LoRaWAN vs NB-IoT: Competition or Complimentary?

LoRaWAN® vs NB-IoT; both have been growing in the IoT space. With new devices and services being released for each of them. The use cases are growing, but what does this mean going forward; will we need both or will one dominate the other in the market? Read on to find out more about our thoughts around this.

How does NB-IoT work?

NB-IoT Key Features. Source: U-Blox
NB-IoT Key Features. Source: U-Blox

Let’s discuss a bit about how each of these technologies work. Starting with NB-IoT, these devices work on a licensed frequency band with a standard developed by 3GPP, the people that make all the mobile telecommunications standards.

To get a device online and to begin sending data you’re going to need a sim for NB-IoT devices. Vodafone are currently the only NB-IoT connectivity provider in the UK.

You’ve now got your device and a SIM card, you just stick your SIM card in, and it works, right? Well, not quite. Before you get ahead of yourself, you are going to need to forward and decode that data. Without the relevant skills and time this can complex. Thanks to Symbius, our own in-house developed IoT middleware platform, we can simplify this process for you.

With Symbius you can forward your data to decode it and view it in one simple to use web application. It’s not necessarily an in-depth dashboard or meant for data storage, but with access to an API you can forward your decoded data. We even have a Node-Red Node to make getting your data just that bit easier.

The key components for getting started with NB-IoT are:

  • SIM card (one per device)
  • Your chosen sensor(s)
  • Set up forwarding to wherever you plan to decode your data and display it (like Symbius!)

All of which can be provided by us, and yes we can even help you get everything set up and give you technical support.

What about LoRaWAN®?

LoRaWAN network architecture. Source: Semtech
LoRaWAN network architecture. Source: Semtech

Moving onto LoRaWAN®, this is an unlicensed radio spectrum, that means it is cheaper but more likely to deal with interference (although LoRa is very good at dealing with interference). With LoRaWAN®, you also don’t have to worry about whether coverage is available in your area.The architecture that you’re going to be using for this is also specified by the LoRa Alliance who have plenty of resources and information on all things Lora.

To get your device up and running you are going to have some higher upfront costs than your NB-IoT counterpart. Starting off you need your device, no sim required, then you need a gateway. Think of the gateway as your internet router but with a much lower frequency and a much greater range. Depending on placement and the gateway you could get a range of up to 10km! The gateway will only have LoRaWAN® devices connected to it meaning it shouldn’t have any interference from other connected devices. At this point you’ve already bought an extra piece of hardware, and depending on what sort of gateway you’ve bought, and how it is set up, you will need to forward your payloads to a LoRaWAN® network server (LNS).

Now you have your devices connected to your gateway which is forwarding data to your LNS, but it’s likely your LNS isn’t decoding your data, so you are just seeing raw payloads. To make sense of this, you will have to forward the data again to be decoded to your chosen platform or dashboard.

LoRaWAN® has no shortage of different LNS’ and dashboards to choose from. If you are looking to do as little development as possible, from Kerlink’s Wanesy to LORIOT, and dashboards from Novacene to Kheiron, you have plenty of choice and support at every step.

If you are looking to go super cheap you can use The Things Networks (TTN) LNS for free, though you will probably find yourself looking for a bit more from your LNS the more you delve into LoRaWAN®.

To sum up, to get started with LoRaWAN®, you will need:

  • A LoRaWAN® gateway
  • Your selected devices
  • A LoRaWAN® Network Server (LNS)
  • A dashboard to visualise the recorded data

Once this is set up, you will have a network which can be scaled with ease. This is great if you plan to grow your solution, but would be overkill for connecting a single device. To make it even easier, we offer a one-stop shop enabling you to source all of the key components. We supply everything you need to get started and offer a range of services to support you both pre and post deployment. We can even provision your devices so they are ready to plug & play when they arrive on site. Get in touch to discuss your requirements today.

