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October 21, 2024October 21, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

Quectel BG770A-SN industrial IoT module offers 5G, NB-IoT, and NTN satellite connectivity

Quectel has recently released the BG770A-SN industrial IoT module which comes in an ultra-compact form factor and supports both NTN and TN and features GNSS for positioning functionality. This 5G-ready module also supports iSIM and utilizes the GEO satellite constellation for worldwide coverage. Additionally, the module offers integrated security elements (ISE) and can operate in between the industrial temperature range of -40°C to +85°C. Previously we have written about the Quectel BG95-S5 5G NTN + LTE IoT module which supports NTN satellite (L-band and S-band) plus LTE Cat M1, Cat NB2, and eGPRS as fallback options, designed for applications where continuous connectivity is critical. We have also written about the Quectel CC660D-LS IoT-NTN module, which is an IoT NTN module designed specifically for Skylo’s satellite network. The new BG770A-SN module is a little different from the previous two because it supports LTE Cat M1, LTE Cat NB1/NB2, and NTN over […]

September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 by Sayantan Nandy - No Comments

u-blox EVK-LEXI-R10 evaluation kits feature LEXI-R10 LTE Cat 1bis and MAX-M10S GNSS modules for Cellular IoT and GPS connectivity

u-blox has developed the EVK-LEXI-R10 evaluation kits to help engineers test and evaluate their LEXI-R10 LTE Cat 1bis cellular modules. These compact modules support data speeds of up to 10Mbit/s for downloads and 5Mbit/s for uploads, all while using very little power. They also include built-in Wi-Fi to scan indoor hotspots and work with u-blox’s CellLocate service for both indoor and outdoor tracking. Available in regional variants, the boards and kits are certified by major mobile operators, including those in the US. The LEXI-R10 series by u-blox features the world’s smallest LTE Cat 1bis modules in the LEXI LGA form factor. The EVK-R10 kits simplify the evaluation of these multi-band LTE Cat 1bis modules. The EVK-R10401D kit supports the LEXI-R10401D module for North American operations, the EVK-R10801D kit supports the LEXI-R10801D module for Europe, Middle East, Africa, and Asia-Pacific, and the EVK-LEXI-R10001D kit supports the LEXI-R10001D module with global coverage. […]

July 30, 2024July 30, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments

LILYGO T-ETH-ELite ESP32-S3 Ethernet PoE board supports stackable LoRaWAN and Cellular expansion modules

LILYGO T-ETH Elite ESP32-S3 Ethernet board LoRaWAN mPCIE cellular expansion

LILYGO T-ETH-Elite is an ESP32-S3-powered IoT board with an Ethernet RJ45 port supporting PoE and a 40-pin GPIO header for stackable shields that offer support for LoRaWAN, 2G, NB-IoT, or/and 4G LTE cellular connectivity. The ESP32-S3 board allows users to build gateways with Ethernet, WiFi, Bluetooth, GNSS, LoRaWAN, and Cellular (2G, NB-IoT, 4G LTE) connectivity, and they can easily switch cellular modules to match specific requirements. LILYGO T-ETH-Elite specifications: Wireless module – Espressif ESP32-S3-WROOM-1 MCU – ESP32-S3R8 dual-core Tensilica LX7 up to 240 MHz with 512KB SRAM, up to 8MB PSRAM Storage – 16MB flash Connectivity – WiFi 4 and Bluetooth LE 5 PCB antenna Storage – MicroSD card slot Networking – 10/100Mbps Ethernet RJ45 port via W5500 SPI to Ethernet chip USB – USB Type-C port for power and programming Expansion – 40-pin (mostly) Raspberry Pi-compatible GPIO header for shields (up to 23x GPIO, USB 2.0, UART, 5V, 3.3V, […]

July 18, 2024July 18, 2024 by Debashis Das - No Comments

STMicro ST4SIM-300 eSIM complies with SGP.32 GSMA eSIM Standard for IoT

STMicroelectronics has recently released the ST4SIM-300 eSIM, the first embedded SIM (eSIM) IC that complies with the new GSMA eSIM IoT Technical Specification (SGP.32). The chip is fully compliant with remote SIM provisioning of the GSMA eSIM IoT standards, so it works with 2G, 3G, 4G (LTE), CDMA, NB-IoT, and Cat-M networks. It is designed for small IoT devices and allows system operators to remotely program device subscriber identities over the air (OTA), making it a plug-and-play solution for seamless integration and management. Previously, we have written about Hologram’s IoT eSIM Chip that provides global connectivity and comes with 2FF, 3FF, 4FF, and Mff2- M2M form factors. We have also written about the Conexio Stratus Pro battery-powered nRF9161 development kit that supports eSIM as an option. ST4SIM-300 eSIM specifications Microcontroller – ST33K1M5M 32-bit Arm Cortex-M35P MCU Designed based on eSIM + eSE (embedded Secure Element) I/O Asynchronous serial I/O port […]

