Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) is a wireless technology that was standardized by 3GPP in 2016. It quickly emerged as one of the best LPWA technologies to enable a wide range of new Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices. This is primarily due to its ability to efficiently connect large fleets of devices of up to 50,000 per NB-IoT network cell while minimizing power consumption. Furthermore, the coverage areas cover locations that cannot be served by traditional cellular technologies.
How does NB-IoT serve to enhance IIoT solutions?
NB-IoT significantly improves network efficiency and increases capacity to support a large number of new connections by using only a portion of the available spectrum. This efficiency, in turn, minimizes power consumption and enables battery life of more than 10 years. In addition, NB-IoT penetrates deep into the ground and into enclosed spaces, providing 20 dB of indoor coverage.
NB-IoT modules for Arduino
NB-IoT naturally also plays a role in the Arduino environment. Arduino, for example, has announced the MKR NB 1500, a board that relies on this wireless technology. So far, however, the board does not seem to be available.
The manufacturer Dragino, on the other hand, has launched an extension for Arduino mainboards (e.g. Uno, Mega, Leonardo) with its NB-IoT shields QB20 and QG96, which have already proven themselves in the Arduino environment.
