The NB-IoT hardware shield solution is compatible with various Arduino boards such as the Uno, Yún, Mega 2560 and Due.
The shield seamlessly plugs onto the Arduino board. On the Arduino Uno, the communication to the shield is done with a software serial port, whereas the Arduino Mega 2560 and Due will have the default as a software serial port with the option of wiring it to a hardware serial port.
The shield has screw terminals that provide access to the Ground, 5V and 3.3V of the Arduino board.
The shield is equipped with a temperature sensor and a push button to provide basic functionality for development and testing.
An analogue reading is available to measure the current supplied to the module. This can be used to plot the power usage of the NB-IoT module and provides the ability to compare the normal operation, LTE PSM (Power Saving Mode) and LTE eDRX (Extended Discontinuous Reception) of the NB-IoT module.
The NB-IoT module has 2G fall-back available.
The primary communication module of the shield is NB-IoT, but the module will be interchangeable which provides access to a 2G, 3G, LTE Cat M1/NB1, EGPRS and a Wi-Fi module.
- The solution provides an Arduino library that implements all the needed AT commands for Narrow Band communication and functionality.
- Example code is included with the library to explain its use.
- A basic data protocol is implemented to send standard data messages to the cloud platform.
- A custom data protocol may be implemented if more data is sent or if the data is passed through to an additional platform.
The cloud platform communicates with the development kit.
The cloud platform prompts users to sign up and link their NB-IoT kit devices and allow the user to setup/provision their SIM cards.
The platform provides a portal where the user can log in and view all their devices, monitor their operational information and messages sent.
An API is available that provides call-back functionality.
The platform can be configured to send email or SMS notifications to the user.
