Technology

Network and Internet

The Sun Field Station is connected to Stanford campus network and the internet via a fiber optic cable. Both wired (Ethernet) and wireless (WiFi) connections are available to students and researchers within the building. Outdoor, the Jasper Ridge’s wireless mesh network spans the entire preserve, allowing for standard WiFi connectivity in the field and remote access and data transfer for research equipment. The preserve also supports LoRa gateways, allowing users to deploy LoRa wireless sensors.

Check out these projects using the outdoor mesh network:

Getting your project online:

To connect to the outdoor wireless mesh network, devices must first be registered for use on the Stanford network. Computers and mobile phones can be self-registered. Most sensors or scientific devices will require manual registration by the Local Network Administrator (LNA).

For assistance connecting to the Jasper Ridge wireless mesh network, trv.hebert [at] stanford.edu (contact the local network administrator).

Stanford wireless network - Sun Field Station

Inside the Sun Field Station, Stanford faculty, students, staff and registered affiliates can connect to the "Stanford" wireless network. A low-bandwidth Visitor network is also available. Stanford also offers an "eduroam" SSID. This network allows visitors from other colleges and universities to connect to it with the credentials of their home institution, provided that their institution also enables eduroam.

The architecture of the Stanford wireless networks makes them unsuitable for most research instrumentation applications such as IP cameras or dataloggers that require remote management.

Learn more about Stanford wireless network and services:

Stanford UIT Wi-Fi Network and Services

Instrumentation and Field Equipment

In order to better support research and educational activities at Jasper Ridge, the preserve provides access to advanced field equipment and research instrumentation to students, faculty and docents. Technical support and training are also available. Below are some of the types of technology available for use in the field.

Arrow 100+ GNSS

Arrow 100 GNSS receiver and mobile phoneThe Arrow 100+ is a high accuracy GNSS receiver designed to be used with any iOS, Android, or Windows device. The Arrow 100+ can connect to the GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou satellite constellations - allowing access to up to 100 satellites. Accuracy is enhanced with SBAS corrections. Users can also take advantage of RTK correction data via the CRTN network for centimeter level accuracy. No post-processing is required. The Arrow 100+ was designed for mapping and GIS specifically.

Sensors

A small number of environmental sensors are available for use in the field, including soil moisture, and temperature/humidity. Self-contained sensors such as iButtons are used as well as wirelessly-networked solutions allowing remote access and long-term automated data collection, including LoRa wireless sensors. Many readily available sensors can be adapted for wireless use in the field.