MONNIT Wireless Soil Moisture and Temperature Sensor

The MONNIT Wireless Soil Moisture and Temperature Sensor provides remote monitoring of soil water tension and temperature, helping users understand soil conditions and make better-informed irrigation decisions. The sensor can be positioned close to a plant or tree root system so measurements reflect conditions where they are most relevant to plant water uptake.

Its moisture sensing element uses a hydrophilic fabric-covered granular matrix and a resistive measurement method. It measures soil water tension from 0.0 to 240.0 centibar or kPa. The sensor also incorporates a thermistor-based temperature element, with temperature measurements used for monitoring and temperature compensation of the moisture measurement.

The MNS2-4-IN-WS-WM-L05 is the 433 MHz ALTA version, with Monnit specifically listing 433 MHz for Australia and Asia-Pacific. The supplied configuration includes wireless sensor mounting hardware, a pre-installed 3 V industrial battery and a standard dipole SMA antenna.

How it works

• The soil moisture element measures water tension, also known as matric potential, rather than simply measuring volumetric water content.
• A resistive granular matrix sensing element responds to the water tension in the surrounding soil.
• A thermistor measures soil temperature and provides temperature information used with the moisture measurement.
• Measurements are transmitted wirelessly through the ALTA network to an applicable Monnit gateway and iMonnit software.
• If the gateway connection is lost, the sensor can store between 2,000 and 4,000 readings in non-volatile memory for later transmission.

Why choose this product

• Provides remote visibility of soil water tension without requiring users to manually check each measurement point.
• Combines soil water tension and temperature monitoring in one sensor.
• The removable 5 ft lead allows the sensing elements to be positioned separately from the wireless sensor base.
• The sensor uses a granular matrix design intended to provide consistent calibration without requiring recalibration for every installation, according to Monnit's product information.
• Wireless operation can reduce the need for signal cabling between the sensing location and monitoring equipment.

Benefits

• Supports more informed irrigation scheduling by showing changes in soil water tension.
• Helps identify changing soil conditions around crop and plant root zones.
• Provides temperature data alongside soil moisture measurements.
• Local data storage helps retain measurements during temporary gateway communication loss.
• The industrial sensor enclosure is specified as sealed and weatherproof with NEMA 1, 2, 4, 4X, 12 and 13 ratings.