What is Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT)?

23 November, 2022

What is NB-IoT? With the introduction of non-cellular LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) technologies such as LoRa and Sigfox, the mobile industry responded to these emerging technologies with NB-IoT (Narrowband Internet of Things) for IoT and M2M (Machine-to-Machine) applications. This was introduced as part of the release (13) of the 3GPP cellular standards body, which is also known as LTE CAT-NB. The main objectives of the introduction of NB-IoT were to introduce long battery life, low latency, low power, and improved indoor coverage. Another interesting feature of NB-IoT deployments is the ability to co-exist with 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile networks, also 3GPP has already made provisions for the inclusion of NB-IoT in 5G standards. Now let’s dive into more details about the operation of NB-IoT and its features. How does it work? NB-IoT utilizes the mobile carrier network for data transmission. The data from the sensors are collected and are transmitted to transmission nodes or NB-IoT base stations. These transmission nodes are

What is a Wireless Access Point?

22 November, 2022

An access point is the core device in a wireless-based network. Most of the access points are used in the wireless-based network. The main function of the access point is to connect the local devices that are available in the local area network. In order to increase the range of the wireless-based network most of the companies and offices etc. are used the access point. A lot of users can connect with a single access point by using the wireless network. What is an Access Point? Access points create a small wireless local area network (WLAN). Most of the access points are used in offices, companies and in a large home in order to cover each corner of the offices, etc. An access point is directly connected to the main router, hub, or switch by using the Ethernet cable. All the devices in the local area network can communicate with

What is sigfox? Everything you need to know

21 November, 2022

With the advancement of information technology, the requirement for enabling wireless communication has become an important factor in realizing modern applications. Connected networks of machines and devices communicating with each other in Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) applications require wireless communication techniques as these devices are widely spread over a large geographical area. Furthermore, these devices would be battery powered meaning they require low power-consuming communication technologies which are also capable of communicating over a large range of distances. As a result of these requirements, we see increasingly communication technologies competing such as LoRa, Sigfox and NB-IoT etc. This article will discuss what is Sigfox and its applications and significance. What is Sigfox? Sigfox is a narrowband LPWAN (Low Power Wide Area Network) protocol developed in 2009 in France. This protocol is widely used in IoT when the volume data is low and the operating range is large (more than tens of km). Sigfox uses

Difference between wireless access point and router

6 November, 2022

As technology grows new wireless devices come into the market. The new devices come into the market in order to help and maintain your home or business connectivity easier. To assist you in planning and assessing your home and business network, this article will comprehensively examine the similarities and differences between routers and access points(AP). What is Access Point Different devices are used in the wireless based network. In a wireless network, access point is the primary device that handles all the operations on the user side. Wireless access point connects all the user end devices and transmits all the data over the internet. All the devices that are available in the local area network are connected to the access point. As the wireless access point comes with wireless antennas so the access point easily increases the coverage of the Wi-Fi signals. A lot of users can connect with the single

What are 5G Frequency Bands?

19 October, 2022

5G cellular network is an integration of multiple innovative technologies such as the Internet-of-Things (IoT), multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO), millimeter wave (mmWave), network virtual function (NFV), softer-defined network (SDN), and many more. 5G will provide super-fast data rate, higher capacity, and larger frequency band to these technologies to perform to their maximum potential and respond to user requests in no time. 5G services will be initially deployed on the current 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) network, termed as Non-Standalone (NSA) 5G. It will share the traffic space with 4G LTE by using frequencies ranging in sub-6 GHz that 4G LTE also uses to provide services to users. However, once its core architecture is deployed completely, 5G will use its network for all operations and services, becoming Standalone (SA) 5G. In this article, we present a detailed overview of what are 5G frequency bands and which technologies will operate in them. So, let’s

The 7 main components of the IoT ecosystem

18 October, 2022

Internet of Thigs (IoT) refers to a collection of interconnected things which are capable of sensing, actuating and communicating in a wide network with or without direct human intervention. They are also capable of acting according to changes in environment autonomously by triggering process and sharing this information in the network to process and generate valuable information regarding their environment. This is now a well-established rapidly growing technology with more 20 billion devices identified as IoT devices by 2025. Core concepts behind IoT are “smart objects” and “smart environments”. Smart object is a physical object that is equipped with a processor, data storage system, sensor system and network technology for communication. Some of these objects can affect their environment by means of actuators. Going with the same definition, a smart environment refers to the physical extent to which smart objects are deployed and interacting. Now having a brief understanding about

What is a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN)?

