Start with lifecycle ownership, not sticker price
Acquisition costs include the sensor or device, enclosure, antenna, power supply, accessories, shipping and taxes. Deployment costs include site surveys, mounting, provisioning, staff training and commissioning. Operating costs include SIM/data plans, gateway/backhaul, cloud hosting and retention, platform software, ongoing firmware/security support, field service, replacement devices and eventual decommissioning. A single hardware quote rarely covers every category.
Build an auditable three-year scenario
For a fixed fleet, a simple first-pass equation is: total cost = (devices × hardware + devices × installation) + (devices × recurring monthly cost × months) + annual field-service allowance × years + replacement and overhead estimates. With 100 devices, R1,000 hardware each, R300 install each, R45 per month per connected device, and R6,000 field-service allowance annually, the illustrative three-year total is R130,000 + R162,000 + R18,000 = R310,000. This is R3,100 per original device over the period. It is not a price quote and excludes many possible real costs.
Test what could overturn the result
Do not stop at one average scenario. Increase failed device rate and visit cost, shorten the assumed battery service interval, increase recurring data charges, and model staggered installations or fleet growth. Next, estimate the benefit each *active* device creates: avoided downtime, labour saved, recovered yield or improved information. A return-on-investment claim without a measurable benefit assumption is incomplete.
Choose the right output
Use the free Fleet Cost Calculator for a directional baseline. Use the R1,490 Pro Planner for reusable three-scenario modelling and sensitivity. The R1,790 Economics Report is a finished deliverable for one project. The R3,990 IoT Deployment Decision Pack extends the report into power, telemetry and evidence gaps. None of these is regulatory, electrical or radio certification.
Match the product to the decision.
Start free. Choose paid modelling only when you need an expanded decision: the R1,490 Pro Planner compares reusable scenarios; the R1,790 Economics Report provides a finished economics output for one project; the R3,990 Decision Pack adds directional power, telemetry and structured validation planning. None replaces project-specific engineering verification.
Technical reading
External technical sources provide context; they do not endorse MoleculeX products or validate a specific project.