LoRaWAN® vs NB-IoT; Other Differences

So, we’ve discussed setting up an NB-IoT device and a LoRaWAN® device, and I am sure you are already seeing the differences. Let’s go a bit further, we mentioned that NB-IoT is at the mercy of your sims network provider, this can mean you get great, unrestricted coverage without the worry of gateways. That said, if you are unfortunate enough to get bad mobile signal on your device, there isn’t a lot you can do.

LoRaWAN® however, you can do something, for a relatively low cost you can just put up an extra gateway, add it to your network and now you can have even better coverage. As mentioned it’s not a small range these gateways cover.

Also, depending on the frequency of uplinks and the device type, LoRaWAN® devices generally have a slightly better battery life. Both technologies, offer battery lives of 10+ years which is far beyond their competitors.

If you are planning to put a single sensor down or lots of device all over the country and NB-IoT has a device for it, it would make a lot more sense to use NB-IoT.

If you were to try use LoRaWAN® for something like that you’d have to place gateways everywhere you have a sensor making your initial costs much higher. Plus, if it is somewhere without ethernet you’d have to get a sim for your gateway adding an additional recurring cost to your solution.

NB-IoT really does beat LoRaWAN® for individual placements, as long as it has coverage.

LoRaWAN®, however, is meant for those clusters of devices where it would make little sense to use NB-IoT. My advice; If you have to put 50 devices in an apartment block, save yourself the recurring SIM charges and get yourself a gateway.

LoRaWAN - NB-IoT Compaison. Source: ubidots
LoRaWAN – NB-IoT comparison. Source: ubidots

LoRaWAN® vs NB-IoT: The Verdict

NB-IoT and LoRaWAN both have advantages and disadvantages over each other, with LoRaWAN being better for clusters of devices. LoRaWAN® has an easily expandable network, with more services and devices available (for now).

NB-IoT, on the other hand offers a fantastic option for sporadic placements, with less hardware required and no need to maintain your own network.

To answer the question of, will one replace the other? No, I don’t think so. There are plenty of use cases where one is better than the other and these technologies will both grow and complement each other’s weaknesses.

We work with many clients to develop their solutions, contact us today to discuss your project and the best technology to deliver the data you require.

Alliot Become Vodafone IoT Partner

Alliot Technologies named official Vodafone IoT Partner

Looking for NB-IoT Connectivity? Look no further!

We’re delighted to announce we are now an official Vodafone IoT Partner! Find out more about what our new agreement means to you and how we can support your connectivity requirements.

WHAT WE OFFER AS A VODAFONE IOT PARTNER:

  • The very best connectivity from the UK’s only NB-IoT network provider
  • Competitive pricing with no hidden charges
  • Customised data plans to suit your requirements
  • Access to the very best Technical Support backed by Vodafone themselves
Vodafone IoT Partner benefits

 


CONNECT WITHOUT BARRIERS

Paired with our extensive hardware offering and expert support packages, we’re excited to be your new NB-IoT enabler! As an official Vodafone IoT Partner, we can now offer a range of data plans to bring your solutions to life.

Whatever you’re looking for in your NB-IoT solutions, we offer everything you need – take as much or as little as you like.

Talk to us today to get started.


WHAT IS NB-IOT?

Like LoRaWAN®, NB-IoT sits under the LPWAN umbrella. It’s optimised for low power consumption devices which record and transmit small packets of data over long distances. Unlike LoRaWAN® however, NB-IoT does not require the use of a gateway and the mobile provider is responsible for the network management.

 

With coverage for around 98% of their existing networks throughout the UK, Vodafone support more than 100 million IoT connections, across 400 networks, in 180 countries. Get in touch today to check coverage in your area.

Whatever stage you’re at in your IoT journey, we’re here to help you every step of the way.

NB-IoT Explained: The Basics

NB-IoT is really starting to gain momentum, but what actually is it and what are its benefits? Find out more about about this increasingly popular IoT technology and what it can bring to your IoT solutions in our short guide; NB-IoT explained.

What is NB-IoT?

