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Agriculture · head to head

SMARTBOW vs WiseConn DropControl

SMARTBOW logo

SMARTBOW

Agriculture

Ear tag cow monitoring with real-time indoor location, from Zoetis

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
WiseConn DropControl logo

WiseConn DropControl

Agriculture

Wireless irrigation automation for permanent crops, built around solar radio nodes rather than trenched cable

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: SMARTBOW real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.; WiseConn DropControl the platform runs on WiseConn’s own radio nodes, so the cost is set by how many valves and sensors you want covered and expanding monitoring later means buying more proprietary hardware rather than any third-party sensor.
  • They diverge on capability: SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, WiseConn DropControl covers Solar wireless nodes.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which SMARTBOW and WiseConn DropControl actually diverge.

Attributes where SMARTBOW and WiseConn DropControl differ
AttributeSMARTBOWWiseConn DropControl
PlatformsWindows, Web, iOS, AndroidWeb, iOS, Android

Identical on both: starting price (On request), pricing model (quote), free tier (No), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Agriculture).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location
  • Heat detection
  • Rumination monitoring
  • Health alerts
  • On-farm server
  • Individual baselines
  • Herd software integration

Only in WiseConn DropControl

  • Solar wireless nodes
  • Valve control
  • Soil moisture monitoring
  • Flow and pressure monitoring
  • Fertigation control
  • Digital twin view
  • Alerts
  • Water use reporting

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

SMARTBOW

  • A 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutesnot WiseConn DropControl
  • A dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervalsnot WiseConn DropControl
  • A herd manager wanting rumination-based early warning of displaced abomasum or metritisnot WiseConn DropControl
  • A vet practice using behavioural data to audit transition cow management across client herdsnot WiseConn DropControl

WiseConn DropControl

  • A mature almond block where trenching a two-wire path between rows would cut through established rootsnot SMARTBOW
  • A table grape operation in a water-scarce district that must report applied volume per blocknot SMARTBOW
  • A grower whose filter station blocks repeatedly and who needs flow deviation alerts before pressure reaches the emittersnot SMARTBOW
  • A multi-ranch operation consolidating irrigation control across sites that were automated by different contractorsnot SMARTBOW

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

SMARTBOW

  • Real-time location depends on receivers covering the whole barn plus an on-farm server, so the install is a building project and the price bears no relation to what a simple activity collar costs.
  • It is an indoor system; a grazing or partly grazed herd loses the location capability that is the main reason to choose it over cheaper monitoring.
  • Ear tags are consumable and go missing with the tag, so the running cost includes replacements at a rate that depends on how rough your handling facilities are.
  • Zoetis ownership means a pharmaceutical company holds continuous behavioural data on every animal alongside your treatment records, and the integration roadmap favours other Zoetis products.
  • Nothing is published on price, and sales run through veterinary and dealer channels, so comparing it against DeLaval, Nedap or CowManager requires several quotes and there is no reference list price.

WiseConn DropControl

  • The platform runs on WiseConn’s own radio nodes, so the cost is set by how many valves and sensors you want covered and expanding monitoring later means buying more proprietary hardware rather than any third-party sensor.
  • No pricing is published in any market, and quotes are produced from a site design, so a grower cannot compare the platform against alternatives without commissioning two designs.
  • Solar nodes need light and battery health management: dense canopy, dusty conditions and long winters degrade reporting, and a node that stops charging is a block you are no longer controlling.
  • It is a private mid-sized company competing against Netafim, Toro and Lindsay, so a grower buying for the fifteen-year life of a permanent planting is taking on more supplier continuity risk than with the larger incumbents.
  • Support quality is uneven across its newer markets: it is well established in Chile and California but only entered Australia in 2021 and Europe in 2022, so buyers in those regions get a thinner installer and spares network.

Pricing, plan by plan

SMARTBOW

On request
  • SMARTBOW$undefined/year
    • Ear tags priced per animal
    • Barn receiver infrastructure and on-farm server quoted per building
    • Installation and commissioning quoted separately

WiseConn DropControl

On request
  • DropControl$undefined/year
    • Priced by node count, sensor count and controlled points
    • Solar radio nodes required at every controlled or monitored point
    • Cloud platform subscription bundled into the system quote

Which should you pick?

Choose SMARTBOW if

  • You need real-time location.
  • You work on Windows, Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want heat detection.
SMARTBOW review

Choose WiseConn DropControl if

  • You need solar wireless nodes.
  • You work on Web, iOS, Android.
  • You also want valve control.
WiseConn DropControl review

Questions people ask

Is SMARTBOW or WiseConn DropControl better?
Neither clearly leads. SMARTBOW starts at On request and WiseConn DropControl at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, SMARTBOW or WiseConn DropControl?
SMARTBOW starts at On request and WiseConn DropControl at On request.
Does SMARTBOW or WiseConn DropControl run on more platforms?
SMARTBOW runs on Windows, Web, iOS, Android. WiseConn DropControl runs on Web, iOS, Android.
What is SMARTBOW best used for?
SMARTBOW is most often used for a 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutes, a dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervals, a herd manager wanting rumination-based early warning of displaced abomasum or metritis, a vet practice using behavioural data to audit transition cow management across client herds. Of those, a 1,500 cow freestall barn where finding a flagged animal by eye takes twenty minutes and a dairy replacing visual heat detection with per-animal oestrus alerts to tighten calving intervals are not what WiseConn DropControl is typically brought in for.
What can SMARTBOW do that WiseConn DropControl cannot?
SMARTBOW covers Real-time location, Heat detection, Rumination monitoring, Health alerts. WiseConn DropControl covers Solar wireless nodes, Valve control, Soil moisture monitoring, Flow and pressure monitoring.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

SMARTBOW: What does SMARTBOW do that other activity monitors do not?

Real-time indoor location. It tells you where the flagged cow physically is, not just that she is behaving abnormally.

WiseConn DropControl: Does DropControl need wires run to every valve?

No, that is the point of it. Nodes are solar powered and radio linked, which is why it suits retrofits on established orchards.

SMARTBOW: Does it work on grazing herds?

Poorly. Location depends on barn-mounted receivers, so animals out at pasture fall outside the system's coverage.

WiseConn DropControl: Can I use third-party sensors?

Some probes and weather stations are supported, but the control and communication layer is WiseConn hardware, so the node network is a lock-in.

SMARTBOW: Who owns it?

Zoetis, which also owns Valley Agricultural Software and DairyComp. The technology came from Smartbow GmbH in Austria.

WiseConn DropControl: What does it cost?

WiseConn does not publish pricing. Quotes come from a site design based on the number of controlled and monitored points.

SMARTBOW: Is it cloud based?

Analysis runs on an on-farm server rather than in the cloud, which keeps it working during an internet outage but makes the server your responsibility.

WiseConn DropControl: Where is it best supported?

Chile and California are the strongest markets. Australia and Europe are recent additions with thinner installer networks.

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