What is LTE-M? – What connects IoT ? Considerations and Use Cases for LTE-M
LTE-M is the abbreviation for LTE Cat-M1 or Long Term Evolution (4G), category M1. But what is LTE-M? What is LTE-M used for? This technology is for Internet of Things devices to connect directly to a 4G network, without a gateway and while running on batteries.
Bottom Line on LTE-M
- It’s cheaper. Devices can connect to 4G networks with chips that are less expensive to make, because they are half-duplex and have a narrower bandwidth.
- Long Battery Life. Devices can enter a “deep sleep” mode called Power Savings Mode (PSM) or wake up only periodically while connected. That mode is called extended discontinuous reception (eDRX). Read more on eDRX and PSM.
- Service Costs Less. Because the maximum data rate of LTE-M devices is only about 100 kbits/s, they do not tax the 4G network as much. Carriers can offer service plans that closer to old 2G M2M pricing than 4G pricing.
Use Cases Best Suited for LTE-M
- Low Density Sensors. For businesses or OEMs that use sensors as part of their business (e.g. Cold Chain Monitoring), removing the headache of connecting via WiFi or a gateway is a huge deal. The thought that a sensor can be fielded with a long-life battery, and that it would “just work” is a huge deal.
- Automated Meter Reading. Because of the cost of previous technologies, cellular based AMR has been less popular. Now that cheaper chips can connect for less, we will see more and more meters connecting via LTE-M.
Asset Tracking with LTE-M. Hybrid asset tracking solutions that use short range connection like Bluetooth, coupled with backhaul via LTE-M are poised to do very well. One application technology we like in the RTLS space is AirFinder - Brian Ray -link-labs
