Nofence Launches HerdNet: A New Communication System For Livestock Collars

Pioneered by Nofence, HerdNet is a breakthrough in virtual fencing technology that further improves connectivity, particularly in more remote areas where connectivity is a challenge, and helps ensure real-time synchronisation of virtual fencing for cattle, sheep, and goats.

 

Nofence, the leading innovator in virtual fencing technology, is announcing the launch of HerdNet™, a revolutionary collar-to-collar communication system that further improves connectivity for owners of its 2.5 model collars, particularly in more remote areas where connectivity is a challenge, significantly enhancing the user experience and enabling the Nofence system to work more effectively. HerdNet’s increased connectivity also helps ensure real-time synchronisation of virtual fencing for cattle, sheep, and goats.

HerdNet is the result of Nofence’s commitment to enhancing its product by incorporating customer feedback – including efforts to surpass connectivity challenges – to optimise user experience and responsible livestock care.

“HerdNet is a breakthrough in virtual fencing technology that is poised to improve connectivity and deliver better results for farmers, as we’ve seen already in real world scenarios through our testing programme. It helps ensure the system works on farmers’ terms and helps them get faster updates and better performance,” said Fabien Lepoutre, Vice President of Engineering. “This feature will make a real difference in our customers’ day-to-day use of the product, enhancing effectiveness, ease of use, and overall livestock management.”

Livestock farmers are already seeing the benefits. Archie Corrie from Apley Estate in the UK said “The latest update has made a huge difference. The service isn’t great where I keep my cattle, before it could take half an hour for collars to complete a move, whereas the last time I moved my cattle, it was all completed in under 10 minutes!”.

 

 

Smarter Connectivity, Smoother Transitions

 

HerdNet’s innovative features enable quicker connectivity with Nofence collars, sparing delays in pasture updates as well as ensuring all animals in a herd receive closely synchronised information, even in remote areas. This is made possible through a proprietary, energy-efficient system built using Bluetooth Low Energy. As a result, Nofence users gain greater control and efficiency in their livestock management, introducing significant improvements to virtual fencing that create a more efficient and seamless experience for both farmers and their livestock.

Traditionally, virtual fencing systems have relied on individual collars connecting to a server at regular intervals to send data and receive updates, such as new pasture configurations. This process can be a challenge if some collars lack cellular connectivity. HerdNet provides an improvement to the system by allowing any collar that connects to the server to retrieve the new pasture or latest updates, and then share them with nearby collars via low-power Bluetooth signals – typically effective within a short range, ideal for herd animals.

 

 

How Nofence’s Team Has Enabled This Next Advancement In Virtual Fencing

 

Nofence’s team has worked closely with farmers in a test group, gathering valuable feedback to refine the feature. Faster updates help respect animals’ natural herd instincts by ensuring synchronised pasture transitions. Research shows that respecting herd movement patterns significantly reduces stress in livestock, making simultaneous updates especially important for animal welfare.

By addressing connectivity limitations and improving response times, HerdNet delivers synchronised updates to all animals in the herd, encouraging them to move together in cohesion. This consistent communication makes virtual fencing more effective while also reducing herd splits and providing a smoother pasture transition for animals. The new feature supports healthier herd dynamics and enhances pasture utilisation through managed grazing techniques, such as rotational grazing, making them more efficient.

Most importantly, HerdNet lowers the barrier to adopting precision grazing by solving one of the longstanding issues confronting farmers and their connectivity. Improved connectivity is now built into the collars themselves, whereas previously, particularly in harder-to-reach areas, connectivity relied solely on cell towers. Now, collars communicate with each other and share updates across the herd via HerdNet, building on tracking and monitoring in remote areas, a key advantage of the new product.

Connectivity is a feature that Nofence has dedicated sustained efforts to, allowing for the wider adoption of its fully mobile virtual fencing technology across regions. This advancement expands the reach of virtual fencing technology, making it more accessible and effective for a wider range of operations and paving the way for broader adoption across the agricultural landscape.

 

About Nofence And The Tech

 

Founded in Norway in 2011 by goat farmer Oscar Hovde, Nofence is the world’s first commercial virtual fencing system for livestock serving as a sustainable alternative to traditional fencing. The animals’ grazing areas are managed using a GPS collar, which communicates with an app using a mobile network. When the animals cross the virtual boundary, an escalating acoustic warning is played. If they ignore the sound they will get a light electrical pulse. The animals learn this quickly in their training period of up to a week depending on variables like the breed and the age of the animal. The collars can be bought online at nofence.no/uk.

The company’s virtual fences have increased in popularity since its pilot customers first began using it in Norway in 2016. With 90 employees, Nofence has sold 150,000 collars across Norway, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Spain, and the United States – a strong testament to the success of the new technology.