Sensiplicity Soil Sensor Info
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The Sensiplicity soil sensor is a low-cost, high-throughput data gathering tool for plant science.
In addition to measuring soil moisture at multiple depths, it also measures soil temperature at each
moisture pad, ambient temperature, humidity, and light level.

Data and power are carried in RJ-11 (telephone) cables. This type of cable is inexpensive,
simple to connect, and easy to terminate to a custom length. Up to 100 soil sensors can be connected to one
bus, which can be up to 100 ft. long. (The bus length is limited by power requirements; with extra power
injection, the bus can carry data for over 1000 ft.) 

Data from Sensiplicity sensors is captured by a small control box running linux. The controller
includes a web interface for data download and sensor administration. Graphs, alert emails, and
automatic data upload can be configured through the web interface. Each controller has
three bus connections, for a maximum of 300 sensors per controller.

We're aiming to make the Sensiplicity system as economical as possible, with target prices
of $25 per soil sensor and $50 per controller. Low prices enable new research opportunities,
such as instrumenting an entire greenhouse, growth chamber, or field for the same cost as a single
sensor from one of our competitors.