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Partner Review: Lierda (China) - Hardware & Mesh Network

Meeting Date: April 29, 2026 Attendees: Aiden, Allen, Terry (Lierda); Juan Andrés Antoniuk (JAAB/FluxCow)

1. Executive Summary

Lierda is a high-capacity OEM/ODM manufacturer with significant expertise in low-power RF and miniaturization. They are a strong candidate for providing the physical nodes of the FluxCow architecture, specifically for the Leader/Gateway (Collars) and Member/Sensor (Ear-tags) nodes.

Key Contacts: * Aiden Wong (王子杨) - International Business BU (Primary Lead). * Zhang Hui (张辉) - LWPAN / LoRa Expert (Firefly Protocol architect). * Jerry Yao (姚纪元) - International Business BU Director.

While their standard catalog is optimized for intensive farming (feedlots/stables), their proprietary Firefly Ad Hoc Network protocol and manufacturing precision make them a viable strategic partner if custom engineering is applied to meet the requirements of South American extensive ranching.

Note on Hardware Supply: During the meeting, Lierda introduced a specialized partner company that manufactures the actual cattle tracing devices (intelligent grazing collars and ear-tags, e.g., FL-C and FL-T series). The identity of this partner is currently pending clarification, but Lierda is facilitating the technical and commercial bridge.

2. Technical Validation

2.1 Firefly Ad Hoc Network Protocol

  • Technology: LoRa-based proprietary mesh stack.
  • Capacity: Supports up to 2000 nodes per cluster with 8-channel parallel data transmission.
  • Power Consumption (Member):
    • Deep Sleep: 1.6uA.
    • Average CAD Current: < 25uA.
    • Average Operational (200 nodes): 21uA (1 reading/day) to 322uA (24 readings/day).
  • Performance:
    • Broadcast Access: 130s for 200 nodes.
    • Concentrated Reading: 27.7s for 200 nodes.
    • Point-to-Point: 4.6s.
  • Verdict: Highly suitable for the "Member" nodes (97% of the herd) to ensure battery life > 5 years and reliable data transit to the Leader.

2.2 Hardware Candidates

Model Type Specs JAAB Assessment
FL-C001 Collar 500g, 38,000mAh Overkill for sensors, suitable for high-frequency Leader nodes.
FL-C003 Collar 300g, 8500mAh 1+ year battery life. IP67.
FL-C004 Collar 135g, 8500mAh Primary Candidate for Leader Node. IP68, 2+ year battery, 4G. Dimensions: 91.8 x 41.5 x 33.2 mm.
FL-T001 Ear-tag 16.5g, 1100mAh 5-year battery life. BLE (200m range). Temp (±1.0°C) + Motion. 37.8 x 32.6 x 19.5 mm.
FL-T002 Ear-tag 10g, 240mAh High Precision. 2-year battery life. BLE (200m). Temp (±0.1°C) + Motion. 41 x 29 x 29.5 mm.
FL-G101 Gateway Fixed / Pole Supports 1000 tags. BLE 4.2/5.0. 120m scan range. (To be replaced by Leader Collars).

3. Critical Bottlenecks & Gaps

  • BLE Range Issue: The standard T001/T002 tags rely on BLE (range < 200m). In extensive ranching (thousands of hectares), this range is insufficient as animals disperse beyond BLE reach.
  • Fixed Infrastructure Assumption: Lierda's current ecosystem assumes fixed gateways (FL-G101) mounted on walls/poles.

4. Customization Roadmap ("The Frankenstein Strategy")

To align Lierda's hardware with the FluxCow "Infrastructure-Free" vision, the following engineering steps are required:

  1. Radio Swap (Member Nodes): Replace the BLE chip in the T001/T002 form factor with a Sub-GHz/LoRa transceiver running the Firefly protocol.
  2. Gateway Integration (Leader Nodes): Integrate a Firefly-compatible receiver into the FL-C004 (4G Collar) to allow it to act as the cluster head for the Sub-GHz tags.
  3. Target Range: Achieve 5-10km range between the Member ear-tags and the Leader collar.
  4. Licensing: Negotiate terms for the Firefly protocol (Silicon purchase vs. Software Royalties).

5. Technical Logic & Network Resiliency

The meeting validated the JAAB "Infrastructure-Free" operational model:

  • Cluster Integrity (Heartbeat): The Leader Cow (Mobile Gateway) maintains a real-time registry of all Member tags in its cluster.
  • Exception-Based Alarms (Watchdog): If an animal misses its heartbeats while the cluster remains stable, the Leader Cow triggers a MISSING_ANIMAL alert.
  • Resilient NTN Uplink: Alerts are cached locally and transmitted as soon as a Satellite/NTN orbital window opens, ensuring zero data loss in intermittent connectivity scenarios.

6. Next Steps

  • [ ] Partner Identification: Clarify the exact identity and commercial relationship with the specialized partner providing the FL-C/FL-T grazing hardware.
  • [ ] NDA Execution: Finalize the mutual NDA to unlock Lierda's Firefly SDK and detailed FL-C004 schematics.
  • [ ] Phase 1 Validation: Request detailed specs, reference pricing, and samples of FL-C004 (4G Collar) and FL-T001/T002 for local validation testing in Uruguay before moving to custom NTN integration.
  • [ ] NRE Quotation: Request a preliminary quote for Non-Recurring Engineering for the "Frankenstein" prototypes (T001/T002 housing + Firefly Sub-GHz radio).
  • [ ] Firmware Sovereignty: Clarify if JAAB can load custom Zephyr-based firmware on Lierda hardware while maintaining Firefly compatibility.