NB-IoT is a form of cellular IoT technology. Like LoRaWAN®, it sits under the LPWAN umbrella. Unlike LoRaWAN®, however, NB-IoT solutions do not require a gateway.

Instead, NB-IoT uses existing cellular (GSM) networks. These cellular networks were set out to extend beyond what existing cellular technologies offer. It utilises low bandwidth signals, making it a great enabler for a broad range of applications, such as:

  • Asset Tracking
  • Smart Cities
  • Monitoring Utilities
  • Environmental Monitoring
  • Industry 4.0
  • Wearable Technologies
  • Connected Healthcare
  • Waste Management
  • Transport and Logistics

NB-IoT technology is well suited to low power devices which record and transmit small packets of data over long distances.

Designed to reach locations which aren’t easily covered by traditional cellular technologies. NB-IoT devices will typically have a long battery life of up to 10 years; The list of available devices is growing all the time!

NB-IoT Explained: Who is it good for?

NB-IoT can pose a number of benefits to users, enabling you to:

  • Configure devices yourself to send data to your preferred platform
  • Record data from across multiple locations and assets on the move
  • Hassle free connectivity – leave the network management to the mobile provider
  • Quickly begin to visualise data by connecting your sensors to your dashboard via an IP address
  • Long battery life of up to 10 years
  • Utilises dedicated radio space making it less susceptible to interference

Things to Consider

There’s a couple of factors which are important to take into consideration when selecting which IoT technology is best for your use case.

  • Coverage: As cellular LPWAN networks are maintained by mobile network providers, coverage may not be available in all areas. Our team can help you to establish this prior to getting started.
  • Cost: With cellular LPWAN, each sensor will require its own SIM card. Depending on the size of your project and the number of end points, this could result in higher costs.
  • Sensor Locations: If you need to deploy sensors across multiple locations or monitor moving objects, NB-IoT is likely to be a good option for you.

NB-IoT Explained: What do I need to get started?

There are three key components required to get started with NB-IoT:

  • SIM card – This is your key to getting connected. In the UK, Vodafone is the only NB-IoT provider.
  • Sensors – We provide a wide range of NB-IoT sensors. Whether you’re looking to monitor air quality, energy efficiency, waste levels or track your assets, we’ve got you covered!
  • Dashboard – This is the piece which will bring your solution together. Recorded data is pushed to your chosen dashboard ready to visualise and act upon.

Getting Started with NB-IoT

Whatever your requirements, we’re here to help you every step of the way. Contact us today to begin your NB-IoT journey.

IoT Connectivity: What are the options?

IoT Connectivity: What are the Options?

When it comes to selecting your preferred IoT connectivity there are a number of things you may want to consider. To help simplify this process, we’ve compiled a short guide to outline the options available and our top tips to think about when selecting the best option for your solutions.

There are numerous ways to connect your IoT devices, some will require a SIM card whereas others will require a gateway, or even connect to a satellite! The type of IoT connectivity you select is critical to the success of your IoT project and each option comes with its own range of benefits. The key here is to really understand what your requirements are and if your chosen connectivity will support your objectives.

What options are out there?

Here at Alliot we specialise in two key technologies: LoRaWAN® and NB-IoT/LTE-M (cellular IoT connectivity). But there are other options out there, these include:

Wired Connections

Wired connections were among the first methods of connectivity used in the early days of IoT. This tends to work well for items that will remain in a fixed position, but there’s little flexibility and there are much more efficient options now available.

WiFi

We’ve all become well accustomed to connecting our devices via WiFi and it often works well for simple home applications. WiFi however is notorious for its limitations with regards to range. Using WiFi for your IoT connectivity would require lots of access points to ensure its reach and it will also eat up a lot of battery power. Battery life is incredibly important when it comes to IoT sensors, especially if you’re installing solutions across multiple sites – replacing all those batteries would prove very time consuming!

