment location
In the figure above, the Border Gateway is 120 m away from the user. Use this map to move towards the deployment location.
If you tapped Show Devices on Map, the maps shows on overview of your Site. Your location is indicated by a blue dot.
Once the deployment location is found, register the Device ID.
Use the Deployment app to scan the device's QR Code, which is attached to the back of the Border Gateway.
QR Code not scannable?
If the QR Code cannot be scanned, manually enter the Device ID which is found as a text string next to the QR Code.
The Deployment app automatically fills in the Gateway's latitude and longitude using the Smartphone's GPS location.
Next steps
Relocating a Border Gateway
This estimation can be used for quoting purposes. However, the feature includes a detailed list of devices and their deployment locations.
Releasing the Deployment Plan exports the coverage estimate to the Silvanet Cloud which loads it into the Deployment app as well as the section of the Sites view.
After releasing the Deployment Plan, the Packages appear in the .
After a few moments, the Registration successful message appears. The device icon changes from Planned to Deployed. For more information, see .
After a successful , the Border Gateway can be permanently mounted to the tree or pole. The Deployment app provided guidelines for mounting the Border Gateway.
Mount the Border Gateway to a or on a , as described in the following sections. Afterwards, mount the solar panel(s). Alternately, use the PoE Injector to provide power from mains, if available.
Deploy the Silvanet Border Gateway to ensure it reliably communicates with the Mesh Network and Silvanet Cloud.
Deployment steps
Border Gateway scenarios
The Border Gateway can be deployed in various scenarios based on the availability of a power supply, Internet connectivity and location.
Wired - Mains and router
In this setup, the Border Gateway uses a mains power supply (via PoE Injector) and a router (via Ethernet). The solar panel acts as a backup power supply.
When using the built-in Ethernet connection, this setup is supported only in combination with the PoE Injector. The solar panel does not provide enough energy to support Ethernet connectivity of the border gateway.
Internet connectivity:
The Border Gateway is connected to a cable or ADSL router via Ethernet which is connected to the PoE injector. In case of loss of Internet connectivity via the router, the Border Gateway uses its built-in 4G/LTE-M (or 2G/GPRS) mobile radio or its satellite connectivity.
Power supply:
The Border Gateway uses the PoE Injector connected to a mains power supply.
Backup power supply:
In case of power failure, the solar panel is used.
PoE Injector
The Border Gateway includes a PoE Injector that provides a voltage range of between 36V and 57V. The PoE is IEEE 802.3af compliant. If a replacement is required, ensure it has the same specifications.
Wireless - Mains and mobile networks
In this setup, the Border Gateway is deployed in a location without a fixed-line Internet connection (without a router) but has a mains power supplied by the PoE Injector.
Internet connectivity:
Provided by the Border Gateway's built-in 4G/LTE 2G/GPRS radio. In case of loss of Internet connectivity via 4G/LTE-M (or 2G/GPRS) mobile radio, the Border Gateway uses satellite connectivity.
Power supply:
The Border Gateway uses the PoE Injector connected to a mains power supply.
Backup power supply:
In case of power failure, the solar panel is used.
Wireless - Solar and mobile networks
Often Internet connectivity and a mains power source is unreliable in remote locations. Border Gateways deployed in these locations have neither fixed-line Internet connectivity nor a reliable power supply. In these cases, the Border Gateway uses its solar panel for a power supply. It uses mobile radio connectivity (if available) or a satellite uplink (to send fire alert signals to the Silvanet Cloud).
Internet connectivity:Provided by the Border Gateway's built-in LTE-M 2G/GPRS mobile radio, if a mobile tower is accessible. If a mobile tower is inaccessible, the Border Gateway uses a satellite uplink.
Power supply:
Powered by the solar panel which charges the Border Gateway's internal energy storage. However, depending on the amount of sunlight, data transfer might be limited.
Satellite - No mobile and mains power source
Normally, as a fallback, the Border Gateway supports several methods to ensure uninterrupted Internet connectivity. If the Border Gateway does not have wired or wireless Internet connectivity and/or power supply, the solar panel and satellite ensures uninterrupted Internet connectivity.
Satellite replaces wired or wireless Internet connectivity:
If the Border Gateway loses Ethernet due to network failure and cannot connect to a mobile network, a satellite uplink provides as backup connection. However, only Fire alarms are sent.
Solar panel replaces mains power supply:
The solar panel provides a backup emergency power supply. The solar panel charges the internal batteries and allows the mobile data connection to be used. As the system runs in power saving mode, no other sensor data other than fire alerts can be transmitted.
Natural disasters and connectivity
Should the installation location of the Border Gateway have neither a mains power supply nor access to a mobile network (4G/LTE 2G/GPRS), the Border Gateway can still transmit minimal messages to the satellite.
However, messages are restricted to fire alerts only. This scenario is applicable, for example, where natural disasters like thunderstorms or earthquakes bring down Internet connectivity.
Border Gateway guidelines
Deployed Border Gateways require Internet access and a reliable energy supply (for an always-on functionality).
Border Gateways are designed to be deployed at the edge of the forest on a pole, tree or permanent structure. The Gateway needs to be free from obstructions, such as branches and structures. It also requires a reliable power supply and access to Internet connectivity.
No Ethernet connectivity and Mains power supply?
The Border Gateway can be deployed in locations without Ethernet connectivity as it can connect to a mobile network.
It also can be deployed in locations without a mains power supply as it can use its solar panel for power supply.
Deployment overview
Deployment scenarios
Deployment locations
The Exported Summary document shows the planned location in detail. The forest worker can use this document to deploy the Border Gateway in the Site.
The location of the Border Gateway should meet the following minimum conditions:
Have clear line-of-sight for mobile connectivity:
Whether the Border Gateway is installed on a tree or a pole, it needs a clear line of sight for mobile connectivity or, if used, to connect without obstructions for satellite communication.
Access to mains power supply (if available):
If the Border Gateway can be powered by a mains available in a building such as a maintenance workshop, this provides a reliable 24-hour power supply.
Near the edge of the forest:
Deploying a Border Gateway near the edge of the forest ensures that it has a clear line of sight for mobile connectivity, satellite and at least one Mesh Gateway.
Access to sufficient sunlight:
By placing the Border Gateway at the edge of the forest, this ensures it has sufficient daylight free of obstructions to charge the Border Gateway's supercapacitors.
Ideally, mounted in an elevated location:
To maximize range, install the Border Gateway on a hill, or at least a higher location to maximize range, such as 5 m or 10 m.
Range to Mesh Gateways
2 km to 3 km to Mesh Gateway:
The range of a Border Gateway to a Mesh Gateway is approximately 2 km to 3 km. The actual range may vary depending on environmental conditions.
Ensure a Mesh Gateway is within range:
Ensure one or more Mesh Gateways are within range of the Border Gateway.
Line of sight:
Ensure line of sight to at least one Mesh Gateway in range.
See Also
Reliable power supply
"Always on":
As the Border Gateway is considered "always-on", it needs a reliable power supply. As the Border Gateway's LTE-M radio (for connecting with mobile networks) uses a reasonable amount of power it needs a sufficient power supply.
Mains power (recommended):
Ideally, it should be installed in a location with mains power but its solar panel is sufficient to charge the supercapacitors throughout the day.
Solar panels always connected:
Ensure solar panel(s) are mounted and connected as they serve as a backup power supply, or in some cases, the primary power source.
Mounting guidelines
Mount to a stable metal or wooden pole:
Mount to a metal or wood pole that is unlikely to be moved. Use the provided U-Clamps to securely hold the mounting brackets (Gen 3). When mounted on a pole, the Border Gateway does not interfere with a living tree over the lifetime of the Border Gateway.
60.3 mm pole diameter:
The diameter of a pole must not be greater than 60.3 mm. A 17 mm wrench is used to attach the M10-nuts to the U-Clamps.
Use only healthy trees:
When attached to trees, ensure they are healthy and unlikely to be removed.
Mount at least 3 m high on pole or tree:
Mount the Border Gateway at least 3 m high on the pole or tree and, if possible, higher for better signal propagation.
Clear away obstructions:
The Border Gateway needs an unobstructed area to obtain sufficient sunlight to charge the solar panels.
If the Border Gateway is installed on a tree, the solar panel should not be covered by branches.
Mount solar panels correctly:
Mount the solar panels (Gen 3) facing the sun at 12:00 noon (northern or southern hemisphere).
Use a compass to identify true South (in the northern hemisphere) or true North (in the southern hemisphere). This maximizes the amount of light that hits the solar panel.
If possible, select a location that has direct sunlight (such as a hillside) and keep it free from branches that obscure direct sunlight.
Load balancing
Use backup Border Gateway, if required. Ideally, for deployments greater than 1000 sensors, provide a backup Border Gateway. This also provides load balancing.
See .
See below.
Uses mains power supply and a router.
:
Uses mains power supply and mobile networks.
:
Uses solar panels only and cellular networks for Internet connectivity.
:
Uses solar panels only and satellite connectivity.
The Planning tool is used to determine the Latitude and Longitude the Border Gateway. For example, in the , the location of the Border Gateway was determined as shown.
For more information, see .
Gen 3 Border Gateway includes two solar panels. For more information, see .
Learn how to add areas that are parts of a Site that typically have a lower density of Wildfire Sensors.
Areas where a lower density of Wildfire Sensors are expected. They are usually areas of low (or lower) human activity or even no human activity. For example, they can be areas off-limits to human activity, remote areas or forested areas that may have pathways running through them.
Draw an area
Start area:
Start creating a new area by clicking on the map where you want the area to start and continue drawing the outline of the area.
End area:
End the area by double-clicking on the map where you want the area to end.
Save the project.
Area Settings
Select an area to access the Area Settings panel.
Name:
Give the area a descriptive name.
Surface covered:
Automatically generated.
Accessible:
The slider defines the area as accessible or inaccessible. Making the area inaccessible prevents any sensors or gateways placed in this area. For example, it can be used to indicate areas which are physically or legally not accessible for your deployment.
Protection Level:
Default settings is Mid level (200 m between sensors). Use the slider to adjust sensor density. Low density is 500 m between each sensor, while high density is 100 m between each sensor.
Distance between sensors:
Setting is based on the Protection Level slider. It can be set manually.
Edit areas
After making an area, you can alter the dimensions of the area through the use of the perimeter dots.
Two types of dots make up the perimeter:
White dots:
Key points in the perimeter that can be moved to change the dimensions of the area. They can be deleted to reduce the area dimension.
Yellow dots:
Mid-points between white dots. Selecting a yellow dot converts them into white dots which adds other mid-point yellow dots.
Expanding the Area moves the sensors as well. It may also add sensors to accommodate the increased size of the area. Ensure the sensors are placed correctly (not over structures, in open spaces, etc.).
Access Edit Path panel
Select an area from the list of paths to open the Edit Path panel.
Global changes
Change global settings using the Global Coverage tab:
Name:
Update the area name.
Accessible slider:
When selected, it removes all Sensor icons as no Sensors can be deployed in the area.
Protection level:
Modify the Protection level using the slider or manually change the distance between Wildfire Sensors and amount of Sensors.
Save the project.
Modify areas
Select the Pencil icon to make the area editiable:
Change area perimeter:
Select a a white dot, then drag it to add an angle to the perimeter. New midpoints are also created.
Delete an angle in the perimeter:
Select a white dot, then press Delete or Backspace to remove the angle.
Delete a dot:
Select a dot, then press Delete or Backspace to remove the dot.
Delete an area:
Select the Trash icon to delete a area.
Click anywhere on the map to deselect the area.
Save the project.
Add a Sensor to an area
Select the Manual Planning tab.
Select Add Sensor.
Drop the Sensor icon in a new location within the boundaries of the area.
Gen 3 Silvanet Suite builds on the features of Gen 2 Silvanet Suite with a new endurable casing, increased energy storage, NFC provisioning and Satellite options.
Learn how to mount the Gen 3 Silvanet Mesh Gateway to a pole or a tree.
The Mesh Gateway can be mounted to a metal/wooden pole or to a healthy tree.
Attach Mesh Gateways to wooden or metal poles
if a 60 mm (2.3 inch) wooden or metal pole is available, you can use the provided U-Clamps to attach the Mesh Gateway to the pole.
Loosely attach the U-Clamps to the mounting bracket.
Hand-tighten the nuts, then use the 17 mm wrench to tighten the nuts. Do not use excessive force to prevent damage to the mounting bracket.
Clip the Mesh Gateway to the bracket. You can use locks to secure the device to the brackets.
Mount Mesh Gateways to tree
If the Mesh Gateway is to be attached to a tree, ensure the tree is stable and unlikely to be cut.
Once a tree has been selected, use a safety strap to hold the ladder to the tree. Then, with an assistant stabilizing the ladder at the bottom locate a position on the tree that is approximately 3 m above forest floor.
Remove any branches and other obstructions at the deployment height. This allows the solar panel to have good irradiation from the sun to charge the device. Carefully remove a small portion of the bark with an axe or chisel where the holes in the tree will be drilled. This allows the gateway to hang vertically on the tree.
With a distance between the holes at 70 mm, drill approximately 6-7 cm (2 1/5 inches) into the tree for the top loops of the mounting bracket. Ensure you do not split the tree or drill on an angle. Use the 10mm drill bit.
Download the mounting bracket PDF file and print it out as a template.
Drill a pilot hole
When drilling into a tree, first drill a pilot hole using a small drill bit (1/4 inch / 6mm) then drill the final hole with the 10mm drill bit. Also, ensure you are using a drill bit for wood. This ensures the wood in the tree does not split.
Carefully hammer the treenails through the top loops.
With the mounting brackets attached at the top, carefully drill the bottom two holes using the lower holes as templates. Be careful not to damage the bracket while doing so. Also, use a drill bit with a sufficient length to ensure the holes are at the correct depth.
Carefully hammer the treenails through the bottom loops into the tree. Check to ensure the mounting bracket is securely attached to the tree and cannot move.
Clip the Mesh Gateway and solar panels to the brackets. You can use locks to secure the devices to the brackets.
Fully charge supercapacitors
After mounting the Mesh Gateway, allow the superconductors to fully charge. Run the Connectivity Test to ensure the Border Gateway connects with the Silvanet Cloud.
See Also
Mount Border Gateway (Gen 2)
The Gen 2 Border Gateway provides a single solar panel and can be mounted to either a healthy tree or a stable metal/wooden pole.
Deployment scenarios
The Gen 2 Border Gateway can be deployed using the supplied PoE (Power over Ethernet) to connect to a mains power supply. The solar panel must be connected to the Border Gateway.
The Gen 2 Border Gateway can also be powered using only the solar panel in deployments without access to a mains power supply.
See Also
Mount to metal/wood poles
If a 60 mm (2.3 inch) wooden or metal pole is available, you can use the provided U-Clamps to attach the Border Gateway to the pole.
Prepare U-Clamps:
Loosely connect the U-Clamps to the Border Gateway, then slide the gateway onto the pole from the top (if possible).
Tighten U-Clamp:
Hand-tighten the nuts, then use the 17 mm wrench to tighten the nuts. Do not use excessive force to prevent damage to the Border Gateway.
Attach the antennas:
The LoRa antenna is attached to the top connector, LTE antenna on the bottom connector and satellite antenna is on the side.
Attach solar panel:
Attach the solar panel to the pole above the Border Gateway. And if used, connect the Ethernet cable to a router.
Mount Border Gateways to trees
If the Border Gateway is to be attached to a tree, ensure the tree is stable and unlikely to be cut.
Fina a mounting location at least 3 m above forest floor:
Once a tree has been selected, use a safety strap to hold the ladder to the tree. Then, have an assistant stabilize the ladder, locate a position on the tree that is approximately 3 m above forest floor.
