Tag Archives for " LTE "

Understanding 4G LTE Categories

3 years ago
/ Aviation

LTE consists of a range of different categories of modem, which can be integrated into telematic devices. These different categories include:

- CAT NB1 (also referred to as NB-IoT)
- CAT M1 (also referred to as CAT M)
- CAT 1
- CAT 4

In general, as you progress down the list above, the power consumption, throughput, and price of the devices increases (all considerably). When comparing specifications and capabilities of different telematic devices, it can be difficult to know what is the right level of capability for your cellular data transfer needs. This post will provide a brief summary and application-level insight to this area of potential confusion when specifying or purchasing telematic products.

NB-IoT and M1

Although these newer, low-energy cellular technologies are grouped together, they are not exactly the same thing. Most hardware that supports one also supports the other, so you can prototypically get both capabilities in a single package. This is new and cool, and will continue to grow in things it can accomplish within the geographies where it can be deployed.

Although you’ll hear NB-IoT and M1 discussed in the context of vending machines, pollution monitors, electric meters, and wearables, these technologies absolutely have a role to play in mobile vehicles and equipment. Here is what’s great about both NB-IoT and M1:

Very low power
Provide superior range over CAT 1 and CAT 4 modems (our testing has shown that NB-IoT and M1 devices frequently have cellular connectivity in areas where cell phones do not)
Lowest cost of any cellular components or data plans
Deploys using existing cellular infrastructure, so lots of new support is expected to come online
Secure

As my mother always told me growing up, nothing is free. There’s a trade-off for the lower power consumption, lower price, and improved range of the NB-IoT and M1 technologies. Here’s what you spend to get that goodness:

Lower data rate (~375 kbs)
Higher latency for wake-up applications

If you have a few sensor parameters, or a couple of buses of CAN data, to send on M1 is a great technology for mobile applications.

CAT 1

This is the bread and butter of telematic connectivity technologies. LTE CAT 1 is capable of supporting feature-rich telematic products with enough throughput to support streaming meaningful amounts of data while vehicles are on the go. The maturity of the technology makes it broadly available in a large number of geographies, with mature modem hardware and firmware support and a full-featured build-out of carrier capabilities. This technology is a little more expensive than NB-IoT and M1, but has the following advantages over those technologies:

Higher data streaming throughput (up to 10 Mbs)
Lower latency for wake-up applications
Broader global coverage

If you need to deploy a solution broadly for mobile equipment (touching dozens of countries), need to offload a fairly large amount of machine data in a hurry, or require support for streaming video or other data-intensive content, then CAT 1 is going to be the way to go for your application.

CAT 4

LTE CAT 4 modems can absolutely scream data. These modems can hit 150 Mbs, more than ten times the throughput of their CAT 1 counterparts. They are also complex, expensive, and power hungry. These modules are typically reserved for spaces like the handset market. Unless you need to aggregate a lot of data from a lot of machines, or provide streaming services to a large number of passengers onboard a vehicle, it is unlikely that the cost or complexity of this technology will be appropriate for your mobile application.

David Batcheller – President & CBO

https://www.appareo.com/2020/11/09/understanding-4g-lte-categories/

Appareo Releases New Telematics Gateway with 4G/3G/2G and U.S., EU, Brazilian, and Other Certifications Enabled by Onboard eSIM

3 years ago
/ Aviation

NEWS RELEASE

Appareo Releases New Telematics Gateway with 4G/3G/2G and U.S., EU, Brazilian, and Other Certifications Enabled by Onboard eSIM

FARGO, North Dakota (August 20, 2020) — Appareo today released a new product in the company’s award-winning line of telematically-enabled electronic control units (ECUs). The Gateway 270 is a rugged IP67-rated edge computing platform for mobile equipment applications. This device is deployable in a broad range of North American, South American, and European markets, making it ideal for equipment manufacturers with broad geographic distribution.

Like other 200 series Appareo Gateways, this product contains an array of wired and wireless communication technologies, making it well suited for a broad spectrum of equipment control, monitoring, and connectivity challenges. The Gateway 270 contains Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LTE (4G) cellular connectivity with 3G/2G fallback, BroadR-Reach, Ethernet, GPS, CAN, and RS-232 serial communications.

Gateway 270 is built on a popular distribution of embedded Linux (Yocto) with Docker support, allowing a convenient development environment for both developers to work on the Gateway using C++, C#, or other common development languages. This flexibility and approachability allows Appareo customers to use a variety of approaches and resources to achieve the maintenance, service, and operational benefits of a highly-capable telematics product.

