The facility operates as a fully monitored aquaculture environment where thousands of fish depend on stable and precisely controlled conditions. Every tank relies on real-time monitoring systems transmitting live data to farm managers, including:

• Egg incubation temperature and hatch timing
• Dissolved oxygen levels (critical for fish survival)
• Water temperature stability
• Ammonia and pH toxicity levels
• Pump, filtration and aerator operation status
• Automated feeding activity
• Remote camera monitoring of fish behaviour
• Staff safety and operational communications
  

This telemetry must continuously reach mobile devices. If connectivity drops, the farm effectively loses visibility into fish health and system performance.

However, the site is located in a remote valley with no natural cellular coverage.

As a result, the farm experienced:

• Gaps in environmental monitoring data
• Delayed response to water quality changes
• Manual inspections replacing automated alerts
• Inability to remotely verify feeding and filtration systems
• Poor coordination between staff across production areas

Without reliable connectivity, the operation faced risks to fish welfare, production stability, and regulatory compliance.

The Technical Problem

Our pre-installation analysis confirmed the severity of the issue: there was no usable cellular signal anywhere on the property — inside or outside the buildings. The site has no line of sight to any cellular tower, leaving only a weak reflected signal originating approximately 1.8 km away and fluctuating with environmental conditions.

This created critical operational limitations:

• No voice calling capability for staff
• Isolation from suppliers, logistics partners and head office
• Safety risks due to lack of emergency communication

To restore operations, a conventional booster installation was not sufficient — the site required a dedicated signal relay infrastructure to bring cellular connectivity into the valley.

From a complete communications dead zone, we successfully transformed the farm's into a connected, monitored, and operationally efficient facility.

Signal Improvements

Before installation, there was no usable signal inside the farm offices, and measurements at the mountain site revealed extremely weak connectivity:

Mountain readings:

• 2G band: Vodacom –107 dBm, MTN –104 dBm
• 4G LTE band: Vodacom –85 dBm, MTN –91 dBm
  

After the mountain relay and on-site distribution solution were installed, signal within the offices became stable and usable:

Office readings after installation:

• 2G band: Vodacom –103 dBm
• 4G LTE band: Vodacom –78 dBm, MTN –87 dBm

These improvements also enhanced data speeds for environmental monitoring systems and staff communications. However, as with all cell signal boosters, we cannot guarantee specific speeds or completely stabilise the connection, since performance depends on distant towers, signal reflection, and network load.

Operational Impact

With consistent connectivity, the farm’s automated monitoring and management systems now operate effectively:

• Voice communication: Staff can make and receive calls within 2–3 metres of indoor antennas, improving coordination and safety.
• Data transmission: Environmental sensor data reliably reaches dashboards within 5–10 metres, enabling real-time tracking of water temperature, dissolved oxygen, pH, ammonia, and egg incubation conditions.
• Remote monitoring: Managers can verify automated feeding, filtration, and pump systems without being on-site, reducing manual inspections and operational delays.
• Scalability: The system provides a foundation for future expansion, with the option to add additional amplifiers or antennas to cover more areas.

This project highlights our expertise in delivering reliable cellular solutions in remote and challenging South African terrains, enabling modern, data-driven aquaculture operations where no line of sight to towers exists and isolation would otherwise hinder productivity, safety, and compliance.