Prepare mounting area:
Remove any branches and other obstructions at the deployment height. This allows the solar panel to have good irradiation from the sun to charge the device. Carefully remove a small portion of the bark with an axe or chisel where the holes in the tree will be drilled. This allows the gateway to hang vertically on the tree.
Drill two holes 70 mm apart for top loops:
Using a 10 mm drill bit for wood, drill two holes approximately 6-7 cm (2 1/5 inches) into the tree with a distance of 70 mm apart. Ensure you do not split the tree or drill on an angle. We recommend drilling a pilot hole using a small drill bit (1/4 inch / 6mm) then drill the final hole with the 10mm drill bit.
Download the mounting bracket PDF file and print it out as a template.
Drill a pilot hole
When drilling into a tree, first drill a pilot hole using a small drill bit (1/4 inch / 6mm) then drill the final hole with the 10mm drill bit. Also, ensure you are using a drill bit for wood. This ensures the wood in the tree does not split.
Hammer the top treenails into the tree:
Carefully hammer the treenails through the top loops of the Border Gateway into the holes.
Drill the bottom holes:
Carefully drill the bottom two holes using the lower holes as templates. Be careful not to damage the Gateway case while doing so. Also, use a drill bit with a sufficient length to ensure the holes are at the correct depth.
Hammer the bottom treenails into the tree:
Carefully hammer the treenails through the bottom loops into the tree. Check to ensure the Border Gateway is securely attached to the tree and cannot move.
Attach the antennas:
The LoRa antenna is attached to the top connector, the LTE antenna to the bottom connector and the satellite antenna to the connector on side of the device.
Mount the solar panel:
Attach the solar panel to the tree above the Border Gateway. And if used, connect an Ethernet cable from a router. See below.
Mount solar panel
After installing the Border Gateway, attach the solar panel to the same pole or tree to provide a backup power supply.
The cable from the Border Gateway to the solar panel is pre-connected and is 2 m long.
Mounting guidelines
After attaching the Border Gateway to either a pole or a tree, the solar panel needs to be attached to the same location, preferably above the Border Gateway. Garden wire is used to secure the solar panel to the support structure (tree or pole).
Mount on same tree or pole as Border Gateway:
Ensure the solar panel is attached to the same tree or pole used for the Border Gateway.
Oriented towards sun at 12:00 noon (northern/southern hemisphere):
Locate the deployment location towards where the sun would be at 12:00 noon. This allows the solar panel to have maximum sunlight irradiation during daylight hours.
Protect cable from accidental damage:
Ensure the solar panel cable is placed in such a way that it cannot be damaged by human or animal incidents.
Mount above Border Gateway:
If the deployment location is a public area, the minimum height for both the Border Gateway and the solar panel should be at least 3m above the forest floor with the solar panel mounted above the Border Gateway. A higher deployment allows for better connections to Mesh Gateways.
Securely mount the solar panel to pole or tree:
Ensure the solar panel is tightly connected to the tree or pole so that it cannot slip or turn during strong winds or other environmental actions.
Mounting steps
To mount solar panel to pole or tree:
Cut two equal lengths of provided garden wire, each being twice the circumference of the tree or pole.
With the solar panel is at ground level, insert garden wire through the holes.
Climb the ladder with the panel and place the solar panel on the opposite side of the tree or pole and pull it tight using the top wire, then twist the cable tight. Ensure the panel faces south towards where the sun would be at 12:00 noon.
Follow the same procedure with the lower wire.
Twist the two ends of the cables together and bring the twisted cable within the back of the panel.
Ensure the solar panel is tight against the tree and pole and cannot move.
The following shows a completed Border Gateway and solar panel deployment.
Connect Border Gateway to Ethernet (PoE)
If an Ethernet connection is available, use the PoE Injector to connect to a mains power supply. The Border Gateway provides a sealed RJ45 connector to attach an Ethernet cable to the device.
Open the Ethernet connector by unscrewing the cap.
Disassemble the Ethernet connector, including the end cap, sealing ring and housing.
Lead the Ethernet cable through the end cap, sealing ring and housing.
Connect the Ethernet cable into the Ethernet socket in the connector.
Reassemble the connector. Carefully seat the sealing rings in the housing without damaging the barbs, then screw the end cap on the housing and screw the housing to the connector.
Connect the supplied Ethernet cable to the PoE and then connect an Ethernet cable (not supplied) from the PoE to an available router.
Plug in the PoE to a mains power supply using the provided power cable.
Next steps
Let superconductors charge:
After mounting the Border Gateway and providing it with a power supply, allow the superconductors to fully charge.
See Also
Mount Mesh Gateway (Gen 2)
The Mesh Gateway can be mounted to a metal/wooden pole or to healthy tree.
Attach Mesh Gateways to poles
To attach Mesh Gateways to a metal or wood pole, the maximum dimension of the pole must be 60 mm (2.3 inch). U-Clamps are provided to attach the Mesh Gateway to the pole.
Loosely attach the U-Clamps to the Mesh Gateway, then slide the Mesh Gateway onto the pole from the top, if possible.
Ensure the Gateway is oriented properly (facing the sun at 12:00 noon) with the antenna connector facing upwards. You may need assistance holding the Mesh Gateway.
Maximizing radio transmissions
Ensure the pole is not interfering with radio transmission. If a metal pole is used, ensure the top of the Mesh Gateway is level with the top of the pole to allow the antenna to free from interference from the metal.
Hand-tighten the nuts on the U-clamps, then use the 17 mm wrench to tighten the nuts. Do not use excessive force to prevent damage to the Border Gateway. Ensure the Mesh Gateway is securely connected to the pole and cannot move.
Attach the LoRaWAN antenna to the Mesh Gateway.
Attach Mesh Gateways to trees
If the Mesh Gateway is to be attached to a tree, ensure the tree is stable and unlikely to be cut.
Once a tree has been selected, use a safety strap to hold the ladder to the tree. Then with an assistant stabilizing the ladder at the bottom, locate a position on the tree that is approximately 3 m above forest floor and facing the sun (at 12:00 noon).
Remove any branches that might interfere with maximum sunlight irradiation.
If required, carefully remove a small portion of the bark with an axe where the holes for the treenails will be drilled. This allows the Mesh Gateway to hang vertically on the tree.
Drill the top holes using the 10mm drill bit approximately 6–7 cm into the tree. The distance between the holes must be 70 mm.
Download the mounting bracket PDF file and print it out as a template.
Drill a pilot hole
When drilling into a tree, first drill a pilot hole using a small drill bit (1/4 inch / 6mm) then drill the final hole with the 10mm drill bit. Also, ensure you are using a drill bit for wood. This ensures the wood in the tree does not split.
When drilling into a hardwood tree, start with a smaller drill bit then drill to the final size with the 10 mm drill bit. Also, ensure you are using a drill bit for wood, not for steel or concrete.
Hammer the treenails through the top loops of the Mesh Gateway into the drilled holes. Be careful not to damage the device while doing so. You may need an assistant to support the Mesh Gateway while hammering the treenails into the tree.
With the Mesh Gateway attached to the tree at the top, drill through the bottom loops of the device approximately 6-7 cm into the tree. Do not damage the Mesh Gateway while drilling through the loops.
If you plan on drilling the bottom holes before attaching the Mesh Gateway to the tree, you can use the Mesh Gateway as a template to locate the positions to drill the bottom holes.
Carefully hammer the treenails through the bottom loops into the holes. Do not damage the device.
Attach the LoRaWAN antenna to the Mesh Gateway.
To maximize the radio connection of the Mesh Gateway, the antenna should have at least a finger-width distance from the trunk.
Check to ensure the Mesh Gateway is securely connected to the tree and does not move.
Next step
After mounting the Mesh Gateway and allowing it to fully charge, run the Connectivity Test to ensure the Mesh Gateway connects with either the Border Gateway or another Mesh Gateway.
See Also
Deploy Mesh Gateways (Gen 2/3)
Deploy Mesh Gateways to allow extensive deployments of Wildfire Sensors using the Silvanet Mesh Network.
Deployed Mesh Gateways require access to good solar irradiation and located where Wildfire Sensors have a reliable connections to the Silvanet Mesh Network.
Mesh Gateways allows data from distant Wildfire Sensors to be received by a Border Gateway which is typically deployed where it has good wired or wireless connectivity.
Deployment overview
Deployment locations
After using the Planning tool, the GPS locations of each Mesh Gateway is determined by adding Mesh Gateways (Connectivity zones) to ensure a minimum of 95% network coverage. For example, in the Planning tool tutorial, the location of one of the Mesh Gateways was determined as shown.
In the Exported Summary document shows the planned location. The forest worker can use this file to deploy the Border Gateway in the Site.
The location of the Mesh Gateway should meet the following minimum conditions:
Line-of-sight to Border Gateway or Mesh Gateway:
Whether the Mesh Gateway is installed on a tree or pole, it needs a line-of-sight to at least one other Mesh Gateway (or Border Gateway if within range).
Access to sufficient sunlight:
To ensure the Mesh Gateway's solar panel has sufficient daylight to charge the Gateway's supercapacitors.
Mounted in an elevated location:
To maximize range, install the Mesh Gateway in a location than is higher than the surrounding area, if possible. If not, the Mesh Gateway can be installed at 5 m on a pole or 10 m on a tower.
Ensure correct range
2 km to 3 km to Border Gateways:
The range of Mesh Gateways to Border Gateway is approximately 2 km to 3 km. Deploy at least one Mesh Gateway at least 2 km to 3 km from a Border Gateway. The distance is dependent on topology and type of forest.
2 km to 3 km to other Mesh Gateways:
Each Mesh Gateway can be up to 3 km from other Mesh Gateways, depending on the topology and height at which the device has been deployed on a tree. Actual range my depend on environmental conditions.
Ensure connectivity between two Mesh Gateways:
Ensure each Mesh Gateway has connectivity to two other Mesh Gateways, or one Mesh Gateway if no other is within range.
Line-of-sight:
Ensure the Mesh Gateway has line-of-sight to at least one other Mesh Gateway.
Maximum 1 km radius from Wildfire Sensors:
Place Mesh Gateways in locations that enable them to cover nearby Wildfire Sensors in a radius of approximately 1 km.
Mounting guidelines
When the Mesh Gateway is mounted on a pole, the Border Gateway does not interfere with a living tree over the lifetime of the Border Gateway.
Use a stable metal or wooden pole:
If the Mesh Gateway is mounted to a metal or wood pole, ensure it is stable and is unlikely to be moved. Use the provided U-Clamps to securely attach the mounting bracket to the pole.
60.3 mm pole diameter:
The diameter of a pole must not be greater than 60.3 mm. A 17 mm wrench is used to attach the M10-nuts to the U-Clamps.
Mount at least 3 m high on pole or tree:
Mount the Border Gateway at least 3 m high on the pole or tree and, if possible, higher for better signal propagation. Options in the Planning tool include 3 m standard, 5 m pole or 10 m tower.
Use only healthy trees:
When mounted on a tree, ensure it is healthy and unlikely to be removed.
Clear away obstructions:
The Mesh Gateway's solar panel needs an unobstructed area to obtain sufficient sunlight to charge the Gateway's superconductors.
If the Mesh Gateway is installed on a tree, the solar panel should not be covered by branches.
Clear small branches away from the solar panel. Do not cut large branches, however.
Mount facing sun at 12:00 noon (northern or southern hemisphere):
Use a compass to identify true South (in the northern hemisphere) or true North (in the southern hemisphere). This maximizes the amount of light that hits the solar panel.
Select a location with direct sunlight (such as a hillside) and keep it free from branches that obscure direct sunlight.
Mount on a hillside, if possible:
To increase connectivity, mount the Mesh Gateway on a hillside.
Mesh network reliability
In the following example, a message from a Wildfire Sensor has several routes to the Border Gateway. This ensures reliability in the network.
See Also
Dryad Silvanet Documentation
Explore our tutorials, guides and reference documentation to deploy Dryad's Silvanet System in a Site for detection of smoldering fires in their ultra-early stages.
Learn about Dryad's Silvanet Suite which consists of a mesh network of Border Gateways, Mesh Gateways and Wildfire Sensors deployed throughout a Site. Border Gateways are connected (via the Internet) to the Silvanet Cloud Platform which provides data from the Site's Wildfire Sensors to Dryad's apps - the Site Management and Deployment apps.
Documentation highlights
User Guides
Border Gateway Connectivity Test
Run a connectivity test to ensure the Border Gateway connects with the Silvanet Cloud.
Run Connectivity Test
After mounting the Border Gateway, tap Confirm & Start Connectivity Test.
The Silvanet Cloud attempts to reach the Border Gateway. A popup dialog appears over the map with a progress indicator. This popup can be minimized by selecting Collapse Pop-Up.
If the Silvanet Cloud could reach the Border Gateway, a Connectivity Test successful message appears. Tap Show Device Details or Close to dismiss the popup dialog.
If you have tapped Show Device Details, the following screen appears. You can add additional information in the Notes field.
After making changes, close the Device details screen. The changes are then updated in the Silvanet Cloud.
Troubleshooting errors
Border Gateway not reachable
If the Silvanet Cloud could not reach the Border Gateway, troubleshooting information is provided.
If the Border Gateway could not be reached, the following dialog appears.
Check the following to troubleshoot connectivity:
Power supply:
Check the power supply. Is the PoE correctly connected to mains power source? Is the solar panel correctly connected to Border Gateway, correctly oriented towards the sun (at noon), and no obstructions in front of the solar panel.
Border Gateway not fully charged:
Wait for the Border Gateway to be fully charged. If the device has not had sufficient time to charge its superconductors, wait until it has been fully charged.
Border Gateway has no connection to a mobile network:
It is possible the planned location for the Border Gateway does not have connectivity to a mobile network. In this case, the device needs to be relocated to a location where it has connectivity.
You can close the dialog after troubleshooting. To return to this screen, tap the Border Gateway icon on the map.
After troubleshooting, tap Confirm & Restart Connectivity Test.
If you had closed the dialog, the Device Details screen appears showing the current status of the Test. Tap the circular arrow to restart the Connectivity Test.
If you have moved the Border Gateway to a new location, tap Reset Device to Current Location. If the Border Gateway is still in the same location, tap Keep Device Original Location.
After restarting the Connectivity Test, the Silvanet Cloud attempts to reach the Border Gateway. If successful, the Connectivity Test successful message appears.
Tap Close to dismiss the dialog or tap Show Device Details.
Next Steps
With the Border Gateway now connected to the Silvanet Cloud, Mesh Gateways can now be deployed based on the deployment plan.
Deploy Mesh Gateways
Sensor Calibration
Wildfire Sensors require 14 days after deployment to be calibrated to the environment. During this time the they do not provide useful data.
Sensors are Calibration-ready upon delivery
When a sensor is delivered to the customer, it is charged up and calibrated and ready for deployment. No additional settings need to be made to the device.
Charge Wildfire Sensor - 1 day
After the Wildfire Sensor has been mounted, it requires 1 day to fully charge the supercapacitors.
Once charged, the sensor’s solar panel continuously charges the supercapacitors during daytime.
Use of semiconductors
Calibrate Wildfire Sensor - 14 days
After the Wildfire sensor has been fully charged, the sensor begins a 14-day initial calibration.
Once mounted, the Wildfire Sensor runs a calibration to prepare the device for fire detection. During this period, the Sensor does not provide any useful data may send false fire alerts, even after a month after deployment.
After this "settling in" period, the Wildfire Sensor is ready to detect fires.
Interactions after calibration period
After interactions with the Wildfire Sensor, it requires at least 5 days to return to steady state.
Site Management App
Use the Site Management app to plan your deployment of Silvanet and to view Sensor status information.
dryad.app
In this section
Mount Wildfire Sensors
Mount Wildfire Sensors using treenails or garden wire, then let them calibrate for 14 days before they are ready to detect fires.