17 October, 2022

What is WLAN WLAN stands for Wireless LAN network. Two devices can communicate wirelessly by using the WLAN technology. In WLAN there is no cable required between the devices. The devices can communicate by using Wi-Fi and transmit all the data over the Wi-Fi. It’s totally different from the traditional LAN network. Both LAN and Wlan perform the same function but the Lan cable is required between the two devices in order to transmit the data and the WLAN performs the same function without using a cable. It transmits all the data over Wi-Fi. All the new devices come with Wlan technology. All the new devices use the DHCP technology in order to connect the new devices with the main device. Difference between WLANs and Access Points A WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) allows two or more devices can connect and communicate wirelessly to establish a WLAN within a specific

What is an IoT gateway and how to choose one?

12 October, 2022

IoT ecosystem typically consists of end devices, IoT gateways and a cloud platform. Communication between these different components is enabled by means of different communication protocols. The main interest of this article is on IoT gateway which is responsible for translation of these different communication protocols. This is very much the same concept employed in telecommunications emulating the same working principle as your internet router. However, the internet router would connect your home network connected devices with the Local Area Network (LAN) of your Internet Service Provider (ISP), but in the case of an IoT gateway the gateway would connect multiple sensors of different types and configurations to a cloud platform. IoT Deployment Challenges Now before looking into more details into the working principle of IoT, it is worthwhile looking into some of the deployment challenges that are imposed on IoT systems that leads to use of an IoT

difference between lora lorawan and sigfox

The difference between LoRaWAN and Sigfox

9 October, 2022

IoT applications are diversifying in the scale of implementation. Now IoT devices are not connecting to a router in the house to send temperature data but can monitor the soil health of an entire farm. Such scalability is due to the addition of trending LPWAN technologies. LoRa and Sigfox are the frontrunners among non-cellular LPWAN IoT technologies, and here we are comparing them. What is Sigfox? We have introduced what is sigfox in details before, Sigfox is a proprietary LPWAN technology that operates on UNB (Ultra Narrow Band). It operates through one partner per country and on different frequency bands complying with each country, including 868MHz in Europe and 902MHz in the USA. While Sigfox claims to have the highest range of LPWAN (10 to 40 KM), the data rate and bandwidth are quite limited. A Sigfox device can send up to 140 messages a day at 300 bits/s. the

What is mesh network and how it works?

8 October, 2022

What is Mesh Network Mesh network is the new technology in the field of wireless. The main purpose of the mesh network is to transmit the signal of Wi-Fi/internet in every corner of the house. Mesh network creates multiple routes between the connected nodes in order to transmit the information. The data transmit rate in the mesh network is very high compared to a simple network. As the mesh network has too many routes so there is no hurdle in data transmission. So the data is transmitted in the mesh network at a high rate. The mesh-based network topology is mostly used in big organizations and offices and somehow it’s also used in the offices. If any of one node is down in the mesh network the data is transmitted through another node. Multiple routers and switches are used in the large mesh network and these switches and the router

LoRa vs. NB-IoT: Comparison Between Top LPWAN Technologies

30 September, 2022

Among Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) technologies, LoRa & NB-IoT are the front-runners. Both technologies have their own advantages and unique properties, allowing them to coexist and grow simultaneously. This article evaluates both technologies and why they can be game changers for the next decade of IoT implementations. Cellular vs. Non-cellular LPWAN Since the concept of IoT was realized, communication technologies have come a long way. Starting from 2G/3G, IoT and M2M communication was always in need of cheaper, long-range, and sustainable alternatives. LPWAN technologies answer to such a demand. Initially, LoRa, Sigfox, and other non-cellular technologies were the first to introduce LPWAN IoT connectivity. Soon enough, cellular technologies caught up to this vast untapped market through technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M. Cellular technologies are provided by the existing cellular network providers and, as such, are quite different in terms of technical specifications and business models. However, cellular and non-cellular

2.4GHz Vs. 5GHz Wi-Fi: What’s the difference and which is better

28 September, 2022

Wireless router uses different frequencies range in order to transmit the data over different devices like computer, laptop, smartphone, etc. Wi-Fi performs better as the frequency value is high. With higher frequency, the data travel at higher rates but covers a small area. The router that operates on 2.4GHz provides more range means to cover a large area but transmit the data at lower rates and the router which operates on 5GHz transmits data at higher rates but covers a smaller area as compared to the router which operates on the 2.4GHz frequency. Wi-Fi router is built to deliver a specific range of frequencies, so it’s important to think about which Wi-Fi band and the channel would best meet your demands and provide the best performance to the user. Difference between the 2.4GHz and 5GHz Wi-Fi Routers The major difference between these two types of routers is range and speed. 2.4 GHz-based