Leveraging UniFi Mesh for Agricultural Robotics at an AgTech Startup

Discover how UniFi Mesh keeps roving farm robots connected across acres of organic strawberries—enabling real-time control, scaling growth, and innovation in agricultural automation.

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Background

An innovative agricultural technology startup in California is pioneering the development of autonomous robots designed specifically to support organic strawberry farming. Founded in 2024, the company seeks to tackle persistent agricultural labor shortages by automating key tasks such as pruning, runner cutting, and harvesting. Currently based on a 5-acre organic strawberry farm, the startup uses this environment as a proving ground for their robotic fleet.

The company's co-founder, Samuel Prentice, recognized early on that seamless network connectivity was vital to their robotics operation, particularly for teleoperation and real-time data transfer between the robots and central servers. Initially, the lack of a dedicated IT department meant that networking responsibilities fell directly on the founding team, requiring straightforward, scalable, and robust networking solutions.

Business Requirements

The startup identified several key networking needs critical to their operation:

Reliable Outdoor Wi-Fi Coverage: Robust and consistent connectivity across open agricultural fields, supporting teleoperation and real-time telemetry.
Scalable Mesh Network: Ability to seamlessly integrate and manage an increasing number of robots as the startup grows from initial prototypes to a full fleet of 10 or more autonomous units.
Ease of Deployment and Management: Simplified network setup and maintenance suitable for a small team with limited IT resources.

Why UniFi

UniFi was chosen primarily due to its blend of ease-of-use, powerful outdoor capabilities, and scalable management features:

Mesh Networking: UniFi’s mesh capability, particularly with devices such as the AC Mesh and U7 Outdoor access points, provided robust outdoor coverage without extensive wired infrastructure.
No Licensing Fees: As a startup operating under tight budgets, UniFi’s license-free model significantly reduced ongoing operational costs compared to traditional enterprise solutions.
Centralized Management: UniFi’s intuitive Site Manager allowed easy monitoring and configuration of the entire network, ideal for the startup’s limited technical team.

AC MeshCompact, indoor/outdoor WiFi 5 AP with 4 spatial streams

U7 OutdoorAll-weather WiFi 7 AP with 4 spatial streams

Deployment Highlights

Mesh Network for Roving Robots

Initially experimenting with other outdoor Wi-Fi solutions, the startup ultimately chose UniFi AC Mesh units installed directly on their robots. These mesh units create a localized network that maintains strong, reliable connectivity even as robots move throughout the field.

Having the UniFi mesh network directly on our robots was a game-changer. We don’t have to deal with complex Linux Wi-Fi drivers; instead, each robot simply uses the mesh as an Ethernet bridge, making our setup significantly simpler and more reliable.

Samuel Prentice, co-founder

Scalable Backbone Connectivity

Upgrading from a UniFi Express to a UniFi Dream Machine (UDM) provided critical infrastructure improvements. The UDM drastically improved device adoption speed, network management responsiveness, and overall reliability.

Switching to the Dream Machine transformed our entire network. Everything became faster, more stable, and easier to manage, directly supporting our goal of rapidly scaling up our robot fleet.

Samuel Prentice, co-founder

Future Expansion and Additional Solutions

The startup is exploring using Starlink’s mobile satellite solutions to further enhance their connectivity strategy. The envisioned approach involves equipping one robot with a Starlink Mini system, creating a mobile broadband hub that extends connectivity via UniFi mesh to other nearby robots.

Pairing Starlink’s mobile broadband with UniFi’s mesh network could be our ideal long-term solution. It combines robust satellite internet with flexible local connectivity, enabling us to easily manage and scale operations even in remote fields.

Samuel Prentice, co-founder

Additionally, the startup is engaging directly with Ubiquiti’s Alpha testing program, gaining early access to innovative UniFi hardware to further optimize their deployment.

Conclusion

By leveraging UniFi’s mesh networking technology, the startup successfully established a reliable, scalable, and cost-effective network foundation for their innovative agricultural robotics solution. UniFi not only addressed immediate operational needs but also provided a clear pathway for growth and future innovation, highlighting its suitability for agile startups in demanding outdoor environments.

As the startup moves towards commercialization in 2026, their positive experience with UniFi solutions underscores the system’s versatility and reliability, positioning them effectively for sustained growth and innovation in agricultural technology.