Insights

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01 Jan 2020

LPWA and IoT - mapping the right modems and antennas to the right use cases

IoT experts explain how to choose the right modem and antenna for your LPWA IoT use case. From in>flow 2019 by u-blox

LPWA antenna selection for IoT

There is a great deal of complexity in choosing the right radio hardware for LPWA network devices. IoT developers have many challenges when designing an end-to-end solution. Mapping modem and antenna to your use case and the most prolific network is a very important first step.

To gain an overview of the landscape you would normally have to visit many different websites, trade shows, and conferences to get enough information just to begin the process of creating an IoT initiative. This can be time-consuming and frustrating.

In this video, IoT specialists Bruce Jackson (u-blox) and Ian Greenshields (EBV) take you through various aspects of IoT prototyping. These include modems and antenna considerations, LPWA connectivity, roaming devices, and the evolution of mobile data standards.

Bring your LPWA devices to life

u-blox recently held its first developer event called in>flow. Hosted at the Tobacco Theatre, Amsterdam in October, in>flow was designed to present and promote current and future trends in IoT.

The aim was to create a community of experienced, forward-thinking IoT practitioners. It became a powerful forum where advances in current and future IoT technology were put forward and considered, alliances made, working case studies discussed, and a working community in IoT was formed.

This event was presented to device manufacturers, IoT Platform developers, system integrators and IoT consultants or anyone involved in digital transformation using the concept of industry 4.0 as a model to drive:

  • IoT connectivity
  • IoT strategy
  • IoT applications
  • Harnessing new radio technology
  • Automation
  • Real-time data
  • Device to application management
  • Device design and manufacture

Bruce Jackson u-blox LPWA IoT network coverage

Above: u-blox presenter, Bruce Jackson explaining the realities of LPWA coverage for IoT

Subjects covered by Bruce Jackson in this video:

  • IoT Prototyping is easy
  • Things to consider when building an IoT solution ‘for real’
  • The three major choices for LPWA network connectivity
  • Cellular technology overview
  • Radio technology isn’t the only factor to consider
  • How does inter-operator roaming work commercially?
  • Coverage for LTE IoT networks
  • Cellular LTE IoT roaming
  • Recommendations & conclusions

Download the LPWA radio presentation

ian greenshields ebv lpwa radio

Above: Ian Greenshields, EBV Elektronik, presents ‘Mapping the right modems and antennas to the right IoT use cases’

EBV logo

Subjects covered by EBV in this video:

  • Mobile data standards evolution
  • Global 4G and 5G spectrum
  • 5G radio modem
  • Global 2G spectrum
  • Transitioning 2G advantages to 4G / 5G networks
  • Hardware simplification … or CAT soup ?!
  • Cellular M2M IoT solutions
  • Common wireless connectivity standards
  • Global ISM / SRD frequency bands and practical implementations
  • Chipset or certified module?
  • Antenna considerations
  • Taoglas antenna solutions
  • RF hardware summary

Download the EBV LPWA radio presentation

Bring your LPWA devices to life