Live deployments

Live deployments use the results of a Pilot deployment to determine the required number of devices for the Site.

Components

A Live deployment typically includes the following devices along with the required deployment accessories:

Sufficient Silvanet Sensors as required by the Deployment Plan.
Sufficient Mesh Gateways based on device ratios. See below.
At least one Border Gateway and preferably several fallback Border Gateways.
Typically, treenails are used to permanently attach the sensors to trees rather than crop wire.

Live deployment guidelines

The scale and scope of the deployment determine the planning parameters. Once these parameters have been determined, the Site Management app is used to plan the deployment and build Packets for users to deploy the devices in the target area of a forest.

Parameter	Description
Site dimensions	The size of the Site in hectares determines the number and type of Silvanet devices to deploy.
Site topology	The topology of deployment area also determines the number of sensors, Mesh Gateways and Border Gateways to be deployed. Hills and rocky areas may affect transmissions between Mesh Gateways, sensors and Border Gateways. Also, vehicular traffic on roadways and lanes may interfere with sensor calibrations. If possible, between the Border Gateway and at least one Mesh Gateway should have a direct line of site.
Human activity	If the Site has a high level of human activity or if it is in a WUI area, this may affect the density of sensor deployments per hectare.
Number of Mesh Gateways	A Pilot deployment uses from 4 to 8 Mesh Gateways for an area of 400 to 500 hectares, depending on the terrain and RF signal propagation conditions. Hilly areas need more Mesh Gateways. Less dense and relatively level forest floors need less Mesh Gateways where 4 should be sufficient.
Border Gateway requirements	We recommend powering the Border Gateway using a reliable power supply and where it can have Ethernet Internet connectivity. It is also possible, but not recommended, to power the Border Gateway using only its solar panel.
Deployment plan	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. Ideally, create one Packet for one day's worth of work for a single team.

Ratio of devices

When planning Live deployments, follow the guidelines for device ratios:

Number of sensors to number of Mesh Gateways should be 100 to 1.
Number of Mesh Gateways to number of Border Gateways should be 20 to 1.

Density guidelines

Follow the guidelines for sensor deployment density:

For areas of high human activity, distance between sensors should be no further than 100 m between devices.
For areas of low human activity, distance between sensors can be from 400 m to 500 m between devices.