Mount using treenails (long term)
Treenails are wooden pegs used to securely mount sensors to a tree. As they are made from wood, they do not affect the health of the tree. Over time the tree's moisture causes the treenails to expand which securely attaches the sensor to the tree.
Drill a 10 mm hole into the tree 3 m from the forest floor on the side of the tree where sunlight would strike the tree at 12:00 noon. The treenails are fed through a loop in the sensor and a spacer and then hammered into the tree.
With the help of an assistant, stabilize the ladder against the tree.
Locate the correct height (3 m) and direction (facing sun at 12:00 noon).
Carefully remove a small portion of the bark with an axe at that location. Try not to excessively damage the tree.
Carefully drill a hole approximately 6-7 cm into the tree using the 10mm drill bit. Do not drill deeper than this recommended depth to prevent unnecessary damage to the tree.
When drilling into a hardwood tree, start with a smaller drill bit to drill a pilot hole then drill with the 10mm drill bit to complete the drill hole. Ensure you are using a drill bit for wood.
Insert a treenail through the sensor's loop, slip a spacer onto the treenail and then carefully hammer the treenail into the hole. Ensure the treenail is not damaged by the hammering.
Ensure the sensor is securely deployed to the tree and hanging loosely and vertically.
Mount sensors using garden wire (temporary only)
Sensors can be mounted using garden wire for short term installations. Garden wire is typically used in agricultural and garden settings such as greenhouses. This solution should only be used for a limited time as the wire will eventually interfere with growth in the tree's girth.
With the help of an assistant, stabilize the ladder against the tree.
Locate the correct height (3 m) and direction (facing sun at 12:00 noon).
Cut a length of garden wire twice as long than the circumference of the tree.
Insert garden wire through the spacer and sensor as shown below.
Tighten the garden wire around the tree. Ensure it is securely attached and that the sensor cannot slip or move.
Next steps
Allow the Wildfire Sensor to calibrate for 14 days.
See Also
For details, see .
The Border Gateway must be registered before the Border Gateway has been mounted. If this step has not been followed, see .
Gen 2 Border Gateway setup with PoE
Gen 2 Border Gateway setup with solar panel only
For more information, see
U-clamp on pole
Run connectivity test:
Run a to ensure the Border Gateway is connected to the Silvanet Cloud.
Clear small area of bark
Drill two holes 70mm apart
Treenails hammered into tree
Mounted solar panel
Completed deployment
Disassemble connector
Connect Ethernet cable
Assembled connector
Run connectivity test:
With the Border Gateway mounted and powered, run the to ensure the Border Gateway connects with the Silvanet Cloud.
For details, see .
After a successful , the Mesh Gateway can be permanently mounted to the tree or pole. The Deployment app provided guidelines for mounting the Mesh Gateway.
Mount Mesh Gateway
U-Clamp on pole
Mounted to pole
Mesh Gateway mounted on pole
Clear a small area of bark
Spacing between holes
Mesh Gateway mounted using treenails
Carefully drill holes for bottom of Mesh Gateway
Mesh Gateway mounted to a tree
For details, see .
Mesh Gateway placed showing Latitude and Longitude
Ensure the correct per Mesh Gateway, which is maximum 100 sensors to each Mesh Gateway. See .
Mesh Network connectivity
For more information, see .
Contact to start protecting your forests and critical assets from wildfires using Silvanet's ultra-early fire detection system. Subscribe to .
We welcome your feedback about Dryad documentation. Contact us at .
Use the to begin the Connectivity test to determines if the Border Gateway can connect with the Silvanet Cloud.
Mount Border Gateway
Connect to Border Gateway
Connectivity test successful
Device details
Restart connectivity test
Restart Connectivity Test
Restart connectivity test
Connectivity test successful
For details, see .
Sensor calibration durations
When a Wildfire Sensor has been deployed and is , the status icon is Grey. When it is fully-charged, the status icon changes to Orange to indicate the Sensor is . When calibration is complete (14-days), the status icon becomes Green.
The Wildfire Sensor's power supply is stored in rather than rechargeable batteries as rechargeable batteries can potentially ignite. Using batteries would defeat the purpose of a wildfire detection system.
Before mounting the Mesh Gateway, scan the Device ID using the Deployment app to register the Gateway and provide its GPS location with the Silvanet Cloud.
Learn how to mount the Gen 2 Silvanet Mesh Gateway to a pole or a tree.
Learn how to mount the Gen 3 Silvanet Mesh Gateway to a pole or a tree.
Start the connectivity test to ensure the Mesh Gateway has connectivity to the Border Gateway or neighboring Mesh Gateways.
Access the Site Management app using your user credentials provided to you by Dryad or Reseller.
The Dashboard provides a summary of deployed devices and coverage of all Sites available to you (based on role, client, or reseller).
Sites View displays all Sites to which you are permitted access.
The Site Details provides at a glance the status of all deployed Silvanet devices in a Site and shows, if triggered, which Wildfire Sensor has triggered a Fire Alert.
Map View shows all your Sites on a global map and provides access to device details. It also enables a Fire risk view.
The Alert center displays Fire Alerts triggered from any Wildfire Sensor in any Site to which you have access. You can then locate where a Wildfire Sensor detected the fire.
User Management view allows administrators to add new users, delete users and assign user roles.
Select preferences for units, date and time used throughout the Site Management app.
When a Silvanet Wildfire Sensor, Mesh Gateway or Border Gateway is relocated, update the longitude and latitude settings in the Site Management app.
From time to time a Silvanet device may need to be moved to a new location. This can occur when a tree on which a sensor is attached falls (or is felled) or if a pole on which a Mesh Gateway is deployed must be moved. In these cases, the GPS coordinates of the Silvanet device can be easily updated using either the Site Management app or the Deployment app.
Update using the Site Management app
From the Site Management app, select the Site that includes the Silvanet device.
From the Device overview section, expand a Silvanet device to display device data, then select Device info.
In the Device info page, select the Location tab.
Enter the new Latitude and Longitude values in the respective fields, then select Submit.
The updated latitude and longitude values are saved to the Silvanet Cloud.
Update using the Deployment app
Latitude and Longitude values for a Silvanet Device can only be changed on deployed devices.
If you are out in the forest relocating a Silvanet device, you can use the Deployment app to update the Latitude and Longitude values.
From the list of Sites, tap a Site.
Select a deployed device to open the Device Details screen.
Select Edit (pencil icon) next to the Coordinates (Latitude, Longitude) to open the Edit Coordinates dialog.
If you know the new Latitude and Longitude values, enter them in the respective fields. After changing the values, tap Confirm.
If you know where the new location is on a map, or If you are in the forest, use the embedded map in the Deployment app to update the Latitude and Longitude values.
Select Adjust Pin Location on Map, device appears in the center of the map.
Drag the map to place the pin in the new location. Note: The device icon remains in the middle of the map.
Tap Confirm to update the values.
Deploy Wildfire Sensors
Deploy Wildfire Sensors using tree nails or garden wire, then let them calibrate for 14 days before they are ready to detect fires.
Before mounting the Mesh Gateway, scan the Device ID using the Deployment app to register the Gateway and provide its GPS location with the Silvanet Cloud.
Device ID
Each Silvanet Mesh Gateway has its own unique Device ID (also referred to as Serial ID). It is provided as a unique text string as well as a QR Code printed on a label attached to the Gateway.
Register Mesh Gateway
In the Silvanet Deployment app, select a Site.
In the list of devices that appears select a Mesh Gateway. Alternately, select Show Devices on Map.
On the page that appears, tap Register Device. The blue dot on the map shows your current location.
Finding the deployment location
Note in the figure above the Mesh Gateway is 120 m away from the user. Use this map to move towards the deployment location.
If you tapped Show Devices on Map, the map shows an overview of the Site. Your location is indicated by a blue dot.
Once the deployment location is found, register the Device ID.
Scan the device's QR Code which is attached to the back of the Mesh Gateway.
The Silvanet Deployment app automatically fills in the Mesh Gateway's location (latitude and longitude) using the Smartphone's GPS location.
QR Code not scannable?
If the QR Code cannot be scanned, manually enter the Device ID which is found as a text string next to the QR Code.
Next step
After a successful registration, the Mesh Gateway can be permanently mounted to a tree or pole. The Deployment app provides guidelines for mounting the Mesh Gateway.
Mount the Mesh Gateway to a metal or wood pole or on a tree, as described in the following sections.
Relocating a Mesh Gateway
Register Wildfire Sensors
Before mounting the Wildfire Sensor, scan the Device ID using the Deployment app to register the Sensor and provide its GPS location with the Silvanet Cloud.
Device ID
Each Silvanet Wildfire Sensor has its own unique Device ID (also referred to as Serial ID). It is provided as a unique text string as well as a QR Code printed on a label attached to the Sensor.
Register Device ID
In the Silvanet Deployment app, tap a Site.
In the list of devices that appears, tap a Wildfire Sensor. Alternately, tap Show Devices on Map.
On the page that appears, tap Register Device. The blue dot on the map show your current location.
Finding the deployment location
Note the Sensor is 120 m away from the user. Use this map to move towards the deployment location.
If you tapped Show Devices on Map, the map shows an overview of the Site on the map. Your location is indicated by a blue dot.
Once the deployment location is found, scan the device's QR Code which is attached to the back of the Sensor. The Deployment app automatically fills in the Sensor's latitude and longitude using the Smartphone's GPS location.
The Deployment app automatically fills in the Sensor's latitude and longitude using the Smartphone's GPS location.
Entering Device ID (Serial ID) manually
If the QR Code cannot be added, the information can be entered manually. Tap Enter Serial ID Manually to continue.
Confirm mounting in Deployment app
After the Registration successful message appears in the Deployment app. Brief instructions are provided for mounting correctly the Wildfire Sensor.
Tap Confirm.
Dismiss the dialog by tapping Close or you can view the Device Details by tapping Show Device Details.
See Also
Release Notes
This section summarizes the changes for each release.
2024
September 12, 2024
Affected Products
Silvanet Deployment App
Redesigned Silvanet Deployment app
We have completely redesigned our Silvanet Deployment app. You can now visualize your entire deployment planning at once and filter the devices on the map according to your needs. We have improved our Connectivity Test feature for the gateways and integrated in-app deployment guidelines and troubleshooting. Once you have deployed a device, you can edit its coordinates and add notes directly on the Device Details page.
Device List and Filtering
This new version allows you to visualize the complete device list of your site and to filter the list by device type, status or Deployment Packet.
Improved Connectivity Test
The Connectivity Test now displays an accurate “Remaining Time” counter. Also, the Connectivity Test results are now synchronized among all team members' Smartphones.
Deployment Guidelines and Troubleshooting
This new version provides Deployment Guidelines to ensure installers properly deploy Silvanet devices. It also provides Troubleshooting Guides to give assist installers when performing connectivity tests during deployment.
Device Details
You can now access the Device Details page after deploying a device to check its status, edit its coordinates or add a note.
July 25, 2024
Affected products
Silvanet Site Management app
Improved Planning Tool - Beta
We have extended the capabilities of our Planning tool. You can now manually add or remove any type of device and edit their name or location for a precise site planning. Once the planning is complete you can release the Deployment Plan and access it in the Silvanet Deployment app to deploy your devices.
Manual Device Placement and Edit
Manually add or remove any type of device and edit any device’s name and location for precise Site planning.
Advanced Troubleshooting
When releasing Deployment Plans, if the tool encounters planning errors, it provides warnings as well as troubleshooting guides to fix the errors. Once all errors have been resolved, the tool allows you to release the Deployment Plan.
Integration with the Silvanet Deployment app
Once the Deployment Plan has been released, you can access it directly in the Deployment app.
May 3, 2024
Affected products
Silvanet Site Management app
New Site Management View
We have released a completely redesigned Site Management view. This redesign offers you a more intuitive understanding of your site’s health, as well as crucial information related to your devices. The overall user experience has been revamped to make it even more easier for you to navigate through your site, whether using the device overview or the map.
Enhanced Device Overview:
You can now visualize device connectivity strength, energy level, and firmware version, directly from the device overview.
Advanced Troubleshooting:
Your devices are autonomously monitored and the device overview provides you with precise troubleshooting guides in case of issues.
Optimized Site Management Layout:
Combined with the 3D map, the new layout of the Site Management view allows you navigate more easily from one device to another.
April 25, 2024
Affected products
Silvanet Site Management app
New Planning Tool - Beta
We have released a Beta version of our new Planning tool in the Site Management app. This new feature allows you to estimate quickly and precisely the number of sensors and gateways needed to protect a desired area or asset. This new tool lets you enter paths and areas you want to protect and takes into account terrain elevation and line of sight prediction to help you place gateways and verify their mesh network coverage.
Feedback requests and Support
As this new feature will evolve as we add even more features, we welcome feedback that would assist us in fulfilling your requirements.
Thank you for your continued support and feedback. We look forward to empowering you with even more features and control over your Dryad experience.
March 25, 2024
Release Notes - 05.03.24
Affected products
Silvanet Site Management app
Introducing 3D Map
New Map Layer
We have also released an additional Map layer that displays hillside shading and contour lines. This allows for easier identification of changes in elevation throughout the deployment areas of a Site.
2023
December 21, 2023
Affected products
Silvanet Site Management app
Silvanet Deployment App (iOS only)
Improved User Management
Admin role: Admin users are responsible for team organization. Admins can invite new users, edit user information and independently create new sites.
Standard User role: Standard users have access to the platform, can view the User Management overview and update their name and contact details. They cannot edit other users' details or invite new users.
The following table shows an overview of the roles and rights:
Section
Functionality
Admin
Standard User
User management
User overview
✅
✅
Invite new user
✅
❌
Update users' details
✅
❌
Sites
Access to Sites menu
✅
✅
Add new sites
✅
❌
Deployment planning
Packet preparation
✅
✅
Deployment
Device installation
✅
✅
Site Creation
Gateway Connectivity Test
Directly from the mobile app, you can now trigger a connectivity test on the gateway you are deploying and know immediately if the chosen location is suitable.
November 6, 2023
Affected products
Silvanet Site Management app
Silvanet Deployment App
Changes
Dashboard Overview
User Management
Improved Packet Assignment Workflow
Other minor fixes
Dashboard Overview
We have added a new landing page that allows you to have a better overview of your Sites and Deployments. It includes information on the number of sensors and gateways allocated to each site. It also improves navigation to specific sites.
User Management
You now have the power to invite users to our platform independently. Simply provide their basic information, including their name and email address, and we will send them an invitation via email complete with a link to join our application.
With this initial release all users will have the same access level categorized as "Standard User." However, we're happy to share that more roles and permissions are on the horizon. In the upcoming release, you'll have the ability to organize your team(s) better using multiple access levels and also create and manage new sites independently. We are committed to delivering this improvement by the end of the year.
Improved packet assignment workflow
We also improved the way deployment packets work to give you more flexibility and autonomy on the field - Packets are no longer assigned to an individual user. This means easier access and collaboration for everyone.
Once a packet has been created, it is automatically accessible to all the users of the site. With our mobile app, you can browse through all the packets of your site and select the one you or your team will deploy.
Last minute change of plans? Simply go back on the mobile app and select an alternative packet for deployment.
To access the latest features, open the Play Store on your Android device, search for our app Silvanet Deployment, and select Update to install the newest version.
Other minor fixes
Deployment Planning Map:
The map is now centered around the device you are placing, providing a more intuitive experience.
Device Data Graph:
The time frames of the graphs will no longer be fixed, offering clarity when observing the graphs for extended periods.
Fire Alerts:
We've addressed multiple issues related to false alerts. This includes the implementation of an enhanced Machine Learning Model and improvements in how alerts are counted and visualized on the web application.
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Overview
Use test fires with a set of Sensors to view fire alerts.
