Big cellular IoT fish on the line

Last week, two manufacturers of IoT ICs and modules were on a fishing tour. Telit has hooked Thales/Cinterion. Semtech, the manufacturer of LoRa ICs, wants to fish for Sierra Wireless.

Table of content:

• Big IoT fish
• IoT free of charge
• How do you stay independent and not get caught?
• Still good support in wireless IoT
• Still good trainings about wireless IoT

Big IoT fish

Telit / Cinterion does not sound spectacular. A company with cellular radio modules takes over another company with cellular radio modules. In sum, it then increases market share and helps to get better prices when buying components. Telit has already expanded its product range years ago to include other radio technologies and SIM cards. Cinterion (formerly Siemens) has stuck to cellular radio modules and has not expanded its portfolio.

Semtech / Sierra is interesting. Both companies have a good name in licence-free and licence-required LPWAN. Semtech wants to get into the licensed LPWAN boat. Let's see how the marketing statements change soon. I find it interesting that in many places Sierra's statement is quoted that with LTE-M you can replace any application with NB-IoT. I think as long as LTE-M modules cost twice as much as an NB-IoT module and the network rollout is better with NB-IoT than with LTE-M, you can't replace NB-IoT.

In the cellular radio modules, we used to have many more. Besides Siemens, there were Motorola, Wavecom, Nokia and Ericsson. Step by step, they have disappeared. In 1995, Nokia still wanted to charge 50,000 DM (approximately 25,000 Euro) just for the description of the AT command list. Every product with a Nokia module was to be certified internally for a fee. Wavecom and other manufacturers had the AT command list free of charge. Nokia could not assert itself and disappeared early with its cellular modules. Just as it did then, this continues today.

IoT free of charge

10 to 15 years ago, evaluation kits cost up to 800 Euros for GSM or UMTS modules. Now 1000 eval kits for cellular radio modules are given away to IoT developers. The source code (with its errors) is included free of charge. When it comes to antenna design, it is suggested that one simply adopts the chip antennas and everything works. If everything is freely given away, then the software developer starts with the hardware development. The CAD software for developing the PCBs is also available free of charge. The software developer gets a PoC or MVP and then calls himself a start-up. The start-up looks for an investor and at some point realises that the antennas do not work or that the development costs or costs for certification are much higher than planned.

In all the takeover processes and "everything has to be cheaper", there is unfortunately hardly any room for free support from the manufacturers. The distributor can no longer finance FAE and support at prices of < 5 USD per radio module.

How do you stay independent and not get caught?

One possibility is specialisation. NeoCortec is unique with its NeoMesh, addressing Sub-GHz mesh-net with routers on battery. OriginGPS has specialised in very small GNSS modules. Neoway has focused on the modules that are needed in metering from the huge spectrum of possible cellular modules. Neoway also has LoRa modules in its product range. Similar specialisations can be seen in the integrated antennas. Antenova is very well positioned and offers good support. All the manufacturers mentioned can be obtained from www.Crout.de and also served by me.

Still good support in wireless IoT

Good support now costs money. The antenna manufacturers offer matching of the antennas for a fee. However, they only do this for their own antennas. In an IoT device, however, you often find different antennas from various manufacturers. These can be PCB antennas for 0 USD, chip antennas, patch antennas or even flex PCB antennas. Then no antenna manufacturer feels responsible.

80 pages about DIY PCB antennas: https://www.akoriot.com/white-papers/

I have been filling this gap for approximately 4 years now. IoT developers get good support and consulting from me, independent of the manufacturer, and certainly the right antenna for the IoT device. Requests for initial advice are welcome to [email protected] or [email protected].

Still good training about wireless IoT

From time to time I offer webinars around wireless IoT. I may call the next webinar "Wireless IoT Secrets" and recruit speakers who have real secrets to your area of expertise to integrate into their presentations. Topics could include NB-IoT, LTE-M, LoRaWAN, Mioty, NeoMesh, classic off-the-shelf IoT antennas, DIY PCB antennas, PCB layout, SIM cards and more. If every paricipant takes away just a few novelties and adopts them in their IoT devices, hundreds of thousands of Euros will be saved in total. The training courses are planned in German and English. Please send non-binding advance registrations to [email protected] or [email protected] .

Enquiries about radio modules, antennas and consulting are, at all times, welcome. A well-planned IoT device saves unnecessary costs in the end for repeating the radio certification or redesigning the device. I offer my years of experience to any IoT team worldwide. Video calls, screen share and email allow information to be shared in real-time. Modern vector network analysers, such as the MegiQ VNA use the PC with a screen as a man-machine interface. Even though the customer's VNA is located far away, I can remotely explain how to perform calibration and measurements. The same applies to the free software for simulating the matching networks for the antennas. The knowledge will be transferred in small portions and underpinned with practical measurement exercises on test boards. The training often ends with the measurement or set-up of a PCB with antennas at the customer's site. The knowledge gained saves a lot of time and money later in further developments or measurements and tests in the production of the IoT device. Enquiries about customised training and consulting are welcome.

Imprint

• Harald Naumann, Ludwig-Kaufholz-Weg 4, 31535 Neustadt, Germany
• Contact: harald.naumann (at) lte-modem.com, Phone: +49-5032 801 9985, Mobile:+49-152-33877687