Remote Monitoring and Control System for Poultry Dispenser using Android and Wireless Fidelity Sockets

Abstract

The application of primitive methods in agricultural production offer a major resistance to the effectiveness and yield of agricultural produce. Deploying precision agriculture to replace the traditional pattern is required to achieve better yield. A major challenge in poultry production is the method used in dispensing solid and liquid feed to poultry birds. Existing methods in the tropics are affected by fatigue, stress, contamination and feed wastage which all result in low return of investment, high mortality rate and lower growth rate. The automation of feed dispensing has improved on the traditional modes, but the existing automated feed dispensers mostly require physical presence and monitoring. This work develops an embedded system designed around Raspberry pi 3 microcontroller unit and an Android Software application System to actuate the DC motor and a solenoid valve in an automated poultry dispensing system. The onboard Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) of the raspberry pi 3 was utilized for inter-communication between the microcontroller and the android application using Wi-Fi socket on the device. The evaluation of the system was carried out using the Wi-Fi signal strength at various distances to evaluate the response time of the system. The results obtained showed the system had a better response time within the wireless local area network. Hence, the system can be used to effectively administer feed within the range of the wireless communication for high yield, convenience and better return of investment in poultry production.