About test fires
Running test fires are optional. If you plan on conducting fire tests, carefully follow the instructions provided in this section.
In this section
FAQs
Get answers from the most commonly asked questions about Silvanet.
Contact Customer Service
Categories
Test fire preparation
A test fire deployment can include one Border Gateway and only twenty sensors, without the need for a Mesh Gateway. Ensure you allow 14 days for sensor calibration.
A test deployment involves burning a small test fire in a metal fire pit (about the size of a BBQ fire) in the midst of the sensor deployments to receive Fire alerts from one or more sensors.
One Border Gateway can be deployed to send data from the Wildfire Sensors to the Silvanet Cloud.
Suggested setup
The following example shows the Wildfire Sensors arranged in a grid pattern with a 2 m distance between the devices. The fire pit is placed in the center of the deployment. At the edge is the Border Gateway connected to the Internet using a mobile wireless connection.
Wait 24 hours between tests and do not interact with the Sensors between tests.
Ensure Border Gateway has good Internet connectivity
Deploy the Border Gateway where it can receive good wireless connectivity such as at the edge of the forest or near a path or roadway. This location should be free of obstructions to sunlight.
Ensure the deployed Border Gateway has:
Stable connection either through wireless (LTE-M/NB-IoT) or wired or wired (Ethernet using POE Injector).
Reliable power source (solar panel or mains with PoE Injector) and is fully charged before testing.
If the border gateway is powered only by the solar panels, then it most likely enters power saving mode during the night. Allow the Border Gateway to fully charge in the morning before testing.
Fire alerts are handled with priority and wake up the Border Gateway from power save mode.
Deploy Wildfire Sensors in a grid pattern
Deploy the Wildfire Sensors using a grid pattern of 2 m distance between Sensors. Place the fire pit in the center of the deployment.
Ensure the Sensors are in range of the Border Gateway, otherwise a Mesh Gateway is required.
Wind direction and speed
Be aware of wind direction and speed. This may affect which sensor or sensors has triggered the fire detection process.
Allow 14 days for sensors to calibrate
Do not skip calibration period
Before beginning the test fire, ensure you allow the sensors to perform the 14-day initial calibration period.
After deploying the Wildfire Sensors, wait 14 days for the calibration period to complete. No testing should be conducted prior to this.
Sensors will not provide accurate or useful readings when tested before or during the calibration period.
Avoid contact with sensors after deployment
Verify deployment
Wildfire Sensor deployment modifications
When running fire tests, use a variety of deployment arrangements. Use different sensor spacings depending on the objective of the fire tests (quick detection vs. longer distances).
The fire pit can also be placed in different locations within the Sensor grid.
Modify fire setups
After completing the initial fire test, perform additional tests by modifying elements such as Sensor distance/location, fire pit location and fire test material.
Warnings
Change only one element of the test
When you modify the testing environment, change only one element at a time while keeping other elements of the test the same.
Burn homogeneous material
Use same material as used during initial tests For modified tests, the same type and weight of material for burning MUST be identical to that used in the initial test, except when changing the type of material.
Allow Wildfire Sensors to stabilize
New location - 5 days:
Any time the Wildfire Sensors are moved, they need at least 5 days to stabilize (recalibrate) in their new locations. Do not move them prior to testing.
Same location - 30 to 60 minutes:
If the locations remain the same but another aspect of the test is modified, allow 30-60 minutes for the Wildfire Sensors to settle (return to ready state).
Note wind direction and speed
Be aware of wind direction and speed. This may affect which Wildfire Sensor(s) triggered a Fire alert.
Change Wildfire Sensor locations
Keep the Border Gateway in the same location but move the Sensors to a new location.
Change the location of the Wildfire Sensors within the 1 km range of the Border Gateway. Allow the Sensors to recalibrate to the new location (for 5 days), then run the fire test. This allows you to test the effect of different topologies within the area or different wind flow effects. In this scenario, keep the fire pit in the same location.
Change the location of the Wildfire Sensors.
Allow 5 days for the Wildfire Sensors to stabilize (calibrate) to the new location.
Record (including video) the results of the test, including wind conditions.
Change distance between Wildfire Sensors
Modify the distance between sensors from 2 m to 15 m.
If the Sensors are moved further away from the fire pit (from 2 m to 15 m) smoke takes longer to reach the Sensors, which may increases detection time. It also introduces more real world effects such as wind speed and direction on fire detection.
Change location of fire pit
Keep the same distance between Wildfire Sensors but modify the fire pit location.
Change the location of the fire pit. As the Border Gateway and Sensors remain at the same location, the Sensors do not need recalibration. This scenario allows for the effect of wind direction and wind speed that affects the movement and direction of smoke from the fire pit.
Change test fire material
Change the type of material used in the fire pit to reflect the type of combustable materials present in the Site.
Clean out the ashes from the previous fire (make sure the fire is complete put out first) and replace with different material. Keep the same distance between Sensors.
For example, if you burnt forest material but need to test the Silvanet System with other materials such as creosote-soaked wood (railroad ties), then change ONLY the burning material without making any other modifications to the test.
After changing the material, allow the Sensors settle. Wait 24 hours before running the test.
Clear out the ashes from the previous test and replace with new material.
Wait 24 hours to begin the next test to allows the Sensor to settle.
Record (including video) the results of the test, including wind conditions.
Border Gateway FAQs
What happens to Sensor data if the Border Gateway loses Internet connectivity?
If the Border Gateway loses network connectivity, it queues all the sensor data it receives from Wildfire Sensors and Mesh Gateways. After the network connection has be reestablished, it sends the data to the Silvanet Cloud Platform.
The same process occurs if the Border Gateway is in power saving mode.
See Also
Can I disconnect the solar panel from the Border Gateway?
Dryad does not recommend disconnecting the solar panel from the Border Gateway as this causes the supercapacitors of the Border Gateway to drain. The solar panel also acts as a backup power supply if the PoE is used.
If required, the Solar Panel can be disconnected from the Border Gateway.
See Also
What could cause the Border Gateway to go offline?
A Border Gateway may be offline due to several reasons, including:
Connectivity strength of the device is poor
The device has gone into power saving mode
The device has not been charging
See Also
Does the Border Gateway support NB-IoT?
Yes, the Border Gateway supports NB-IoT in cases where LTE-M is not available.
See Also
How much time is required for the solar panel to charge the Border Gateway?
The solar panel needs 3 to 4 hours to charge the superconductors in the Border Gateway before it comes online.
However, if the PoE is disconnected or if a power failure occurs in the power supply, the solar panel will fully charge the Border Gateway in 1 to 2 days before it begins operating properly.
See Also
Mesh Gateway FAQs
What is the role of Mesh Gateways in a Site?
Mesh Gateways enable large scale deployments of Wildfire Sensors across a Site.
They receive messages from Wildfire Sensors and forwards them to other Mesh Gateways within range or to Border Gateways if they are within range.
Messages sent from Wildfire Sensors hop through the Silvanet Mesh Network until they reach the Border Gateway.
See Also
General Questions
Which frequency bands are used by Silvanet devices?
The Silvanet Mesh Network is based on LoRa. The frequency bands used depend on the region in which it is deployed:
Europe: 868 MHz
North America: 915 MHz
Asia: 433 MHz
These are set in the Silvanet devices by Dryad.
See Also
How high above the forest floor should I mount Silvanet devices on trees or poles?
To protect the Silvanet device from human or animal interference and to give the device better line of sight to Mesh or Border Gateways, mount the device at least 3 m (10 feet) or higher above the forest floor.
See Also
Will solar panels on Silvanet devices degrade over time?
The solar panels on Silvanet devices have been intentionally oversized to allow for performance degradation over time while still maintaining functionality.
See Also
Do Silvanet devices require regular maintenance?
Service is normally not required
We do not anticipate that Wildfire Sensors, Border Gateways or Mesh Gateways need to be serviced or cleaned over the lifetime of the device.
However, unusual circumstances may present additional challenges for the Border or Mesh Gateways as they have a higher energy requirement than Wildfire Sensors. However, cleaning is normally not required. As Silvanet devices mounted vertically, these effects are minimized.
Solar panels
The solar panels are placed vertically (by intention) on a tree or pole. This position minimizes dust buildup and allows rain to wash off any dust or dirt. This vertical position is intentionally to eliminate manual servicing (cleaning).
The solar panels have been intentionally oversized to allow for performance degradation over time while still maintaining functionality.
See Also
How do I determine if a Border Gateway solar panel is damaged?
If the solar panel is not charging the Border Gateway, it may be damaged.
Disconnect the solar panel from Border Gateway and measure the voltage. It should be around 20 V. If not, it may not have sufficient light or the solar cell is damaged.
See Also
How do I use NFC to register a Silvanet device?
The Gen 3 Silvanet Border Gateway, Mesh Gateway and Wildfire Sensor include NFC to allow device registration using a Smartphone equipped with NFC.
NFC is available only for Gen 3 devices.
If the Silvanet device is a Gen 3 device and the Smartphone running the Deployment app is NFC-enabled, using NFC is mandatory.
Run the Deployment app.
Tap a Silvanet device from the list of devices in a Site.
After mounting the Silvanet device, tap Confirm and Register the Device.
On the Device Activation screen, tap Activation with NFC.
Start the activation process by holding an NFC-enabled Smartphone close to the embossed NFC Tag on the device.
After activation, the Deployment app automatically begins a Connectivity test.
Deployments stages
Validate the scalability of the Silvanet System using a Pilot deployment followed by a full-scale Live deployment.
Deploying a Silvanet Network in a forest is typically a two-stage process:
Pilot (2 - 4 months):
Small-scale deployment of up to 400 sensors that demonstrates Silvanet's scalability and Mesh Network to detect controlled test fires.
Live (10-15 years):
Large-scale deployment of the required Wildfire Sensors and Mesh/Border Gateways across a targeted forest area (the Site).
Pilot deployments
A Pilot deployment validates Silvanet System's core functionality and scalability. This type of deployment typically monitors an area of about 400 to 500 hectares (approximately 1000 acres to 1250 acres).
This deployment typically has a duration of approximately 2-4 months.
400 Wildfire Sensors
Garden wire can be used to temporarily mount the Wildfire Sensors to trees. Sensor spacing should be from 80m to 100m.
Four to eight Mesh Gateways
For an area of 400 to 500 hectares, deploy at least four up to eight Mesh Gateways, depending on the terrain and RF signal propagation conditions (line-of-sight).
Topology and forest density determines number of Mesh Gateways
Hilly areas need more Mesh Gateways. Less dense and relatively level forest floors need less Mesh Gateways where 4 should be sufficient.
One Border Gateway
Only one Border Gateway is typically needed. Additional Border Gateways can be added for redundancy.
Typical deployment schedule
To deploy 400 sensors and Gateways, a team of 2 people can deploy 20 to 50 devices a day.
However, this depends entirely on the difficulty of the terrain and state of the forest floor. In general, deployment is achieved quicker when more teams are available to deploy the devices.
Live deployments
A Live deployment can use the results of a Pilot deployment (but not necessarily) to determine the number of sensors and gateways needed to effectively cover the entire Site.
This has a deployment duration of 10-15 years.
Site dimensions
The size of the Site in hectares determines the number and type of Silvanet devices to effectively cover the Site area.
Topology and forest density determines number of Mesh Gateways
Mesh Gateways require line-of-sight between other Mesh Gateways. Hills, ravines and other aspects of the topology may interfere with line-of-sight. Mounting Mesh Gateways higher than the recommended 3 meters or even mounting them on a hill may increase line-of-sight.
Effect of interactions on sensor calibrations
Emissions from vehicles on lanes and roadways may interfere with Wildfire Sensor calibrations. Similarly, human interactions with the devices can be reduced by placing them away from roadways and hiking trails.
Device ratios
Use the follow (maximum) device ratios:
Ratio of Wildfire Sensors to Mesh Gateways is 100 to 1.
Ratio of Mesh Gateways to Border Gateways is 20 to 1.
Wildfire Sensor density
Distances between Wildfire Sensors is based on human activity and the Wildlife Urban Interface:
For areas of high human activity, distances between Wildfire Sensors should be no further than 100 meters between devices.
For areas of low human activity, distances between Wildfire Sensors can be increased to 400 meters to 500 meters between devices.
Prepare installation plans
Consider how the deployment teams must traverse the forest so they can efficiently use the time. With such a large deployment area, several teams of two workers may be required to deploy all the sensors. Ensure you prepare one site Packet per team, considering how the team must navigate through the forest.
Alert center
The Alert center displays current and past Fire Alerts triggered from any Site to which you have access. You can then locate where a Wildfire Sensor detected the fire.
User role
Fire alert dialog
When opening the Site Management app, if a Wildfire Sensor has triggered a fire alert, it appears as a persistent popup dialog and a blinking Fire Alert icon, regardless of the view currently open. This dialog provides a quick view of the Site and Sensor that triggered the Alert.
Selecting Go to Alert Center opens the Alerts overview page. Selecting Mute Alerts hides alerts triggered from the Sensor identified in the Fire alert dialog. Alerts from other Sensors continue to appear.
Fire alerts sent via email
When a sensor detects a fire, a fire alert email is immediately sent to registered users who can then act to extinguish the fire.
Silvanet API interface for fire alerts
Two Silvanet API interfaces are available for 3rd party alarm interfaces / apps:
Current alerts
The Alerts overview shows an All Clear indicator if all Sites to which you have access have not triggering any Fire alerts. This page is automatically refreshed.
All alerts that have not be attended to are shown in the Current Alerts tab.
Site name (Filter): Site which triggered the Fire alert. Select the Filter icon to sort the list by Site name.
Site ID: ID of the Site as shown in the URL.
Detected At: Time and date when the Fire alert was triggered.
Cleared At: Shows time and date if the Fire alert was cleared. Otherwise shows Ongoing.
Sensors Triggered: Number of Sensors that triggered the Fire alert in a given Site.
Status: Current status of the alert. Options include
Fire Alert: An actual fire, which needs to be attended to immediately.
Alert Time Out: An alert was not attended to (for example, cleared) and no other alerts were sent by the Sensor in the past 6 hours, the alert times out.
False Alert: An alert labelled as
Fire Test: Labelled as the result of a fire test.
Open icon: Opens the alert in the Alert details page.
Filter by Site
Select the Filter icon to view alerts. Enter a Site or select from the available Sites.
Alert details page
Selecting a Fire alert from the Current alerts tab opens the Alert details page in a new window. It lists all Wildfire Sensors in a Site that triggered the alerts.
This page provides specific actionable details of the alert, including the location of the fire as displayed as a dropped pin in Google Maps. This shows precisely where the fire was detected.
Type (sortable): Indicates type of alert:
Sensor: Descriptive name of the Sensor as assigned by Silvanet Cloud.
Detected At (sortable): Time the alert was triggered and sent by the Sensor.
AI index: Air quality index. >85% indicates a Phase 3 alert (Fire alert), which a value lower than 85% (<85%) indicates a Phase 2 alert (Warning).
GPS Coordinates: Latitude and Longitude of the Sensor triggering the alert.
Location: Opens a map (Google Maps) with a pin showing the location of the sensor that triggered the fire alert. If Google Maps is not installed, it launches a browser and opens Google Maps in the browser.
Clear alerts
A fire alert can be cleared after it has been resolved.
From the Alert Center, select an Alert to open the Alert details page.
Select Clear Alert.
In the dialogue that appears, choose a reason for clearing the alert:
Fire Extinguished:
Detected fire that caused the fire alert to be sent has been extinguished.
Test Alert:
Alert sent during testing the deployment with a controlled burn.
False Alert:
Alert sent during the sensor calibration phase.
The alert is cleared from the Current Alerts tab and moved to the Past Alerts tab.
After all alerts are cleared, the Alert Center shows an empty list.
Past alerts
In Alerts overview, the Past Alerts tab lists cleared Fire alerts.