“Appareo is really excited about this product and its broad geographical potential. Having three generations of cellular technology, coupled with the eSIM, and certified in historically challenging deployment geographies like Brazil will provide major logistic convenience and SKU simplification for our global customers,” said David Batcheller, President and CEO of Appareo.

To maximize the geographic potential of the Gateway 270 Appareo worked with carrier partners Vodafone International and TaTa Communications. The capabilities of Appareo’s carriers, coupled with Appareo’s Data Services Platform infrastructure, delivers convenient device and subscription management over web-based or API interfaces for management of a few—or a few thousand—connected vehicles.

To contact Appareo, acquire a development kit, and begin working with Appareo Gateways, visit appareo.com/gateways.

Appareo Gateway Series:

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About Appareo
Appareo is a recognized leader in the custom design, development and manufacture of innovative electronic and software solutions for aerospace and terrestrial applications. Through the creative application of cutting-edge technologies, Appareo creates complex end-to-end solutions that include both mobile and cloud-based components. The company is privately held, with headquarters in Fargo, N.D., and a design office in Paris, France. All products are built and supported in the USA.

Product Photos
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https://www.appareo.com/2020/08/20/appareo-releases-new-telematics-gateway-with-4g-3g-2g-and-u-s-eu-brazilian-and-other-certifications-enabled-by-onboard-esim/

Appareo Releases Highly-Capable, Rugged Telematics Gateway with Truly Global Connectivity

4 years ago
/ Aviation

NEWS RELEASE

Appareo Releases Highly-Capable, Rugged Telematics Gateway with Truly Global Connectivity

The new telematically-enabled ECU features Iridium® satellite connectivity along with LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 433 MHz, CAN, BroadR-Reach, Ethernet, and GPS

FARGO, North Dakota (June 29, 2020) — Appareo today released a new product in the company’s award-winning line of telematically-enabled electronic control units (ECUs). The Gateway 360 is a rugged yet lightweight edge computing platform for mobile equipment applications that provides a wide range of communication technologies: Iridium SBD, Cellular, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 433 MHz radios with, GPS, BroadR-Reach, Ethernet, and controller area networking (CAN). The device is built with an IP67-rated rugged enclosure for use outdoors and for mounting on heavy machinery.

The Appareo Gateway 360 is unique in that it couples truly global wide area connectivity capabilities through both an Iridium satellite connection, LTE connectivity with local area Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 433 MHz radios in a powerful computational platform capable of receiving and processing data from a wide range of vehicle networks and buses.

“The 300 series of Gateways are powerful edge computational products that provide a truly global connectivity solution capable of bridging the communication gap between all manner of on- and off-machine applications in very rugged environments,” said David Batcheller, President & CEO of Appareo. “The broad spectrum of communication technologies in the Gateway 360 offers an amazing array of solutions to global off-highway connectivity challenges.”

Off-highway machines are often used in very remote parts of the world. The cellular capabilities of the Gateway 360 are certified in dozens of countries; however, cellular coverage is limited in some geographies. Appareo’s use of the Iridium SBD transceiver allows for truly global machine coverage. The presence of Iridium on the device ensures that critical machine data can be retrieved, and wherever that equipment may be (land, air, or water) the Gateway 360 will keep Appareo customers and their machines connected.

The local area network connections (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 433 MHz) allow machines to communicate directly with each other and with the operators or passengers. This allows people near the machine in its job site or field to be connected, informed, or in control, using real-time data with zero latency and no network costs. Further, groups of machines can communicate with machines and attachments to improve operator experience and efficiency.

For example, using 433 MHz or Bluetooth, the Gateway 360 can communicate with active RFID products, like the AT-40 asset tracker, tire pressure sensors, and other wireless machine sensors. This capability allows for machines to receive information from hydraulic and mechanical attachments, and despite the lack of electrical power on those attachments, use information from the active RFID tag to recognize the attachment, and automatically adjust machine control settings accordingly.
From remote diagnostics (securely accessing devices with available VPN remote access to troubleshoot equipment in real time) to inexpensively deploying firmware updates over the air through differential software updating tools, Appareo Gateways offer a wide spectrum of capabilities that go beyond traditional telematic data usage for preventive maintenance and remote support.

Appareo Gateway Series

Appareo and Iridium Communications Inc. (Nasdaq:IRDM) originally partnered in 2016 to release technology to equip motorized farm vehicles with terrestrial and satellite communication capabilities, enabled by the truly global Iridium satellite network — the only mobile voice and data satellite communications network that spans the entire globe. Appareo was one of the first companies chosen to integrate the Iridium 9603 chipset, the smallest commercial two-way satellite transceiver.

