What Is NB-IoT? The Future of NB-IoT Devices and Technology

Narrowband-IoT or NB-IoT is a wireless communication standard that belongs to the category of low-power wide-area networks (LPWAN) technology developed to enable a wide range of new IoT devices and services. NB-IoT significantly improves the power consumption of user devices, system capacity, and spectrum efficiency, especially in deep coverage, enabling to connect devices that need small amounts of data, low bandwidth, high functioning speed, and long battery life.

In NB-IoT devices, a typically small volume of data needs to be frequently transmitted. NB-IoT has become a benchmark for wireless communications since 2016, and in recent years mobile operators have been, and many still are deploying network abilities enabling narrowband-IoT coverage for their customers.

Since the standardization of NB-IoT by 3GPP in 2016, the technology utilized in NB-IoT devices and NB-IoT modules has been rapidly evolving. Furthermore, the evolution of NB-IoT technology has called for solutions to improve the connection between networks of the devices to positively impact user experiences. NB-IoT is also referred to as LTE Cat-NB1. Today, these devices that use the enhanced NB-IoT specifications are currently on the road towards commercialization.

Benefits of Narrowband IoT

(1). Minimal power consumption.

With the decent availability of power and access through WLAN frequencies. The IoT has successfully advanced, which enabled designers to create a plethora of devices for smart home applications, wearables, and trackers. But for the IoT to grow, devices need to connect where signals are weaker – and that requires efficiently low power wireless technology.

Practically all the IoT devices save power when they aren’t operating. But when the modem is running and handling all the signal processing, the technologies with simpler waveforms like NB-IoT devices consume less power. It has been seen that these devices hold 10 years of battery life from a single-cell battery, but this requires careful antenna integration to assure efficient performance.

(2). NB-IoT components cost less.

Chips that support NB-IoT exclusively are cheaper because they’re easy to manufacture. It’s easier to manufacture a 200 kHz NB-IoT frontend and digitizer than a 1.4 MHz LTE resource block.  IoT has the capability of delivering value to hundreds of millions of devices. The cost per unit is low, and affordability is key to supporting the density of devices that are anticipated to make use of the new wireless technology.

(3).Penetrative signal

For a device to connect without hassle from an underground location, the link budget of NB-IoT needs to surpass existing cellular technologies. Use cases have shown that devices hidden behind several layers of brick can achieve better connectivity from the better quality link budgets

This is because of the low bitrates. Process gain improvements at the network level for LTE-M may mitigate this advantage though. In reality, unless you’re the wireless service provider deploying the network, all you care about is whether you have coverage or not.

Some more Advantages of Nb-IoT

• Open Standards
• Easy deployment
• Licensed spectrum
• Existing Cellular Network architecture
• Coexistence with multiple cellular systems
• Highly secure and reliable
• Extensive range

Why NB-IoT?

Generally, in the absence of proper coverage, it’s a tedious task connecting things, given considerations like the absolute necessity of high power to enable speedy transfer, which in order is always a constant drain on the battery. Cellular IoT is traditionally designed for the transfer of a high portion of data and is considered ideal for sensor-based low-bandwidth-data projects. As a result, they are not specifically considered ideal for the transfer of small amounts of scattered data.

NB-IoT, as recognized as the future IoT technology, addresses all these inefficiencies. This wireless communication technology is particularly focussed on the interaction between devices that require the transfer of data in minimal portions but over long extended periods. This data-driven technology can connect any stationary device to the IoT, making it the ideal technology for static sensor applications. NB-IoT can co-exist with all cellular networks( 2G, 3G, 4G &5G) and benefits from the security and privacy features of mobile networks.

The Future of NB-IoT Devices and Technology

NB-IoT technology is designed in such a way that traditionally it fills the gaps where cellular technology has fallen short of, and that is specifically why it is recognized as a technology of the future. It is only fair to say that there are no limits to what the technology will be able to do in the future. However, one thing is for certain, the size of NB-IoT device networks is only going to increase. 3GPP has identified NB-IoT to be a less expensive option than LTE-M, with the added benefits of extensive range, longevity, and ability to support a large number of devices over just 200 kHz of the spectrum. This means that it is rapidly getting popular among a wide variety of devices, ranging from cargo and asset monitoring, container tracking, vehicle tracking, and many more. NB-IoT provides deeper building penetration than LTE-M, which is achieved by low bitrates. It also offers better link budgets for NB-IoT.

NB-IoT works in the licensed spectrum and is considered highly secure. It brought in the much-needed growth of scale to the Internet of Things. The economically cost-effective and efficiency associated with NB-IoT devices will drive the future popularity of this cellular technology.

Final words

If your organization is interested in NB-IoT technology and utilizing it for tracking devices, Our NB-IoT devices will definitely be an asset to you. This advanced technology has the ability to be placed in and used to track almost any device. Furthermore, the abilities of this device will allow it to be more efficient and more well connected than any other device your business has ever used.

To find out more about NB-IoT devices and NB-IoT modules, consult with us on our website, our devices are crafted and tailored with a customer-oriented outlook to achieve maximum performance and profitability for the business.

As the leading GPS tracking devices and IoT sensors manufacturers, We offer a great range of vehicle tracking and communication solutions with our versatile range of NB-IoT products.