Site name (Filter): Site which triggered the Fire alert. Select the Filter icon to sort the list by Site name.
Site ID: ID of the Site as shown in the URL.
Detected At: Time and date when the Fire alert was triggered.
Cleared At: Shows time and date if the Fire alert was cleared. Otherwise shows Ongoing.
Sensors Triggered: Number of Sensors that triggered the Fire alert in a given Site.
Status: Current status of the alert. Options include
Alert Time Out: An alert was not attended to (for example, cleared) and no other alerts were sent by the Sensor in the past 6 hours, the alert times out.
False Alert: An alert sent to indicate no fire detected although an alert was triggered.
Fire Test: Labelled as the result of a fire test.
Open icon: Opens the alert in the Alert details page in a new tab.
Status icons
Status icons allow users to quickly identify the device status in Map views in both Site Management and Deployment apps.
The Site Management app and the Deployment app share a common set of status icons for Wildfire Sensors, Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways.
These color-coded icons allows the status of WildFire Sensors and Gateways to be easily identified.
Multiple Sensors deployed at a single location
If two or more Wildfire Sensors have been deployed in a tight configuration (for testing purposes, for example) they appear as a single Sensor icon when zoomed out in Map view.
Wildfire Sensor status icons
Mesh Gateway status icons
Border Gateway status icons
Glossary of Terms
Description of terms and phrases used in Silvanet Dryad Documentation.
A
Air quality
Active state
ALOHA
Random access protocol. LoRaWAN networks use an ALOHA-based protocol so end devices do not need to peer with specific gateways.
B
Border Gateway
C
Calibration (Sensor)
Once deployed, the Silvanet Wildfire Sensor needs to perform a 14-day calibration after deployment. This is critical for preparing the Sensor for fire detection. During this period the Sensor does not detect smoldering fires.
Cat-1 (LTE)
Cat-M1 (LTE-M)
CSS (Chirp Spread Spectrum)
LoRA is based on Chirp Spread Spectrum (CSS) where a CHIRP (Compressed High Intensity Radar Pulse) is a type of signal that is the carrier of data. Chirps have two types of signals: up-chirp and down-chirp. An up-chirp increases in frequency while a down-chirp decreases in frequency.
D
Data packets
According to the ISO model, data packets are data units within the Network Layer. They include the source and destination IP addresses, as well as other information. Packets are essentially a connection-oriented protocol. It ensures each single packet is not dropped or compromised. It is considered reliable communication.
Device ID (Serial ID)
A Device ID is a unique identifier of a node in a LoRaWAN network (e.g., Sensor ID, Gateway ID).
In Silvanet, the Device ID is a unique text string which is provided as a QR Code (and NFC in Gen 3 devices). The Device ID is used to register a Silvanet device with the Silvanet Cloud. It allows the Silvanet Cloud to know the location of the device in a deployment Site.
Device Address (DevAddr)
Address by which the device is known in the Mesh network. It is composed of two parts: the address prefix and the network address. It defines an end device within the current network and all communication between devices use it after joining the network.
Downlink messages
Messages sent from Gateways to devices lower down in the hierarchy. For example, messages sent from the Silvanet Cloud to Border Gateways, Border Gateways to Mesh Gateways or Mesh Gateways to Sensors are downlink messages. Satellites do not send downlink messages to Border Gateways.
E
End device
In Silvanet, the end device is a Wildfire Sensor which sends messages over LoRaWAN to Silvanet Gateways (Border or Mesh) and receives messages from these Gateways.
EUI
Extended Unique Identifier. It is a 64-bit unique identifier as defined by IEEE. Dryad assigns a unique identifier (EUI) to each device. Each device's EUI consists of a unique combination of a DevEUI and a JoinEUI.
F
False alerts
During the calibration period and up to one month after deploying, the sensor may trigger false fire alerts. This is normal behavior and is expected.
Fire alerts
Fire intensity
The most important measure of fire behavior is fire intensity. Fire intensity (I) represents the heat released per meter of fire front (kW/m of fire front). It is a function of the following:
Heat yield of fuel (kilojoules/kg)
Amount of fuel per unit area (kg/m2)
Rate of forward spread of fire front (km/h)
Firmware version
Version of the firmware loaded in the device memory.
FUOTA
Firmware Update Over the Air.
FUOTA uses a chunked image transfer (no compression). To allow for any low power periods as well as various regional regulatory requirements, FUOTA processes can be configured to stretch over an extended period such as a week. It can be configured by downlink fragment size and periodicity of transmissions.
The Silvanet Cloud (Network Server) prepares to send updates as a multicast distribution. The firmware is chunked into transmittable parts. The Silvanet Cloud schedules each update chunk as a download message to the multicast group. The Network Server then verifies that each device has received all chunks, synthesizes them and verifies the update signature.
G
Gas scans
The gas sensor runs consecutive gas scans which is the real test for a fire. However since gas scans consume a significant amount of energy, they are kept to a minimum and only start if the sensor detects a change in the gas composition of the air consistent with smoke from a fire.
Gateway ID
I
IAQ
Index of Air Quality. It is an index that has a range of values that indicates or quantifies the quality of the air in the environment surrounding the sensor. The threshold value which triggers a fire detection process is defined by Dryad.
Interactions (with Sensors)
Interacting with a sensor causes the sensor to be recalibrated. Interactions can include touching the sensors in any way, moving the sensors in any way, being in proximity to the sensors and running machinery and vehicles, especially diesel, near the sensor. It can also include bringing any source near the sensor that could trigger the fire detection such as cigarettes and even breathing on the sensor.
IoT
Internet of Things. Silvanet devices are IoT devices.
J
JoinEUI
A 64 bit extended unique identifier.
L
LoRa
LoRA (Long Range) is a proprietary modulation technique by Semtech.
The key advantages for using LoRa is its low power usage and long range. It is ideal for Silvanet devices as they send small amounts of data over long distances periodically (under normal conditions). This allows the devices to operate using solar panels.
It also allows Silvanet Gateways to be located at greater distances from Wildfire Sensors, thus reducing the number of gateways required per deployment.
LoRa networks can achieve a maximum throughput of 50 Kbps (100 bytes/min in normal conditions). Additionally, it is approved as a standard for Low Power Wide Area Networking (LPWAN) by the ITU (International Telecommunication Union). As it operates in the license-free sub-gigahertz bands (such as 915 MHz, 868 MHz and 433 MHz), it is subject to interference and retransmissions.
LoRaWAN
LoRaWAN (LoRa Wide Area Network) is a standard of ITU and is managed by the LoRa Alliance.
LoRaWAN is a Medium Access Control (MAC) Layer protocol that manages communication between Silvanet Gateways and Wildfire Sensors in the Silvanet Network. It is a software built on top of LoRa hardware and defines, amongst other things, when data packets are transmitted and the format of those messages.
LoRaWAN is optimized to operate in low power mode and can transmit as far as 10 km in open fields, less in forests and up to 3 km in urban areas with significant interference. LoRaWAN also allows for firmware updates and updates to the ML Model on sensors over the air (FUOTA).
Each node (device) in a LoRaWAN network contains its own unique Device ID.
LoRaWAN Version
Indicates the MAC layer version used by a Silvanet device, for example MAC_V1_0_3.
LoRaWAN PHY Version
Indicates the PHY Version used by a Silvanet device, for example PHY_V1_0_3_REV_A.
LTE-M
M
Mesh Gateway
Mesh Gateways receives messages from sensors and forwards the messages to other Mesh Gateways or, if in range, to a Border Gateway›. Messages sent from Wildfire Sensors hop through Mesh Gateways until reaching a Mesh Gateway within range of a Border Gateway.
Mesh network
A LAN topology in which nodes can connect directly in a non-hierarchical way to as many other nodes as possible to find the most efficient route to end nodes. Silvanet implements mesh networking.
ML Model
A ML (machine learning) model is a program that has been trained to recognize certain types of patterns. In Silvanet, the ML Model has been trained to recognize certain types of patterns, in this case the gases from a smoldering fire.
ML Version
A version of the Machine Learning (ML) model loaded in the memory of the Silvanet Device. It is updated to all sensors in a Site using FUOTA.
MQTT
MQTT is a Client Server publish/subscribe messaging transport protocol that is lightweight, open, simple, and designed to be easy to implement. It is typically used for communication in Machine to Machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) contexts where a small code footprint is required and/or network bandwidth is at a premium. It is used by third-parties to communicate with a Silvanet Network.
N
Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)
NB-IoT is a LPWA (Low Power Wide Area) network technology designed for IoT devices. Silvanet Border Gateways offer NB-IoT in regions where Cat-M1 is not available on cellular networks.
Network Server
In the Silvanet System, the Network Server is the Silvanet Cloud which manages the entire Silvanet network. If It receives multiple copies of the same message, it keeps a single copy of the message and discards the others (preventing message duplication).
NS Gateway ID
O
OTAA
P
Packet (deployment)
A Deployment Packet defines the Silvanet Wildfire Sensors and Gateways deployed (or in the process of being deployed) in a Site. It typically include the planned deployment locations of the devices. More than one Packet can be prepared for Site deployments. They are prepared using the Site Management app and made available in the Silvanet Deployment app.
Phase 1 alert
A Phase 1 alert is not necessarily an indicator of a fire. However, when a Silvanet sensor triggers a Phase 1 alert (yellow), it indicates a deterioration in air quality in the surrounding environment. Phase 1 alerts are used to reduce the number of gas scans (which check for fire) and only do so when there is a change in the gas composition of the air.
Phase 2 alert
If the sensor determines a fire is the most likely cause for the deterioration of air quality (which is indicated by a Phase 1 alert), the sensor immediately issues a Phase 2 fire alert sent to the Site's registered users.
PoE Injector (PoE adapter)
Power saving mode
S
Sensor (Silvanet Wildfire)
The Silvanet Wildfire Sensor is designed to detect forest fires during the early stages (even during the smoldering phase) within minutes. The sensor monitors the microclimate by measuring temperature, humidity and air pressure.
Sensor ID
Serial ID
Site
A Site is a geographical area which has a dimension that is dynamically calculated based on the placement of Silvanet devices in a forest. Sites are defined using the Planning Tool in the Site Management app.
Site ID
It appears in the URL of a Site as well as the breadcrumbs line when a Site is opened. For example, dryad.app/sites/<Site ID>.
A Site name can be changed but the Site ID cannot be changed. Use this Site ID when requesting support for a specific Site.
Smoldering fire
A smoldering fire is defined to be a slow, flameless combustion of a biomass material such as forest floor material, branches, leaves, and so on that could lead to a wildfire if left unchecked.
Supercapacitor
A supercapacitor is a high-capacity capacitor that can accept and deliver charges faster than batteries and tolerates many more charge and discharge cycles than rechargeable batteries.
U
Uplink Messages
Transmissions sent by end-devices (Wildfire Sensors) to the Network Server relayed by one or many Gateways. Satellites only receive Fire Alerts messages from Border Gateways.
V
VOC
A VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) is an organic chemical compound that evaporates easily at room temperature. They vaporize into air and dissolve in water, for example smoke from fires. Organic compounds are chemicals that contain carbon and are found in all living things, especially trees. VOCs are also emitted from, for example, oil and gas fields and diesel exhaust which is why the sensors use ML Models to distinguish between VOCs from fires and VOCs from other sources.
The US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) defines VOCs as follows:
Volatile organic compounds (VOC) means any compound of carbon, excluding carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonic acid, metallic carbides or carbonates and ammonium carbonate, which participates in atmospheric photochemical reactions, except those designated by EPA as having negligible photochemical reactivity.
W
Wildfire Sensor
Site Management FAQs
How do I add a Site?
Only users with an Admin role can add a new Site to their own organization. If you are a reseller, you can add new Sites for your clients.
If you are a user with a Standard role, request a new Site from your organization's Admin user or from your reseller.
See Also
How do I access Silvanet web and mobile apps?
To access the Dryad web and mobile apps require user credentials provided by Dryad, a Reseller or a user with Admin rights.
Site Management app
Accessing the Site Management app requires a user to be registered with Dryad. After registration, a user is provided with login credentials.
After logging in, the user is required to change their password.
See Also
Silvanet Deployment app
The Silvanet Deployment app is downloaded from Google or Apple Store onto a smartphone.
The same credentials used to sign in to the Silvanet Management app are used to sign in to the Silvanet Deployment app.
See Also
How do I delete Gateways from a Deployment Plan?
Delete all Gateways from a Deployment Plan
If you need to delete only one Gateway (either Border or Mesh) from a Deployment plan in the Planning tool, do the following:
Select Connectivity Mesh.
Select the Gateway icon on the map.
In the Edit Gateway dialog, select Delete Gateway.
Delete one Gateway from a Deployment Plan
If you need to delete all Gateways from a Deployment plan in the Planning tool, do the following:
Select Connectivity Mesh.
From the Automated tab, select Delete all Gateways.
Wildfire Sensor FAQs
Why does Wildfire Sensor calibration take 14 days?
After a Wildfire Sensor has been deployed, the device requires 14 days to calibrate, to "settle in" to the environment in which it has been deployed.
14 days are required for initial calibration.
After calibration, the Wildfire Sensors are ready to detect fires.
Warning
Before calibration has completed, the Wildfire Sensor does not provide useful data.
See Also
How long after an interaction with a Wildfire Sensor happens is it ready to detect fires?
Any interactions with a Wildfire Sensor cause a recalibration. This takes at least 5 days before the Sensor is ready to detect smoldering fires.
Interactions with the Wildfire Sensor are non-regular movements or activity around the Sensor that trigger a fire detection process. This could be:
Touching the Sensor, either by a human or animal that may breathe on the Sensor
Moving the Sensor to a new location on the tree or in the Site
Exhaust from vehicles (especially diesel vehicles) driving near the Sensor
Bringing any source of VOCs near the Sensor such as cigarettes or machinery
See Also
How long after a gas scan is the Wildfire Sensor ready?
After the Wildfire Sensor performs a set of gas scans to test the air quality, it needs approximately 30 to 60 minutes to return to normal values and be ready to detect smoldering fires.
See Also
How do I remove a Wildfire Sensor from my Site?
If you want to remove a Wildfire Sensor from your Site, cut the treenail at the bark level and remove the device. The remaining part of the treenail will not damage the tree. However, the device will continue to appear in the Site Management app for your Site. '
See Also
Should Wildfire Sensors be replaced if a fire occurred nearby?
When a wildfire occurs directly where the sensors are, they will, of course, be destroyed by the flames and need to be replaced, if the tree is still alive. However, they will continue to run fire detection processes up to the point when they are destroyed.
In general, after a wildfire has been detected by our Sensors and firefighting occurs in the area of the sensors, the Sensors in the area should be replaced. Also, if the Sensors that have been massively soaked in chemicals, such as to extinguish fires, they are most likely going to be contaminated and should be replaced. The sensors may continue to work, but to ensure they function, we recommend replacing them after firefighting.
However, even in cases where a fire occurred nearby, Silvanet Wildfire Sensors can survive as they are made from durable plastics and all electronic components are sealed with resin.
User Management FAQs
How do I add a user?
Only users with Admin role or a reseller can add a new user.
A user with an Admin role has access to the Add User form available from the User Management view.
See Also
How do I delete a user?
Users with an Admin or Standard role cannot delete a user. Only Dryad can delete users.
See Also
Can I edit my user information?
Currently, you can not edit your name and email address. Contact Dryad Support if you have any specific requests or questions.
See Also
Select Device info
Enter new GPS values in Location tab
Device details
Edit Coordinates
Update using map
Select a Site
Select a device
Tap Register Device
Your current location
Scan QR Code
After a few moments, the Registration successful message appears. The device icon changes from Planned to Deployed. For more information, see .
Registration successful
Mounting guidelines
For more information, see .