June 17, 2024June 18, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

Cavli C17QS Cat 1.bis cellular IoT and GNSS module offers more memory, global support, a new FreeRTOS SDK

Cavli C17QS Cat 1.bis cellular IoT module with FreeRTOS SDK

Cavli Wireless C17QS is a Cat 1.bis cellular IoT and GNSS module that builds up on the Qualcomm QCX216-powered C16QS Cat 1.bis Cellular IoT module introduced last year, with more memory (2MB RAM) and storage (8MB flash), a wider range of LTE bands, multi-band (L1 and L5) GNSS, and a new FreeRTOS SDK for more flexibility compared to the C16QS. The Cavli C17QS Cat 1bis module is designed around a Qualcomm QCX217 Arm Cortex-M3 microcontroller clocked at up to 306MHz clock speed and running FreeRTOS real-time operating system. The module features a range of interfaces including UART, USB 2.0, USIM, SWD, ADCs, I2S, I2C, SPI, and GPIO pins. The new module is pin-to-pin compatible with the C16QS module for easier design upgrades. Cavli C17QS specifications: Wireless IC – Qualcomm QCX217 Arm Cortex-M3 @ 306 MHz, cellular modem-RF Memory – 2MB RAM Storage – 8 MB flash Cellular connectivity LTE CAT […]

June 4, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 2 Comments

GCT GDM7243SL is a dual-core RISC-V 5G/4G LTE modem with support for NTN, NB-IoT, LTE Cat M, Cat1bis, Cat1 and/or Cat4

CT Semiconductor Holding GDM7243SL is a multi-mode 5G/4G LTE IoT modem with two 400 MHz RISC-V cores capable of operating in Cat 4, Cat 1bis, Cat M1, Cat NB1/NB2 (NB-IoT) and non-terrestrial networks (NTN) in order to work anywhere on earth. If I remember correctly, one of the first commercial RISC-V SoCs I saw was a storage controller from Western Digital introduced in 2019. But since then, we’ve seen more and more RISC-V chips come to market from entry-level microcontrollers up to Linux-capable application processors, and even chips for datacenters that are out of the scope of topics covered on CNX Software. But with GDM7243SL, I think it’s the first time I’ve encountered a RISC-V modem, so let’s have a closer look. There are two models, the GDM7243SL1 and GDM7243SL2, with different memory and storage options, and the L1 lacks support for LTE Cat 4. GDM7243SL key features: CPU 400 […]

June 3, 2024June 3, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Conexio Stratus Pro – A battery-powered nRF9161 development kit with LTE IoT, DECT NR+, GNSS connectivity (Crowdfunding)

Conexio Stratus Pro nRF9161 IoT prototyping kit

Conexio Stratus Pro is a tiny IoT development kit based on Nordic Semi nRF9161 system-in-package (SiP) with LTE-M/NB-IoT, DECT NR+, and GNSS connectivity and designed to create battery-powered cellular-connected electronic projects and products such as asset trackers, environmental monitors, smart meters, and industrial automation devices. Just like the previous generation Conexio Startus board based on the Nordic Semi nRF9160 cellular IoT SiP, the new Conexio Stratus Pro board supports solar energy harvesting and comes with a Feather form factor and Qwiic connector for each expansion. Conexio Stratus Pro specifications: System-in-package – Nordic Semi nRF9161 SiP MCU – Arm Cortex-M33 clocked at 64 MHz with 1 MB Flash pre-programmed MCUBoot bootloader, 256 KB RAM Modem Transceiver and baseband 3GPP LTE release 14 LTE-M/NB-IoT support DECT NR+ ready GPS/GNSS receiver RF Transceiver for global coverage supporting bands: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B8, B12, B13, B17, B18, B19, B20, B25, B26, B28, […]

May 21, 2024 by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - No Comments

Raspberry Pi Zero HAT compatible Quectel BG95-M3 Zero cellular IoT board runs QuecPython MicroPython firmware

Quectel BG95-M3 Zero SBC with QuecPython MicroPython firmware

Waveshare BG95-M3 Zero is a Raspberry Pi Zero-sized SBC based on Quectel BG95-M3 cellular IoT module with LTE Cat M1 (eMTC), LTE Cat NB2 (NB-IoT), and eGPRS connectivity as well as GNSS. The board supports Raspberry Pi HATs and ships with Quectel’s QuecPython MicroPython firmware for easier programming. We’ve previously covered various SBCs and Raspberry Pi HATs based on Quectel modules for cellular IoT and GNSS connectivity with the likes of Olimex NB-IoT-Devkit (with a BC66 module), S-2Connect Creo evaluation kit, Sixfab 5G Modem HAT, and others. Olimex BC66 board supports Arduino programming, but most of the other boards rely on a host processor. Waveshare’s BG95-M3 Zero is a standalone SBC offering compatibility with Raspberry Pi Zero (p)HATs, and Quectel also developed its own MicroPython firmware called QuecPython that works with several of their modules, including the BG95-M3. BG95-M3 Zero specifications: Cellular IoT Module – Quectel BG95-M3 CPU – Arm […]