Satellite

If you’re looking to monitor parameters in the middle of the ocean, satellite connectivity is the best option. There are geostationary satellites in orbit connecting devices around the world. It’s also reported that low earth orbit satellites are on the cards for companies such as SpaceX.

What options do Alliot Offer when it comes to IoT Connectivity?

LPWAN

Now this is our bread and butter! Low power Wide Area Networks were specifically designed for IoT use. LoRaWAN® devices offer long battery life by periodically transmitting small packets of data to a connected gateway. These gateways then connect to a LoRaWAN® network which offer a long range of up to 10km (depending on location) and don’t interfere with any existing networks or infrastructure.

Cellular Connectivity

Cellular IoT such as Narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) and LTE-M offer a great alternative to LoRaWAN®. NB-IoT is the newest kid on the block when it comes to IoT connectivity. Like LoRaWAN®, it offers an excellent coverage range and supports a long battery life.

However, unlike WiFi or LPWAN solutions using ethernet powered gateways, cellular doesn’t require an ethernet connection. Connectivity is instead supported by piggybacking on mobile networks. These devices require the use of a cellular IoT SIM card.

The main difference between NB-IoT and LTE-M is the support of mobility on the network. If you’re looking to track assets across multiple locations for example, LTE-M is likely to be the best option for you as it is better suited to faster moving assets that you need more frequent messages from as it supports handover.

Things to Consider…

There are a few things we’d recommend you take into consideration when selecting the type of IoT connectivity for your solutions.

Coverage

We’ve all experienced the loss of phone signal in remote locations. Sometimes cellular coverage can be weaker or unavailable in certain areas. Before going full steam ahead with a cellular IoT solution, it’s important to check the coverage available; we can help you with this.

In some areas, LoRaWAN® could well be the better option for you as you have the ability to create your own network therefore enabling you to ensure a relatively stable coverage across all types of locations. With LoRaWAN® you have the flexibility to create your own coverage by installing gateways, there are no licensing costs for the radio, and you can install them anywhere you want!

Cost & Scalability

Both LoRaWAN® and cellular IoT are future-proof in terms of scalability. With NB-IoT and LTE-M you have the ongoing cost of your SIM cards. The cost of SIM connectivity is low and given the size of your solution can be very cost-effective when compared to the costs involved with setting up a LoRaWAN® solution. Cellular IoT is great option where you only want a very small number of sensors per site, since you don’t need anything other than the sensor and a SIM contract which costs pence per month, per device. In these instances, installing gateways would be prohibitively expensive for a small number of sensors. Plus, you have the added benefit that the network is the responsibility of the mobile network provider!

If, however your solution is going to have thousands of connected devices, LoRaWAN® could prove to be more cost-effective for you as it operates on free (unlicensed) frequencies which you manage yourself so there are no upfront licensing costs to use the technology and you can potentially connect thousands of sensors to one gateway.

Deployment

Both NB-IoT and LoRaWAN® solutions are simple to install. We can even ship devices to you ready to plug & play! LoRaWAN® gateways offer coverage between 10km and 2km based on the installation environment. This is ideal for monitoring sensors deployed within this distance. However, if you’re looking to track assets throughout the country for example, LTE-M may offer a better alternative.

Whatever your requirements we’re here to help. Both cellular IoT and LoRaWAN® offer excellent options when it comes to connecting your IoT solutions. Get in touch today to discuss your IoT connectivity.

Our experts are on hand to help you every step of the way
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NB-IoT Introduction and Testing

What is NB-IoT?

It stands for Narrowband Internet-of-Things. It is a low powered wide area network (LPWAN) radio technology that is part of the LTE/4G family.

Essentially a cut down version of the LTE technology that your mobile phone probably uses but using a narrower bandwidth (hence the name).

It has similar design goals to other LPWAN technologies (such as LoRa and Sigfox). These are mostly ultra-low power usage, long range, low cost, small data usage.

The main difference between NB-IoT and LoRa/LoRaWAN is that an NB-IoT network is provided by a mobile network operator rather than individuals buying and operating their own gateway devices.