Select a Site
Select a device
Tap Register Device
Map showing current location
Scan QR Code
After successfully scanning the QR Code, the Deployment app shows a Registration successful screen. The device icon changes from Planned to Deployed. For more information, see .
Registration successful
Mounting instructions
After you have correctly mounted the Wildfire Sensor (see ) and is fully charged, an Installation successful message appears.
Installation successful
Device Details
For details, see .
Device List and Filtering views
Connectivity Test views
Deployment Guidelines and troubleshooting
Device Details
Edit, add or remove any type of device in your Site.
Planning error warnings and troubleshooting guide
Access the Deployment Plan in the Silvanet Deployment app to deploy the devices
Enhanced Device Overview
Advanced Troubleshooting
Optimized Site Management Layout
Planning Tool
For support issues, reach out to our support team in case you’re facing any issues. Use this to request support.
We have improved our with an immersive 3D capability. Using the Map tools, you can now observe your deployed devices on an elevated terrain by tilting and rotating the map to navigate through your site.
3D Map View
We've heard your feedback and enhanced the . In this release we have introduced role-based user management:
In addition, we've revamped the to allow contact details of individuals to be added and made visible to all users.
Users with an Admin role can now independently create new sites. While we are working on the ability to disable and delete existing sites, be mindful that creating too many sites generates clutter in the and may result in potential confusion in the workflow.
In this release we added a new feature in the that lets users check the connectivity of the gateways during the deployment.
Select and in the form that appears enter the following information:
If you need help deploying Silvanet Devices or using Silvanet, you can to submit a request.
General Questions
Border Gateways
Mesh Gateways
Wildfire Sensors
Site Management
User Management
Afterwards, .
As described in , the gas sensor in the Silvanet sensor is very sensitive to changes in the environment. Consequently, moving, touching or interacting with the sensors beyond what is necessary influences the sensor readings and also the sensor calibration settings.
After and , ensure they are communicating with the Silvanet Cloud. You can verify this using the section of the Site Management app.
For more information, see .
if the Sensors are moved out of range of the Border Gateway, you need to move the Border Gateway and of the Border Gateway in the Site Management app.
Update the in the Site Management app.
Burn a test fire, as described in .
Burn a test fire, as described in .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see the section in the topic Silvanet Border Gateway.
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
See , and .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
Use the to determine the required number of Wildfire Sensors, Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways.
Use the to determine the required number of Wildfire Sensors, Border Gateways and Mesh Gateways. Use treenails to permanently attach the sensors to trees.
If the Silvanet system detects a smoldering fire, then fire alerts are immediately sent to registered users via email and are displayed in the Site Management app. An is also available for fire alerts.
MQTT Sensor Data Integration. For details, see .
Webhook Integration. For details, see .
Fire alert: Indicates a , which the Sensor has determined a developing fire as the most likely cause of the deterioration in air quality.
Warning: Indicates a , which is a decline in air quality in the surrounding area. It may be an indication of a developing fire or a fire outside the range of the Sensor.
Icon
Description
Icon
Description
Icon
Description
Air quality is quantified as an (IAQ) which indicates the quality of air within range of the sensor. It is used by the Silvanet sensor to trigger the fire detection process, if it passes a defined threshold. See below.
A Silvanet device (Border Gateway, Mesh Gateway or Wildfire Sensor) is considered in Active state after it has been . It does not necessarily indicate the device is sending messages to the Silvanet Cloud via Silvanet Mesh Network. An active state is indicated by a green .
A receives messages from Silvanet sensors via Mesh Gateways using LoRaWAN and forwards the messages to the Silvanet Cloud using one of three services: LTE-M (mobile), Ethernet (PoE adapter and router) or satellite.
Cat-1 is a medium power consumption form of LTE for use by IOT devices. However, Silvanet uses is for IOT devices (ultra-low power).
Cat-M1 is a Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) radio communication form of LTE for use by IOT devices. It is used by Silvanet Border Gateways to communicate with cellular networks that support IOT. SIM cards are provisioned for the geographic area where the Silvanet Border Gateway is to be deployed. Where Cat-M1 is not available, is available.
A Wildfire Sensor triggers a when its firmware determines with a high probability that a fire has been detected. The fire alert is sent immediately to registered users via the Silvanet Cloud.
Firmware update Over the Air () is a standard for distributing firmware updates. It allows firmware updates to be delivered to many devices at the same time efficiently and securely.
The end device (Silvanet Sensor) applies the firmware update and delivers a firmware update complete uplink message to the Network Server. See for more details.
The gas sensor in the Silvanet sensor runs a set of gas scans to test if the sensor has detected a fire or some other .
Unique text string and QR Code that identifies a Gateway (Border or Mesh) in the Silvanet Cloud. Same as Device ID. See .
LTE-M is a type of 4G cellular network designed for IoT devices which has two available versions: Cat-M1 and Cat-M2. Silvanet Border Gateways use . It provides Power Saving Mode (PSM) to reduce energy consumption. It also allows FUOTA without draining the supercapacitors in the Border Gateway. In regions where Cat-M1 is not provided by cellular networks, the Silvanet Border Gateway uses .
Network Server Gateway ID. Same as .
Over The Air Activation. (Firmware Update Over the Air) uses OTAA to update Wildfire Sensor firmware.
The Border Gateway is supplied with a (Adapter) that provides a voltage range of between 36V and 57V. The PoE is IEEE 802.3af compliant.
To save energy, the Border Gateway switches into for 60 minutes then wakes up for 5 minutes to listen to the Silvanet Mesh Network and sends all messages from sensors that have been queued. In case of fire alerts, it wakes up immediately and sends the alerts to the Silvanet Cloud.
Unique text string and QR Code that identifies a Silvanet Wildfire Sensor in the Silvanet Cloud. Same as Device ID. See .
Same as Device ID. See .
The Site Management app () displays all currently created Sites. Using your username and password, you are granted access to all Sites to which you are registered.
A is a unique ID assigned to a Site by Dryad.
End-device in a Silvanet Mesh Network that monitors air quality and sends fire alerts if it detects a smoldering fire. See .
For more information, see .
The Site Management app is a web-based app which is accessed using .
For more information, see in .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
For more information, see .
Contact to have the device removed from the Site Management app. Provide the Device ID (Sensor or Gateway ID) to have the ID removed from the Site database.
For more information finding the Device ID in the Site Management app, see .
Before mounting the Wildfire Sensor, scan the Device ID using the Deployment app to register the Sensor and provide its GPS location with the Silvanet Cloud.
Install Wildfire Sensors using treenails or garden wire, then let them calibrate for 14 days before they are ready to detect fires.
Wildfire Sensors require 14 days after deployment to be calibrated to the environment. During this time the they do not provide useful data.
Wildfire Sensors require time to stabilize depending on the type of activity it has encountered.
The Wildfire Sensor must be mounted correctly to ensure its solar panel has sufficient illumination to charge it superconductors and to reliably connect to Mesh Gateways.
Warnings
Practice safety first
Keep safety foremost when attaching sensors to trees. Make sure the ladder is stable when leaned against the tree, especially when leaned against thinner trees. Have the second person hold it to stabilize it while climbing the ladder.
Let the sensor calibrate after installation
After a sensor has been deployed and calibrated, do not interact with the sensor as this may cause errors with sensor values and could reset the sensor calibration.
AFTER SENSORS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED, CALIBRATED AND SETTLED, DO NOT INTERACT WITH THE SENSORS IN ANY WAY.
Select a healthy tree
When locating a tree on which to install a sensor, look for indications that the tree may be in poor health. Also ensure the tree is not planned to be cut down or in any way unlikely to survive for the duration of the lifetime of a sensor. Find another tree within the designated radius (20m) of the planned location.
Average time to install a sensor
The average time to install sensors is about a half-hour per sensor. This includes finding the tree, setting up the ladder, scanning the QR Code, installing the sensor, then heading to the next deployment location.
Plan for a day's device deployment. Ensure you have brought sufficient sensors, treenails, spacers (and garden wire, if required) for the day's installation plans.
Deployment overview
Ensure correct range
1 km to nearest Mesh Gateway:
Ensure a Mesh Gateway is within range, which is no further than 1 km from the Wildfire Sensor.
Sensor density
WUI: 0.7/ha to 0.1/ha
Based on WUI (Wildland Urban Interface), Dryad recommends 0.7/ha sensors for a dense WUI and 0.1/ha sensors for a sparse WUI. Spacing between sensors should be 80 m to 100 m for areas of high human activity, 400 m to 500 m for areas of low human activity.
Mount Wildfire Sensor correctly
Select a healthy, stable tree:
The tree should be closest to the GPS coordinates set for a sensor using the Silvanet Deployment app. Also, ensure the tree is healthy and not likely to fall over or be harvested.
Above 3 m above forest floor:
Install the sensor on the tree approximately 3 meters above the level of the forest floor. At this height, the device is most sensitive to fire detection and obtains an increased amount of light on its solar cell. Furthermore, at this height it avoids disturbances from most human and animal interactions.
Towards sun (at noon):
The sensor needs to be oriented towards the direction of the sun (where it would be at 12:00 noon).
Use a compass to identify true South (in the northern hemisphere) or true North (in the southern hemisphere). This maximizes the amount of light that hits the solar panel.
Use the spacer correctly:
A 2 cm spacer is provided to deploy the sensor slightly away from the trunk of the tree. This avoids direct contact with the tree and allows tree sap to flow down the tree behind the sensor.
The spacer also helps keep the sensor away from the moisture in the tree. Furthermore, the spacer allows the sensor to hang vertically rather than laying directly against the bark of the tree which could cause it to tilt at an angle. Also, hanging the sensor vertically improves the radio range of the device.
Planned:
The location of the sensor has been defined but has not been deployed.
Deployed:
Sensor is deployed but not yet connected to the Silvanet Cloud.
Calibrating:
Sensor is currently within the 14 day Calibration period and has not finished calibrating.
Active:
Sensor is connected to the Silvanet Mesh Network and is sending/receiving data.
Monitor:
Sensor has not sent data to the Silvanet Cloud within the last 6 to 12 hours.
Inactive:
Sensor has not sent data for more than 12 hours. Sensor not connected to Border Gateway, superconductors are drained or other issues.
Fire Detected:
Sensor has detected a fire and has sent a Fire alert to the Silvanet Cloud.
Planned:
The location of the Mesh Gateway has been defined but not yet deployed.
Deployed:
The Mesh Gateway is deployed but is not yet connected to the Silvanet Cloud.
Active:
Mesh Gateway is connected to the Silvanet Cloud and is forwarding messages on from sensors or other Gateways.
Monitor:
Mesh Gateway has not sent data to the Silvanet Cloud within the last 6 to 12 hours.
Inactive:
Mesh Gateway has not sent data to the Silvanet Cloud for 12 hours.
Planned:
The location of the Border Gateway has been defined but not yet deployed.
Deployed:
The Border Gateway is deployed but not yet connected to the Silvanet Cloud.
Active:
Border Gateway is connected to the Silvanet Cloud and is sending/receiving messages.
Monitor:
Border Gateway has not sent data to the Silvanet Cloud within the last 6 to 12 hours.
Inactive:
Border Gateway has not sent data to the Silvanet Cloud for 12 hours.
Chandler Burning Index (CBI)
The Chandler Burning Index is a metric used to assess fire danger severity based on temperature and humidity. The higher the value, the greater the fire risk.
Formula
The CBI is calculated using the following formula:
Low (CBI < 50): Fires are unlikely to spread rapidly. Spotting is rare.
Moderate (CBI 50–75): Fires can start from most causes and may spread briskly in grasslands.
High (CBI 75–90): Fires start easily and spread quickly, especially in dry areas.
Very High (CBI 90–97.5): Fires ignite and spread rapidly; spotting is common.
Extreme (CBI > 97.5): Fires start instantly, spread uncontrollably, and are highly dangerous.
Use in Wildfire Management
CBI values help guide firefighting readiness, public warnings, and resource deployment. By monitoring changes in relative humidity and temperature, fire agencies can better assess short-term fire risks and adjust alert levels accordingly.
The CBI is particularly useful for:
Determining burn bans and fire restrictions based on elevated fire danger.
Supporting decisions on allocating aerial and ground firefighting resources.
Issuing public fire danger warnings via signage or media during high-risk periods.
Assisting land managers in assessing the safety of prescribed burns and controlled fire operations.
Its simplicity and reliance on widely available weather parameters make the CBI especially practical for regions without access to more complex fire modeling tools. However, for comprehensive risk management, it is often used in combination with other indices and local knowledge.
Limitations of CBI
While effective, the CBI does not account for wind, fuel moisture, or fuel load. Integrating it with other tools and local knowledge can improve decision-making.
Sources and References
Declaration of Conformity (EU)
CE Radiation Exposure Statement
This equipment should be installed and operated with a minimum distance of 24 cm between the radiator and your body. EU Compliance
CE Operating Bands and Maximum Output Power
Equipment
Model
PoE Layout
Cellular (WWAN)
Satellite
Silvanet Border Gateway
SBG-2
With
With
With
Silvanet Mesh Gateway
SMG-2
Without
Without
Without
LoRa
Bands
Gain (dBi)
Power (dBm)
EIRP (dBm)
M
5
11.02
16.02
N
5
10.65
15.65
P
5
19.30
24.30
2G
Bands
Gain (dBi)
Power (dBm)
EIRP (dBm)
900
-0.03
35
34.97
1800
2.45
35
37.45
LTE Cat-M1 (eMTC)
Bands
Gain (dBi)
Power (dBm)
EIRP (dBm)
B1
1.38
25.70
27.08
B3
2.45
25.70
28.15
B8
-0.03
25.70
25.67
B20
-0.4
25.70
25.30
B28
-0.25
25.70
25.45
LTE Cat-NB1 (NB-IoT)
Bands
Gain (dBi)
Power (dBm)
EIRP (dBm)
B1
1.38
25.70
27.08
B3
2.45
25.70
28.15
B8
-0.03
25.70
25.67
B20
-0.4
25.70
25.30
B28
-0.25
25.70
25.45
Referred to Article 10(9), CE simplified EU declaration of conformity.
USA Compliance
FCC Statement
This device complies with Part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
(1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference in a residential installation. This equipment generates, uses and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instructions, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. However, there is no guarantee that interference will not occur in a particular installation. If this equipment does cause harmful interference to radio or television reception, which can be determined by turning the equipment off and on, the user is encouraged to try to correct the interference by one or more of the following measures:
Reorient or relocate the receiving antenna.
Increase the separation between the equipment and receiver.
Connect the equipment into an outlet on a circuit different from that to which the receiver is connected.
Consult the dealer or an experienced radio/TV technician for help.
This device and its antenna(s) must not be co-located or operating in conjunction with any other antenna or transmitter.
FCC Radiation Exposure Statement
This equipment complies with FCC radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 23cm between the radiator and your body.
FCC Caution
Any changes or modifications not expressly approved by the party responsible for compliance could void the user's authority to operate this equipment.
Canada Compliance
This Class B digital apparatus complies with Canadian ICES-003.
Cet appareil numérique de la classe B est conforme à la norme NMB-003 du Canada.
ISED Statement
This device contains licence-exempt transmitter(s)/receiver(s) that comply with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada’s licence-exempt RSS(s). Operation is subject to the following two conditions:
This device may not cause interference.
This device must accept any interference, including interference that may cause undesired operation of the device.
The transmitter module may not be co-located with any other transmitter or antenna.
L’émetteur/récepteur exempt de licence contenu dans le présent appareil est conforme aux CNR d’Innovation, Sciences et Développement économique Canada applicables aux appareils radio exempts de licence. L’exploitation est autorisée aux deux conditions suivantes :
L’appareil ne doit pas produire de brouillage;
L’appareil doit accepter tout brouillage radioélectrique subi, même si le brouillage est susceptible d’en compromettre le fonctionnement.
