How to Select and Install a LoRaWAN Livestock Collar for Cattle and Sheep

A LoRaWAN livestock collar can help farms monitor cattle and sheep across large pastures, mountainous grazing areas and locations with limited cellular coverage. A typical system includes GNSS-enabled collars, LoRaWAN gateways, a network server, a livestock management platform and a mobile application.

Correct product selection and installation are essential for reliable communication, accurate positioning and practical battery life.

What should you consider before purchasing?

1. Regional frequency

LoRaWAN frequency plans vary by country and region, including EU868, US915, AU915, AS923, RU864, IN865 and CN470. The collar, gateway and network server must use compatible frequency and channel configurations.

Always tell the manufacturer where the system will be deployed and confirm compliance with local radio regulations before ordering.

2. Collar size and animal type

Cattle and sheep require different strap dimensions, weights and mechanical strength. A cattle collar should tolerate greater pulling force, while a sheep collar should be lighter and less restrictive.

The strap should be adjustable, leave room for growth and have smooth edges to reduce skin friction. The buckle must be secure but accessible to farm workers.

3. Outdoor protection

The collar may be exposed to rain, mud, dust, sunlight, temperature changes and repeated impact. Check the enclosure, sealing ring, screws, charging connector and strap for outdoor durability. If the device uses solar-assisted charging, the panel should remain exposed to sunlight and be easy to clean.

4. Battery-life calculation

Battery life depends on the location interval, reporting interval, GNSS acquisition time, LoRa transmit power, temperature and battery capacity. A collar reporting every five minutes will consume considerably more energy than one reporting every two hours.

The system should allow different profiles, such as routine monitoring, power-saving mode and temporary emergency tracking.

5. Gateway planning

Actual LoRaWAN range is affected by hills, trees, buildings, antenna height and terrain. Do not determine gateway quantity using only a maximum open-field range.

Install gateways at elevated locations whenever possible and keep antennas away from large metal obstructions. A radio survey is recommended before a large deployment. Gateway backhaul may use Ethernet, 4G or another available connection.

6. Platform capabilities

A practical livestock platform may include:

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  Live location and historical routes;
  
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  Geofence creation and escape alerts;
  
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  Inactivity or unusual-activity alerts;
  
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  Low-battery and offline notifications;
  
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  Animal identification and group management;
  
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  Batch configuration;
  
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  Web, Android and iOS access;
  
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  API integration;
  
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  Multilingual user interfaces.
  

Standard GNSS collars primarily provide location and activity data. Reliable conclusions about health, illness or breeding status require appropriate sensors, validated algorithms and farm-specific evaluation.

How should the collar be installed?

First, register the collar ID, DevEUI, animal ear-tag number and herd group in the platform. Before fitting it to an animal, confirm that the device joins the LoRaWAN network, obtains a valid GNSS position and sends data through the gateway.

Follow the manufacturer’s specified antenna orientation. Avoid placing metal bells or large metal buckles directly over the GNSS or LoRa antenna. If the collar has a solar panel, keep it near the top of the neck and facing the sky.

Adjust the strap so it is neither restrictive nor loose enough to rotate, fall off or catch on branches. Recheck growing calves and young sheep regularly.

Finally, conduct a field test around water points, feeding areas, pasture boundaries and weak-signal zones. Use the results to optimize gateway positions, antenna height and reporting intervals.

Maintenance

Regularly inspect strap wear, enclosure damage, loose fasteners, charging ports and solar-panel cleanliness. Investigate collars that remain offline, consume power unusually fast or produce abnormal tracks.

Geofence alerts are management aids and should not be considered a complete replacement for physical fencing, human inspection or animal-welfare procedures.

Shenzhen Jinshengchang Technology Co., Ltd. can provide LoRaWAN cattle and sheep collars, outdoor gateways, the lora8 tracking platform and OEM/ODM hardware and software customization.