Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 3 Comments on u-blox SARA-S200 RPMA Module Supports the Machine Network

u-blox SARA-S200 RPMA Module Supports the Machine Network

RPMA is one of the many LPWAN IoT communication standards, but it does not get as much press coverage as SigFox or LoRa because it targets larger scale deployments, and is not really accessible to individuals. It’s still used by companies in many countries, and u-blox has just released SARA-S200 RPMA module that will also work with the Machine Network, also relying on RPMA and managed by Ingenu. u-blox SARA-S200 module specifications: Connectivity Wireless Frequency –  2.4 GHz ISM Radio Spectrum – 80 MHz Occupied Bandwidth – 1 MHz Modulation – Dynamic – Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (D-DSSS) Multiple Access Scheme – Random Phase Multiple Access (RPMA) Transmit Power – +22 dBm Receive Sensitivity – -133 dBm Data Throughput – 100 kB per day Link budget – 176 dB (FCC/IC) Host Interface – 7-wire SPI that includes handshaking for deep sleep modes Power Supply – 3.2 V to 3.4 V (typ. 3.3 V); VCC BAT: 2.2V to 5.5 V Power […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 6 Comments on A Closer Look at Ingenu RPMA Alternative to LoRa or Sigfox LPWAN Standards & RPMA Development Kit

A Closer Look at Ingenu RPMA Alternative to LoRa or Sigfox LPWAN Standards & RPMA Development Kit

I’ve recently started to write a bit more about long range LPWAN standards for IoT applications, especially LoRa and Sigfox, as commercial networks are being launched, and relatively low cost hardware platforms are being introduced to the market. There are also other highly expected standards such as Weightless and LTE Cat M that will bring more competition to the market. Ingenu RPMA (Random Phase Multiple Access) is another available standard that’s been in deployment for a while, and based on an earlier comparison of  long range LPWAN standards, it comes with long range, supports up to 384,000 nodes per “sector”, operates in the unlicensed 2.4 GHz ISM band, and offers high combined uplink and downlink bandwidth than competitors. Ingenu recently contacted me and provided some more details and information about their technology and development kit. One of the documents includes an “independent analysis completed by ABI Research, Inc.” comparing features of Sigfox, LoRa, EC-GSM-IoT, MB-IoT, LTE Cat-M1,  and RPMA. All […]

Posted on by Jean-Luc Aufranc (CNXSoft) - 5 Comments on Comparison Table of Low Power WAN Standards for Industrial Applications

Comparison Table of Low Power WAN Standards for Industrial Applications

WiFi, Bluetooth and Zigbee are commonly found in consumer devices part of the “IoT ecosystem”, but the range, cost, power consumption, and/or scalability of these wireless standards are not suitable. For example, agricultural and forestry applications normally require long distance, and smart parking or city lighting may requires scalability to a great number of nodes, so alternatives are needed. EDN wrote a thorough article comparing 10 alternative wireless standards: Weightless-W, Weightless-N, Weightless-P, SigFox, LoRaWAN, LTE-Cat M, IEEE P802.11ah, Dash7, Ingenu RPMA, and nWave. The table includes the frequency band, channel width, range, transmit power, packet size (minimal or maximal), downlink and uplink data rates, maximum number of connected devices, topology, roaming capability, and status. If you had to implement something today, four to five solutions are “in deployment”: SigFox, Ingenu RPMA, nWave, LoRa, and possibly Dash7, while the other are only starting to get deployed, or will be finalized in 2016. All standards have a Line of Sight range of […]