Le module émetteur peut ne pas être coïmplanté avec un autre émetteur ou antenne.
ISED Radiation Exposure Statement
This equipment complies with ISED RSS-102 radiation exposure limits set forth for an uncontrolled environment. This equipment should be installed and operated with minimum distance 34cm between the radiator and your body.
Cet équipement est conforme aux limites d’exposition aux rayonnements IC établies pour un environnement non contrôlé. Cet équipement doit être installé et utilisé avec un minimum de 34cm de distance entre la source de rayonnement et votre corps.
CB safety statement
This product is intended to be supplied by a Listed PoE Adapter marked “L.P.S.” (or Limited Power Source or PS2) rated 36-57V DC, 0.3A minimum, maximum altitude during operation below 5000m. For more information regarding approved power sources, please contact Dryad Networks GmbH.
Firmware updates (FUOTA)
Dryad updates firmware in Silvanet Devices using FUOTA (Firmware Update Over the Air). Update times vary depending on device energy levels and communication strength between devices.
About FUOTA
FUOTA is a standard for distributing firmware updates to many devices as the same time in an efficient and secure manner.
Overview
When the firmware needs updating, Dryad Engineering uses FUOTA (Firmware Update Over The Air) to send updates simultaneously to specific Silvanet devices in a Site from the Silvanet Cloud.
FUOTA uses Multicast as it is the most efficient and secure method to update a Site's firmware. During an update, the LoRaWAN Network Protocol is temporarily switched to allow two-way communication. Firmware is then updated using a chunked image transfer (no compression).
Updates are sent in data packets of a restricted size and then are reconstituted in the Silvanet devices before an update is done.
Border Gateways:
If the firmware in Silvanet Border Gateways require updating, Dryad sends a command for the Silvanet Cloud to update Border Gateways.
Mesh Gateways:
If the firmware in Mesh Gateways require updating, Dryad sends a command for the Border Gateway(s) to update the Mesh Gateways.
Wildfire Sensors:
If the firmware in Wildfire Sensors require updating, Dryad sends a command for either Border Gateways or Mesh Gateways to update the Wildfire Sensors.
About updating Border Gateways
When Silvanet Border Gateways require firmware updates, large file transfers are successfully made securely and reliably even with eventual interruptions of power supply and, consequently, sensor operation.
Scheduling FUOTA
The Wildfire Sensors come with a factory install of firmware. If this version of the firmware is not the latest, Dryad engineering checks the current firmware version and updates are scheduled, sometimes during the Calibration phase of the Sensors.
Notifications
Dryad engineering notifies the customer before performing any firmware updates to a Silvanet deployment.
Update times
The update times vary depending on a number of factors.
Number and type of Silvanet devices to be updated.
To cope with low power and the various regional regulatory requirements, both the downlink fragment size as well as the periodicity are highly configurable allowing for stretching a FUOTA process to a week or more.
Sensor density
Plan for variable sensor density based on the level of human activity in or near Sites.
Sensor density per hectare is based on:
By determining these factors, you can approximate the density values per hectare (Metric) or acre (Imperial).
Using this approach of variable density (low and high sensor density), you can reduce the overall cost of deploying the Silvanet System in the Site while maintaining good wildfire detection.
Human activity level
Locations with high human activity require dense deployment of sensors. These include Sites that have hiking paths, campsites, roads, railroad tracks, wooden bridges, poles and power line towers, residential housing and other types of buildings. Low human activity areas include deep within forested areas, hillsides or hard to access locations.
The following table shows the recommended sensor density values.
Human Activity
Density type
Distance between sensors
Density value
High
Dense deployment in high-risk areas.
80 m to 100 m
0.7/ha
Low
Sparse deployment in remote locations.
400 m to 500 m
0.1/ha
Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)
A Wildland Urban Interface (WUI) is defined as areas of a forest where wildland and urban areas intersect. It is the line, area or zone where structures and other human development meet or interspersed with undeveloped wildland or vegetative fuels.
Wildland Urban Interface
Packet editor
Packets editor allows you to make modifications to Packets prepared by the Planning tool. Packets can be added or deleted as required.
Packet planning guidelines
Consider the following guidelines when planning where to place devices on the Map in the Site Management app:
Editing Packets
Prepared Packets can be edited to change the Packet's devices or locations. A Packet can also be deleted.
Add new Packet
Packets are prepared using the Packet Planning page which displays any previously prepared Packets.
No map displayed?
If no Packet has been prepared, a blank area appears in the Map area. If devices have already been deployed to this Site, a map of the Site and the number of currently active gateways and sensors appears.
In the _Dashboard of the Site, select from the ellipsis menu (upper-right corner) the Packet editor. Any existing Packets appear in the editor.
Select + Add Packet to open the Create Packet page. A default location should be shown in the embedded map.
Provide a unique name for the Packet in the Packet name field, then select Add devices to packet.
After adding a new Packet, find the Site location by centering the map on the Site location using the Search field.
Use the Map tools (zoom in or out, move the map) to find the geographical area (Site location) where the devices in the Packet are to be deployed.
Ensure you have enabled Location services on the Laptop or PC running the Silvanet Site Management app, otherwise no Map appears.
Border and Mesh Gateways
Add Gateways
On the Packet Planning page, select Add devices to packet.
From the Device Type dropdown menu, select Border Gateway and enter the number of Border Gateways. Then, select Add.
Repeat the same procedure for Mesh Gateways.
Select Save to save the Packet (you may need to scroll down to see the Save button).
Packets can be saved without placing devices
If the approximate location of the Border Gateway(s) is not known beforehand, you can save the Packet by selecting Save.
Place Gateways on map
Placing Border Gateways on the map generates the GPS location for each Border Gateway. Ensure the map is centered on your Site location.
Use full screen mode
You can switch to full screen mode to view a larger map.
Select the Gateway(s), then select Add devices to map.
The Gateway(s) appears on the map as icons centered in the view.
Drag the Gateway icons to the approximate location of the planned deployment. The GPS coordinates appear next to the device in the list.
Select Save to save the Packet (you may need to scroll down to see the Save button).
Select Back to go the Packet Planning page.
Wildfire Sensors
Add Wildfire Sensors
Multiple Packets
You can create multiple Packets where each Packet contains sufficient sensors for a day's deployment activity. More Packets can be added as required.
On the Packet Planning page, select Add devices to packet.Select Add devices to packet and select Sensor.
From the Device Type dropdown menu, select Sensor and enter the number of Sensors. Then, select Add.
Select Save to save the Packet.
Place Sensors on map
Placing sensors on the map generates the GPS location for each sensor. Ensure the map is centered on your Site location. Ensure you follow the guidelines in Device Ratio and Ranges and Sensor density when placing the sensors.
Do not place sensors near paths or streets
Plan for sensors to be deployed away from paths or streets. Place the sensors a meter or so away from a path or street to prevent the device from damage due to vandalism.
You can view the map in full screen mode for easier placement. Use the standard map tools to move around the map. Distances between the three nearest sensors and the nearest gateway appear when an icon is selected.
Select the sensors, then select Place on map. The sensors appear on the map in a default location in the center. The GPS coordinates of the sensors appear in the list next to the devices.
Drag the sensor icons to their respective deployment locations. When selecting a sensor icon, the distance between the Wildfire Sensor and the nearest devices and Gateway are highlighted
Select Save to save the Packet
Select Back to go the Packet Planning page.
Completed Packets
When the required number and type of Packets have been prepared, the new Packets appears in the Packet Planning page and in the Silvanet Deployment app.
Silvanet Deployment app and Packets
New Packets are automatically accessible in the Silvanet Deployment app to all users who have access to the Site. In the Silvanet Deployment app, a user can browse through all Packets prepared for a Site and select the Packet that a team is ready to deploy.
Edit a Packet
The Packet Planning page allows for a Packet to be modified such as deleting a device from a Packet.
Open the Packet editor from the ellipsis menu in the Site Dashboard.
Select a Packet, then select the Pencil (Edit) icon to open the Packet in Edit mode.
From the list of devices, select the devices to be edited.
To update GPS coordinates of a device, select the Pencil icon next to the device, make changes to the Latitude and Longitude, then save the changes.
To delete a Sensor or Gateway, select the device then selecting Remove.
This only removes the Sensor from the Packet. If a
Select Save to save the changes. A Packet saved message appears.
Deleting a Sensor or Gateway from Packets
If a Silvanet device has already been deployed, deleting a Silvanet device from a Packet does not delete the device from the Dryad database. Contact Dryad for more information.
Delete a Packet
If required, a Packet can be deleted from the Site Management app.
Deleting a device only removes it from the Packet
Open the Packet planning page in the Site Management app.
Select a Packet, then select the Trash (delete) icon.
Confirm the deletion.
Select Save to save the changes.
Deleting a Packet cannot be undone
Once a Packet has been deleted, it cannot be undone.
User access
Access the Site Management app (dryad.app) with user credentials provided by an Admin user.
User role
Login to dryad.app
After logging in, the user is required to change their password.
Recommended Browser
The Site Management app works in all browsers. However, Dryad recommends using Google Chrome to access the Site Management app.
Before logging in, you must be provided with login credentials
In the form, enter your username and password provided to you by Dryad, then select Sign In.
If this is your first log in, you are required to change your password. You cannot change your username.
Enter a new password in the Update Password form, then select Submit.
The Dashboard Overview appears.
Logout
To logout of the Site Management app, select the User Profile icon and from the dropdown menu, select Logout.
Mount Border Gateway (Gen 3)
The Gen 3 Border Gateway provides two solar panels and can be mounted to either a healthy tree or a stable metal/wooden pole.
Deployment scenarios
The Gen 3 Border Gateway can be deployed using the supplied PoE (Power over Ethernet) to connect to a mains power supply. The solar panels must be connected to the Border Gateway.
The Gen 3 Border Gateway can also be deployed using solar panels only without use of the PoE.
Orientation of Border Gateway and solar panels
The Border Gateway can be oriented to optimize connectivity to the Silvanet Mesh Network, while the solar panels can be oriented towards the sun (as it would be at 12:00 noon).
Mount to metal/wood poles
If a 60 mm (2.3 inch) wooden or metal pole is available, use the provided U-Clamps to attach the Border Gateway and solar panels to the pole.
Prepare U-Clamps:
Place the U-Clamps around the pole, through the mounting bracket and hand tighten the bolts to the U-Clamps.
Tighten U-Clamps:
After placing the mounting bracket at the correct location on the pole, use the 17 mm wrench to tighten the nuts. Do not use excessive force to prevent damage to the mounting bracket.
Repeat for solar panel brackets:
Repeat these steps for the two solar panel mounting brackets. The mounting bracket for the Border Gateway can face the Silvanet Mesh Network while the solar panels can be directed towards the sun at 12:00 noon.
Mount Border Gateway and solar panel to brackets:
Clip the Border Gateway and solar panels to the brackets. You can use locks to secure the devices to the brackets.
Attach cables to Border Gateway:
Connect the solar panels to the Border Gateway using the supplies cables.
(Optionally) Use PoE to provide power:
If a mains power supply is available, connect the PoE Injector to the mains.
Mount to trees
If the Border Gateway is attached to tree, the tree must be stable, healthy and and unlikely to be removed. It should survive most typical wind storms.
Find a mounting location at least 3 m above forest floor:
Once a tree has been selected, use a safety strap to hold the ladder to the tree. Then, with an assistant stabilizing the ladder at the bottom locate a position on the tree that is approximately 3 m above forest floor.
Prepare mounting areas:
For the Border Gateway and solar panels, remove any branches and other obstructions at the deployment height. This allows the solar panel to have good irradiation from the sun to charge the device. Carefully remove a small portion of the bark with an axe or chisel where the holes in the tree will be drilled. This allows the gateway to hang vertically on the tree.
Drill two holes 70 mm apart for top loops:
With a distance between the holes at 70 mm, drill approximately 6-7 cm (2 1/5 inches) into the tree for the top loops of the mounting brackets. Ensure you do not split the tree or drill on an angle. Use the 10mm drill bit.
Drill a pilot hole
When drilling into a tree, first drill a pilot hole using a small drill bit (1/4 inch / 6mm) then drill the final hole with the 10mm drill bit. Also, ensure you are using a drill bit for wood. This ensures the wood in the tree does not split.
Hammer the top treenails into the tree:
Carefully hammer the treenails through the top loops of the mounting brackets.
Drill the bottom holes:
With the mounting brackets attached at the top, carefully drill the bottom two holes using the lower holes as templates. Be careful not to damage the bracket while doing so. Also, use a drill bit with a sufficient length to ensure the holes are at the correct depth.
Hammer the bottom treenails into the tree:
Carefully hammer the treenails through the bottom loops into the tree. Check to ensure the mounting bracket is securely attached to the tree and cannot move.
Attach the devices to the mounting brackets:
Clip the Border Gateway and solar panels to the brackets. You can use locks to secure the devices to the brackets.
Connect the cables:
Connect the solar panels to the Border Gateway using the supplies cables.
(Optionally) Use PoE to provide power:
If a mains power supply is available, connect the PoE Injector to the mains.
Next steps
After mounting the Border Gateway and providing it with a power supply, allow the superconductors to fully charge.
See Also
Mesh Gateway Connectivity Test
Start the connectivity test to ensure the Mesh Gateway has connectivity to the Border Gateway or neighboring Mesh Gateways.
Run Connectivity Test
Use the Deployment app to begin the Connectivity test. This checks if the Mesh Gateway can connect with any neighboring Mesh Gateways or Border Gateways.
After mounting the Mesh Gateway, tap Confirm & Start Connectivity Test.
The Deployment app begins to connect with a Border Gateway.
The Mesh Gateway then runs the connectivity test and attempts to connect to another Mesh Gateway or Border Gateway.
If the Mesh Gateway could connect, a success message appears. You can close the dialog and continue deploying the next device or tap Show Device Details.
The Device Details screen appears. You can add additional information in the Notes field such as relevant details about the deployment location.
Troubleshooting errors
Border Gateway not reachable
If the Silvanet Cloud could not reach the Border Gateway, troubleshooting information is provided.
If the Border Gateway could not be reached, the following dialog appears.
Signal too weak from neighboring gateways
If the Mesh Gateway could reach another Mesh Gateway but the signal is too weak, troubleshooting information is provided.
If the Device connectivity is too low, the following dialog appears.
You can close the dialog and after troubleshooting. To return to this screen, tap the Mesh Gateway icon on the map.
Check the following to troubleshoot connectivity:
Check device orientation:
Make sure the Mesh Gateway is oriented towards the sun at 12:00 noon (northern/southern hemisphere). After confirming it is oriented in the correct direction, retry the Connectivity Test.
Wait for the device to be charged:
If the superconductors in the device discharged during transit or were stored in a box or backpack, it can take some time to charge the superconductors and switch on. Give the device at least a half-day to charge then retry the Connectivity Test.
Find another location:
If after confirming the device is oriented properly and is charged, the Mesh Gateway may be deployed too far away from the neighboring gateways. Move the device 60m (200ft) closer to an active gateway using the network map, then restart the Connectivity Test.
After troubleshooting, tap Confirm & Restart Connectivity Test.
Restart Connectivity Test
If you had closed the dialog, the Device Details screen appears showing the current status of the Test.
Tap the circular arrow to restart the Connectivity Test.
If you have moved the Mesh Gateway to a new location, tap Reset Device to Current Location. If the Mesh Gateway is still in the same location, tap Keep Device Original Location.
Mesh Gateway not reachable
Next Steps
With the Mesh Gateway now connected to the Silvanet Cloud, go ahead and continue mounting the remaining Mesh Gateways in the deployment plan.
