IoT-technology

Choosing the right IoT technology in 2023

Digitalisation, or digital transformation, is a term we’ve heard about in recent years. IoT, the Internet of Things, is one of many enabling technologies. Digital transformation is often a technical exercise, but to be successful, the transformation must demonstrate business value. Business benefits aside, in this article, we’ll focus on what you need to know …

LTE-M or NB-IoT?

LPWAN (Low Power, Wide Area Network) is not a technology standard but rather a group of wireless technologies that, as the name suggests, use low power but cover a large area. LPWAN is suitable for IoT, devices such as those in smart cities, smart sensor networks and fleet management do not need as much bandwidth …

NB-IoT part 4: different implementations

NB-IoT can be implemented in three ways: standalone, guard band and in-band. NB-IoT standalone operation Standalone: NB-IoT channel used outside the 4G/5G spectrum, for example, the spectrum used for GSM or satellite communications. Standalone operation is when NB-IoT is used exclusively within a spectrum, whether in a private or public network. This model provides the …

NB-IoT repetitions

NB-IoT part 3: repetitions

NB-IoT is designed to achieve a 20 dB coverage improvement over GSM’s MCL or link budget. The maximum link loss, MCL, for GSM is 144 dB. The maximum link loss for NB-IoT is, therefore, 164 dB. There are several ways that NB-IoT improved the signal over GSM. NB-IoT and Message repetition The downlink improvement is …

NB-IoT basics: part 2 power saving

For NB-IoT, the general design goal of the 3GPP standard is that the battery should last for at least ten years. NB-IoT reduces power consumption using mechanisms called eDRX and PSM. The eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception) and PSM (Power Saving Mode) parameters allow the device to go into a deep sleep mode for a few …

NB-IoT versions

NB-IoT basics: part 1 versions

NB-IoT is one of two 5G LPWAN standards (the other is called LTE CAT-M1). NB-IoT and LTE-M have excellent energy consumption and power-saving features; they are great for saving a lot of energy compared to other cellular standards. There are different technologies and functions within each of these two to do that. If you have …

NB-IoT

NB-IoT NB1 vs NB2 -What is the difference

Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is an LPWAN technology developed to enable many devices to be connected to the internet using mobile networks. The standard is part of both 4G and 5G. Designed to allow for massive IoT, NB-IoT is a low-power, narrowband technology that can support small data packets and bidirectional transmission in an efficient, secure …

Embracing the old

I’m worried about myself. I thought my radio interest was super-solid, small, rebellious networks you run yourself. But when I listen to myself nowadays, I sound more and more like an employee at the state-owned Swedish Telecommunications Administration (Televerket). I wI work a lot with connecting things, in the old days we called them connected …