IoT expert SensiEDGE introduced a new sub-1GHz 6LoWPAN gateway to connect its wireless IoT system-on-module (SOM) devices to the cloud. The SensiSUB gateway is designed to simplify IoT connectivity from sensors to the cloud, delivering an end-to-end solution for low-power wide area networks (LPWAN) which enables cloud connectivity for sending and receiving of IoT sensor data over long-range, sub-1GHz star networks.
The gateway, together with the SensiSUB SOM (which integrates sensors, micro-controller, RF communication and power management), delivers higher range and more reliable frequency bands to penetrate walls and reduce interference.
Ideal RF IoT wireless applications for sub-1GHz include smart metering, industrial lighting, and home and building automation. The long range, reduced interference and low power features of the sub-1GHz spectrum band make it a perfect fit for these IoT applications. Powered by USB, the gateway enables visualisation of sensor data via the cloud by connecting IoT nodes in a 6LoWPAN wireless sensor network to the internet via a Wi-Fi network. This is accomplished thanks to STMicroelectronics’ FP-NET-6LPWIFI1, an STM32 ODE (Open Development Environment) software function pack, which connects the device to IBM Watson IoT cloud services by means of the MQTT protocol.
As IoT applications and device numbers grow, sub-1GHz offers three key advantages over the already crowded 2.4GHz spectrum (where Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, cordless phones and car alarms already operate). Firstly, devices using the sub-1GHz spectrum handle interference better, operating on lower frequencies, with fewer existing applications using that spectrum – and the lower frequency ISM bands enable sub-1GHz transmissions to weave between buildings in an urban environment better. Secondly, compared to the 2.4GHz spectrum, they require lower power signals from the transceiver to get the same output power signal at the receiver – consuming less power and making sub-1GHz RF a good choice for battery-operated IoT sensor devices. Finally, sub-1GHz wireless transmission offers substantially more range than the 2.4Ghz spectrum, up to twice the distance.