“Appareo continues to be a leader in bringing next generation telematics solutions and global connectivity to customers,” said Bryan Hartin, Executive Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Iridium. “With the Gateway 360’s truly global machine coverage, critical machine data can now be retrieved in even the most remote locations.”

AGCO Corporation (NYSE:AGCO) integrated Appareo’s 300 Series Gateways for its telematic solutions, specifically to expand wireless telemetry solutions for remote precision agriculture and machine monitoring.

“AGCO has been working with Appareo for many years and we have built our connectivity strategy leveraging the Gateway 360. We see advantages with the capabilities and the global reach this product provides, whether we are leveraging cellular or the Iridium satellite capabilities. It is great to have a partner that has deep expertise and is willing to work closely on our mutual goals,” said Seth Crawford, Vice President, Fuse Connected Services and Digital Customer Experience at AGCO.

To learn more about Appareo’s line of Gateways, visit appareo.com.

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Product Photos
Download photos from our Online Media Kit.

https://www.appareo.com/2020/06/29/appareo-releases-highly-capable-rugged-telematics-gateway-with-truly-global-connectivity/

Appareo Releases Highly-Capable Rugged LTE Telematics Gateway with 6 CAN Busses, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BroadR-Reach, Ethernet, and GPS

4 years ago
/ Aviation

NEWS RELEASE

Appareo Releases Highly-Capable Rugged LTE Telematics Gateway with 6 CAN Busses, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, BroadR-Reach, Ethernet, and GPS

FARGO, North Dakota (May 27, 2020) — Appareo today released a new product in the company’s award-winning line of telematically-enabled electronic control units (ECUs). The Gateway 260 is a rugged yet lightweight edge computing platform for mobile equipment applications that provides a wide range of communication technologies: Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Cellular, GPS, BroadR-Reach, Ethernet, and controller area networking (CAN). The device is built with an IP67-rated rugged enclosure for use outdoors and for mounting on heavy machinery, and like all Appareo Gateways, the Gateway 260 is built on a popular distribution of embedded Linux (Yocto) with Docker support that allows developers to quickly deploy applications.

The Appareo Gateway 260 is unique in that it couples the capabilities of a modern LTE connectivity device and a powerful computational platform capable of receiving and processing data from a wide range of vehicle networks and buses.

“While other solutions require multiple, separate devices to accomplish computation and cloud connectivity, Gateway 260 was designed to aggregate local/wired communications and Wi-Fi/cellular connectivity in one box with powerful processing capabilities, lowering the total cost for our customers,” said David Batcheller, President & CEO of Appareo. “Our architecture that enables strong local area network integration between off-highway equipment and mobile devices like phones and tablets continues in the Gateway 260. This allows our customers to create mobile app experiences that control or monitor their machines using the operator’s portable electronic devices.”

For example, Väderstad and Appareo collaborated to design an entirely new machine control architecture for Väderstad planters and seeders, uniquely featuring the capability to control the machine using iPads through a Wi-Fi interface. The Appareo Gateway acts as the server for the user interface, contains all the control logic necessary to operate the machine, and commands other ECUs on the CAN bus to execute machine tasks or get information. The user has the ability to utilize an ISOBUS-compatible Virtual Terminal, an iPad display, or both at the same time. With the inclusion of an iPad as a control interface, the user is able to perform all functions wirelessly to the machine, which has made out-of-cab operations much more convenient. Väderstad was the first agricultural machinery manufacturer to utilize a mobile tablet in this way.

From remote diagnostics (securely accessing devices to troubleshoot equipment in real time) to inexpensively deploying firmware updates through differential software updating tools, Appareo Gateways offer a wide spectrum of capabilities.

One company that integrated Appareo’s 300 Series Gateways for its telematic solutions is AGCO Corporation (NYSE:AGCO). AGCO utilized an Appareo 300 Series Gateway with Iridium (Nasdaq:IRDM) connectivity to expand AgCommand, AGCO’s complete, end-to-end, wireless telemetry solution for remote precision agriculture and machine monitoring. Appareo is one of only a few integrators in the world for the 9603 Iridium chipset — the smallest commercial two-way satellite transceiver — which enabled AGCO to become the first in agriculture to equip machines with connectivity on a broad, global scale. The Appareo Gateway can collect and distribute real-time data, product and performance data, health and asset management data, location data, security and recovery data, in addition to remote diagnostics and the possibility for future predictive maintenance capabilities.

To learn more about Appareo’s line of Gateways, visit www.appareo.com/products/highly-capable-telematic-products/.

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https://www.appareo.com/2020/05/27/appareo-releases-highly-capable-rugged-lte-telematics-gateway-with-6-can-busses-wi-fi-bluetooth-broadr-reach-ethernet-and-gps/