It’s a brand new technology, the standard was only finalised in mid-2016, as yet there are no commercially available NB-IoT services in the UK. There are some available in central Europe. At the moment, Vodafone UK are the only operator currently rolling out the service but as I understand it, O2 and EE will soon follow. The Vodafone service is currently in the trial stage and coverage is limited to certain areas of the country.

It’s my opinion that NB-IoT will become a popular LPWAN standard in years to come so I am excited to be able to give it a try. Alliot’s plan is to offer NB-IoT related services and sensors as soon as they are commercially available.

Trying out NB-IoT

As I said, Vodafone are currently trialling their NB-IoT service, this means that they are making SIMs available to certain partners for testing. I have obtained some SIMs for testing, I cannot get any for anyone else at the moment. Alliot plan to provide SIMs as soon as we can.

nb-iot vodafone sim card

Because it’s so new, there’s not much hardware around at the moment that supports NB-IoT. So to test I have so far bought a Pycom Fipy development board:

https://docs.pycom.io/datasheets/development/fipy/

And an Arduino MKR-NB-1500 board:

https://store.arduino.cc/arduino-mkr-nb-1500-1413

These are far from plug&play devices, the Pycom board needs to be programmed using the MicroPython language and the Arduino board needs to be programmed using a C++ style language.

nbiot_microcontroller_code

Both devices need a suitable antenna, I used this one with both boards (they both have the same u.fl antenna connector):

https://pycom.io/product/lte-m-antenna-kit/

You’ll really need the Expansion board to go with the Pycom as well:

https://pycom.io/product/expansion-board-3-0/

Finally, you’ll need some NB-IoT SIMs!

The NB-IoT node will send and receive data via the network operator’s network, they will assign an IP address to the node and it can then communicate with the Internet. To test, you will need a server/computer that is publicly accessible on the Internet. In my case, the Vodafone trial limits usage to UDP only so I made a simple Python script on a test Amazon AWS server that accepts UDP packets and logs the contents to a file. All very simple stuff and not very useful but it’s pretty cool all the same! It all works as expected.

The Pycom board simply sends a “hello world” message every ten minutes, the Arduino board does this too but I also made it report it’s battery voltage since I’m powering that from a rechargable LiPo battery.

What next, what use is this?

I’ll expand on this to connect some real sensors to both devices so they are sending something more useful. I will then make the server part log to a database and produce some graphs in Grafana to visualise the data.

I have also sourced some commerically available sensor devices so will be testing them, another post on that will follow.

Verdict on NB-IoT testing

This experimentation has taught me a few things.

  • This is very new technology indeed, it’s much less mature than LoRaWAN for example. There’s scant information on the Internet so far, getting the Arduino board to work for example involved finding and reading the low level documentation for the uBlox chip on the board and the Arduino source code for their NB-IoT library.
  • You’re at the mercy of a network provider. If you have no coverage then it’s tough luck, no buying a gateway as with LoRaWAN or Sigfox. Although if there is coverage, then great, you don’t need to buy a gateway (also the case for Sigfox). You will always have to pay a network operator for use of the network.
  • It needs more power than LoRaWAN, considerably so in my opinion. For example, just connecting to the network takes multiple seconds and this will eat batteries. In comparison to LoRaWAN where a sensor can wake up, fire off a message and go back to sleep in a matter of milliseconds. Feel free to get in touch and correct me but I cannot see how NB-IoT can be anywhere near as frugal as LoRaWAN.
  • It’s more synchronous than LoRaWAN. It’s still designed for tiny amounts of data but connections involving multiple requests & their responses are possible. A protocol called Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP) can be used which is like a cut down version of HTTP.
  • The technology is a reality and the mobile networks are starting to roll it out. I think NB-IoT will be big and sit alongside other LPWAN technologies.
  • The UK seems to be behind central Europe again. There’s much more evidence online for people using NB-IoT in places like Germany.