NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things, NB-IoT) is an emerging technology of cellular-based narrowband Internet of Things in the IoT field. LPWA). NB-IoT only consumes about 180KHz frequency band and can be directly deployed in GSM network, UMTS network or LTE network, supporting efficient connection of devices with short standby time and high network connection requirements. NB-IOT uses the license frequency band and can be deployed in three ways: in-band, guard band, or independent carrier.
The difference between NB-IoT and other wireless communication technologies #
According to the distance of information transmission distance, wireless communication technology can be divided into short-distance transmission technology and wide area network transmission technology. There are two types of short-distance transmission technologies. One is high-power, high-speed short-distance transmission technology represented by Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, which is mainly used in scenarios such as smart homes and wearable devices; the other is ZigBee. The representative low-power, low-rate short-range transmission technology is mainly used in flexible networking scenarios of LAN devices, such as hotspot sharing.
The WAN transmission technology is also divided into two categories, but the classification standard is whether the frequency band used is a licensed spectrum. NB-IoT technology belongs to licensed spectrum technology, which is mainly used in data transmission of remote equipment operating status, and low power consumption and low rate scenarios of industrial intelligent equipment and terminal data transmission. In addition, the WAN transmission technology also includes high-power, high-speed cellular communication technology, which is mainly used in large-traffic transmission scenarios with high real-time requirements such as GPS navigation and positioning, video surveillance, and the corresponding unlicensed spectrum technology. It is LoRa, Sixfox and other technologies.
NB-IoT technology advantages #
1. Massive connections: up to 100,000 connections per cell
Compared with 2G/3G/4G, NB-IoT has a 50-100 times increase in uplink capacity, which means that in the case of the same base station, NB-IoT can provide 50-100 times more access than existing wireless technologies. .
2. Ultra-low power consumption: long battery life
The energy consumed by a communication device is often related to the amount or rate of data, that is, the size of the data packet sent out per unit time determines the size of the power consumption. With a small amount of data, the device’s modem and amplifier can be tuned to a very small level. Therefore, NB-IoT focuses on small data volume and low rate applications, so that the power consumption of NB-IoT devices can be very small, and the service life of the battery can be guaranteed for more than 5 years.
3. Deep coverage: can achieve 20db higher coverage gain than GSM
Compared with LTE, NB-IoT has a 20dB gain, which is equivalent to a 100-fold increase in transmit power, that is, a 100-fold increase in coverage capability, even in places where signals are difficult to reach, such as underground garages, basements, and underground pipes.
4. Stable and reliable: It can provide carrier-grade reliable access and effectively support IoT applications and smart city solutions
NB-IoT can be directly deployed on GSM network, UMTS network or LTE network, and can be multiplexed with existing network base stations to reduce deployment cost and achieve smooth upgrade, but it uses a separate 180KHz frequency band and does not occupy the voice and data bandwidth of existing network , to ensure that traditional business and future IoT business can be carried out stably and reliably at the same time.
5. Security:
Inheriting 4G network security capabilities, supporting two-way authentication and strict air interface encryption to ensure the security of user data.
6. Low cost:
Low speed, low power consumption, and low bandwidth bring the advantage of low cost. Low speed does not require a large cache, so the cache is small and the DSP configuration is low; low power consumption means that RF design requirements are low, and a small PA can be implemented; low bandwidth, complex equalization algorithms are not required. These factors allow NB-IoT chips to be made very small, and the cost of the chip is often related to the size of the chip. The smaller the size, the lower the cost, and the cost of the module is also lower.
Application industries of NB-IoT #
In the field of low-speed Internet of Things, NB-IoT, as a new standard, achieves it in terms of cost, coverage, power consumption, number of connections and other technologies. The technology can be widely used in public utilities, healthcare, smart cities, consumers, agricultural environment, logistics and warehousing, smart buildings, manufacturing and other industries.
Utilities:
Meter reading, smart water (pipe network, leakage, quality inspection), smart fire extinguishers, fire hydrants, etc.
medical health:
Drug traceability, remote medical monitoring, etc.
Smart City:
Smart street lights, smart parking, public safety/alarm, dust monitoring on construction sites, urban water level monitoring, etc.
Agricultural environment:
Precision planting, animal husbandry, aquaculture, food safety traceability, urban environmental monitoring (water pollution, noise, air quality), etc.
Logistics and warehousing:
Container tracking, warehouse management, fleet management/tracking, cold chain logistics (status, tracking), etc.
Smart buildings:
Access control, smoke/fire detection, elevator failure, maintenance, etc.
Manufacturing Industry:
Production equipment status monitoring, energy facility monitoring, oil and gas monitoring, chemical park monitoring, large rental equipment, predictive maintenance (appliances, machinery), etc.