Hereby, Dryad Networks GmbH declares that the radio equipment type 1. Silvanet Border Gateway, SBG-2; 2. Silvanet Mesh Gateway, SMG-2 are in compliance with Directive 2014/53/EU. The full text of the EU declaration of conformity is available at the following address:
FCC Company contact details Name: Dryad Networks GmbH Contact:
The Silvanet Cloud uses which supports FUOTA. Updating Wildfire Sensors use End-to-End 128-bit AES encryption.
Connectivity strength between the Silvanet Wildfire Sensors and Mesh Gateways or between Mesh/Border Gateways. For more information, see .
Full or charging status of a Silvanet device, which reflects the supercapacitor energy storage levels (high vs low energy storage). For more information, see .
in specific areas of the forest
(Wildland Urban Interfaces) in the site
WUI as defined by the as the zone of transition between unoccupied land and human development.
A broader term is Wildland Industrial Interface (See ) where industrial infrastructure such as roads, power lines and railways intermingles with wildland fuels.
Sensor density:
The density of sensors in areas of a Site is based on the human activity in an area and the topology of the forest floor. See
Density per hectare:
This is related to sensor density, except that in this case you need to know where in the forest is the (WUI) and where are the deep forest areas.
Device ratio:
Ensure sufficient Mesh Gateways are deployed for the number of sensors deployed. Similarly, ensure at least one Border Gateway and possibly a backup Border Gateway is deployed based on the amount of Mesh Gateways deployed. See .
Device range:
Ensure sensors are deployed within range of at least one Mesh Gateway. See .
Log in to and from the Sites dashboard, select open a Site.
Before adding Wildfire Sensor, review the .
If a device has not been deployed, it can be removed from the Packet. However, once a device has been deployed, removing a device requires sending a request to Dryad to remove the device from the Site database. In this case, send a to Dryad with the Device IDs of the devices you have removed from your Site.
Enter the app URL . The login page appears.
The Border Gateway must be registered before the Border Gateway has been mounted. If this step has not been followed, see .
With the Border Gateway mounted and powered, run the to ensure the Border Gateway connects with the Silvanet Cloud.
For details, see .
The Mesh Gateway must be registered before the Border Gateway has been mounted. If this step has not been followed, see .
Review the information provided in for troubleshooting information.
If the Silvanet Cloud cannot reach the Mesh Gateway you are deploying, use the same troubleshooting steps as described in .
Wildfire Sensors require time to stabilize depending on the type of activity it has encountered.
Data during stabilization periods
While the Wildfire Sensor is stabilizing, it does not provide any accurate or usable values.
After testing air quality - 30 to 60 minutes to stabilize
After a Wildfire Sensor runs internal gas scans to test air quality, the sensor needs approximately 30 to 60 minutes to be ready to detect fires (stabilize).
This stabilization period allows for the dissipation of any smoke retained inside the sensor mesh (a small pot with a mesh cover used by the gas sensor). Ideally, the longer the wait, the more time the smoke has to dissipate.
After Sensor interactions - 5 days to stabilize
Interactions cause the Wildfire Sensor to repeat of the calibration process, but not a complete 14-day recalibration. This type of recalibration takes at least 5 days.
This includes, but not exclusively, the following types of interactions:
Touching the sensors, such as adjusting the angle of the sensor or attempting to pull it off the tree
Moving the sensors to another tree or to another location on the tree
Animals or humans breathing directly on the Wildfire Sensors.
Exhaust from vehicles (especially diesel trucks).
Bringing any source of VOC near the sensor such as cigarettes or fumes from running machinery.
Mounting the Wildfire Sensor at 3 meters height
Attaching the Wildfire Sensor to the tree or pole at least 3 m above the forest floor can prevent intentional or inadvertent interactions. If it is moved to a new location, it automatically runs the calibration process again (for 5 days).
Run test fires
Carefully follow the steps described in this topic to run test fires.
Inform the fire department of your tests
Contact the local fire department / authorities and clarify whether you are allowed to make a test fire.
Use a proper fire pit
A BBQ may not provide the appropriate level of smoke, nor duration.
Avoid contact with Sensors after deployment
AFTER SENSORS HAVE BEEN DEPLOYED AND CALIBRATED, DO NOT INTERACT WITH THE SENSORS AS THIS WILL CAUSE ERRORS WITH SENSOR VALUES AND COULD ALSO RESET THE SENSOR CALIBRATION.
Do not use artificial fire lighter
Do not use any artificial fire lighter as these have a different chemical composition and set free other burning gasses that can create false measurements from the sensors.
Ensure the fire sends out smoke not sparks
Ensure the fire does not send out sparks and that it consists mostly of smoke due to the burning needles. Ensure the fire is generating smoke rather than having a burning camp-fire style fire.
Extinguish the fire after running the fire test
Take precautions and make sure you can extinguish the fire. Do not leave hot ash in the forest. Also, as a precaution, have sufficient water available to be able to extinguish the fire after the test.
Test fire guidelines
Inform local fire department
Before burning the test fire, ensure the local Fire Department and relevant authorities are notified of the test fire. Also, ensure a test fire is permitted.
Use a realistic test location
A parking lot, work yard or an urban area may not be the best location for a setup although it may be convenient. The results of a test in those type of locations would not be very useful. For example, under a forest canopy, wind behavior is different from wind behavior in an open area such as a work yard.
Because wildfire smoke behaves differently in different locations, select a location that is realistic and reflects the final deployment environment.
To reflect conditions of real wildfires, the test fire should not diminish as the test runs, nor should the test fire resemble a BBQ fire.
As the wind direction cannot be controlled, provide sufficient time for smoke from the test fire to hit one or more Wildfire Sensors.
Use homogeneous material
Use a collection of homogeneous plant material (uniform in size and composition) for the test fire. Material should be of various sizes all of which are fast-burning branches or twigs but not logs.
Review the requirements for plant material in the following table.
Run test fire
Record weight of material
Record the weight and type of material you plan on burning. You need this information for any follow up tests to ensure you consistently use the same weight and type of material for each test fire.
Record the type of material you plan on burning.
Record the weight of the material you plan on burning for the duration of this test fire, including the material you plan on adding to keep the fire burning.
Prepare the fire pit
Use a metal fire pit with a diameter of approximately 1 m and place it in the middle of the deployed sensors. Use material similar to the forest material to make the smoke realistic.
Start the fire
Start the test fire by igniting small, dry branches and slowly grow the fire.
Ensure test fire burns for at least 30 minutes
Burn the fire for approximately 30 minutes by using small branches to keep the fire going. Constantly feed the fire by adding fresh material such as smaller branches with needles on top of the fire.
Sensors need 1-5 min of smoke exposure to trigger a fire detection process. Visually confirm smoke from the fire reaches the sensors.
Normally, detection time is within minutes (less than 1 hour from ignition). This is dependent on fuel volume, wind speed and wind direction. A denser deployment will decrease the time to detection and detection rate.
Fire alerts
The expected time between the ignition of the fire and receiving a fire alert should be within minutes. You should expect a fire alert in the Site Management app and receive a fire alert email.
A fire alert icon appears in the map for the Site displaying the fire's location. Open the details of the fire by clicking the fire alert Icon.
Record the results
During and after the test, document the results of the test. It should include the following information:
Distance of the fire pit to the Sensor(s) that triggered a fire alert.
Weight of the amount of material used for the duration of the test fire, including the material added to the fire during the burn.
Duration of the burn.
Visual confirmation of smoke hitting the sensors (ideally as a video).
The test conditions must be documented precisely. For example, document the wind direction, wind speed, changing winds and other environmental conditions which allow for an accurate evaluation of the reaction of the sensors.
Record the test fire
Take videos and/or pictures of the fire during the test. They are useful during troubleshooting. The results are useful for creating and updating the ML model with data from real-world tests.
Ensure fire is completely extinguished
Ensure the fire is completely extinguished. Look for any embers under the burnt material.
Do not let any embers escape the fire pit/bowl and ignite the surrounding ground material.
Completely extinguish the fire
Ensure that the burnt material has been put out thoroughly and there are no hidden embers. This is to avoid a fire unintentionally starting.
Repeat fire tests (optional)
Repeating a fire test can be done but we highly recommend leaving a 4-hour time gap between fire tests.
Wait 24 hours
For best results leave the sensors alone in the forest. Do not have vehicles nearby or anything that interacts with the sensors and then wait 24 hours before running another test.
Allow Wildfire Sensors to stabilize
For best results leave the sensors alone in the forest. Do not have vehicles nearby or anything that interacts with the sensors.
New location - 5 days: Any time the Wildfire Sensors are moved, they need at least 5 days to stabilize (recalibrate) in their new locations. Do not move them prior to testing.
Same location - 30 to 60 minutes: If the locations remain the same but another aspect of the test is modified, allow 30-60 minutes for the Wildfire Sensors to settle (return to ready state). Ideally, wait 24 hours before running another test, if possible.
Allow 1 hour gap between fire tests
When performing fire tests using the same setup, repeatedly lighting a fire and checking the response in short time interval (less than 1 hour) results in poor Wildfire Sensor performance.
The sensor needs a 1-hour time window to settle and restore fire detection sensitivity.
Modify fire setups
You can adjust the distances between Sensors, the placement of the fire pit or other modifications.
When the Wildfire Sensor's internal Bosch gas sensor detects , it performs a set of gas scans to determine the type of VOC. After these gas scans are complete, it begins to stabilize and return to normal values.
You can use the of the Silvanet Management app to find the ideal location for the test fire.
Collect between 5 and 10 kg of plant material similar to the final deployment location, including smaller and bigger twigs, leaves as well as freshly cut and previously dried branches with needles.
Use leaves and needles create smoke
To create smoke, ensure leaves or needles are still on the branches.
Ensure material is dried and stored
Dry out in advance the collected material and store them in a cool, dry location. Use the 14 day duration of the calibration period to allow the material to dry out and be ready for burning.
Weigh material
Weigh the material before placing it on the fire pit. This ensures the same amount of material is used for any subsequent test fire.
Prepare enough material for a 30-minute burn
Collect sufficient material to keep the fire burning for up to 30 minutes.
Possible solutions to Silvanet Gateway and Sensor alerts and warnings.
Messages can be alerts, warnings or notifications.
Icon
Message type
Description
Alert
The Silvanet device requires immediate action to resolve the underlying issues.
Warning
The Silvanet device is not performing optimally. The underlying issue should be resolved, but the device is still functioning normally.
Notification
No user-actionable resolution required. Information only.
Alerts require your immediate attention. The device is not functioning properly. it is necessary to resolve the underlying issues as soon as possible to ensure continued monitoring.
Alerts need to be immediately resolved to ensure continued monitoring.
Ensure the Silvanet device has been deployed within its maximum range. Possible solutions include adding a Mesh Gateway or moving the Mesh Gateway closer to the sensors that are out of range.
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Ensure a feature of Site topology is not preventing or hindering transmitting signals. This could be rocks or hill, a newly installed structure, or anything that might hinder a reliable connection.
Possible solutions include adding a Mesh Gateway to the Mesh Network or deploying the Mesh Gateway higher on the tree.
Ensure each Mesh Gateway is connected to two or more other Gateways (Mesh or Border). This ensures redundancy should one of the Mesh Gateways needs charging.
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Issue: Device not charging for 72 hours
Problem: The device not charging as expected for 72 hours
Resolution: Check power source, obstructions, damage, mounting
Border Gateway not charging.
Possible solutions:
If the solar panel(s) are the only power source, ensure it is charging the Border Gateway.
If not, possible solutions include:
Ensure the solar panel is still connected to the Border Gateway.
Inspect the solar panel to determine if it has been vandalized or tampered with.
Ensure the solar panel has been installed correctly (facing towards the sun at noon, no obstructions).
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
If PoE is used, ensure the Border Gateway has a power supply from a mains source.
If not, possible solutions include:
Ensure the power supply has not been turned off or disconnected.
Ensure the PoE has not been disconnected from the Border Gateway.
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Mesh Gateway not charging.
Possible solutions:
If the Mesh Gateway's solar panel is not charging the device, possible solutions include:
Ensure the solar panel is not obstructed by an overhanging branch or new growth on the tree.
Ensure the solar panel is not obstructed by a new structure blocking access to sunlight.
Inspect the solar panel for damage or vandalization.
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
If the solar panel has no obstructions, check the device's mounting position:
Ensure the Mesh Gateway is mounted at least 3 meters above the forest floor, or higher.
Ensure the Mesh Gateway has been installed correctly (facing towards the sun at 12:00 noon).
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Wildfire Sensor not charging.
Possible solutions:
Ensure the Wildfire Sensor is not obstructed by overhanging branches or new growth on the tree.
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Ensure the Wildfire Sensor has been correctly mounted (facing the sun at 12:00 noon).
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Inspect the Wildfire Sensor for vandalism or damage, especially the device's solar panel.
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Issue: Device not reachable
Problem: Silvanet Cloud could not reach device for 24 hours
For the last 24 hours, the Silvanet Cloud has been unable to reach the device. Resolve this issue immediately to ensure reliable environmental monitoring.
Firmware updates cannot be performed. If the problem persists, contact Customer Support.
Check if the device has been properly mounted on a tree or pole (solar panel facing towards the sun at 12:00 noon).
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
Inspect the device to ensure it has not been vandalized or damaged.
This may require visiting the Site to visually inspect the device.
The underlying issues that triggered warnings need to be resolved as soon as possible.
Issue: Connectivity not optimal
Problem: The connectivity strength of this device is not optimal
The connectivity is at two bars of strength. The device's connectivity strength is not optimal, which may affect features such as firmware updates or environmental monitoring.
Resolution: Check range, topology and/or mounting
Even if a device is within the specified range, decreasing the distance between Mesh gateways or between Mesh Gateways and Wildfire Sensors may improve connectivity.
The topology of the deployment Site may interfere with the connectivity strength of a device. Possible solutions include:
Check for obstructions that hinder signal strength such as rocks, hillsides, newly installed structures. If this is the case move the device.
Add another Mesh Gateway to increase connectivity.
Mount the device higher on the tree or pole for better connectivity.
Adding another Mesh Gateway may improve connectivity. This ensures the Wildfire Sensors and other Mesh Gateways are within range.
Issue: Device not charging for 24 hours
Problem: Device not charging as expected for 24 hours
Resolution: Wait 24 hours then check
Issue: Firmware update required
Problem: Device firmware requires updating
Resolution: Dryad Engineering or reseller schedules an update
This issue has been identified, Dryad has been notified and a firmware update has been scheduled. Dryad has been notified and will plan an update to the device's firmware.
Issue: Device in calibration period and not activated
Problem: Wildfire Sensor is still calibrating
Resolution: Wait 14 days to allow the calibration to complete
During the calibration period, the Wildfire Sensor does not send usable data to the Silvanet Cloud.
Notifications indicate issues currently affecting the device but do not require user actions to resolve.
Issue: Device communication pending
Problem: This device is experiencing delays in sending environmental data to the Cloud
Fire detection is still operational.
Resolution: No user-actionable response required
Normal communication should be reestablished soon.
If connectivity remains a problem, this will change to a Warning or Alert, depending on the duration and type of connectivity.
If a Silvanet device has connectivity, charging or other issues, troubleshooting messages are displayed the section of a Site.
Connectivity is at one bar of strength. Resolve the issue as recommended. The device's connectivity strength affect features such as firmware updates or environmental monitoring.
Device not charging for three days (72 hours)
For the last 72 hours, the Silvanet device has not charged or has not fully charged and needs immediate attention to resolve the issue.
Device not reachable due to connectivity and charging issues
If the device has not been charging for an extended period (such as beyond three days), it cannot send a "is alive" message. Refer to .
If the device has inadequate connectivity, refer to .
Warnings
Connectivity not optimal
Charging not optimal
If the device is still not charging after 48 hours and especially after 72 hours, the cause must be resolved immediately. In this case an alert is sent (see above).