Las Vegas, NV, USA — Two new M2M gateways, a tunable LTE antenna, and a tracking device for expanded fleet telematics were among the new machine-to-machine (M2M) products and services unveiled at CTIA 2013 in Las Vegas this week.
Monnit Corporation used CTIA 2013 to release a new machine-to-machine (M2M) oriented cellular gateway for use with wireless sensors. This gateway is specifically designed to respond to the increasing demand for a low-cost, reliable, “connect-from-anywhere”, monitoring solutions that addresses the needs of a variety of M2M applications.
Features of the new M2M cellular gateway for wireless sensors include:
- Dual band CDMA (800/1900 MHz)
- Supports Monnit wireless sensors in global (900, 868 and 433 MHz)
- “Plug & Sense” – no configuration or setup required
- Remote software upgrade capability
- Watchdog function alerts if gateway goes offline
- LED indicators indicate system status
“The demand for cellular connected sensors is enormous. Monnit’s new cellular gateway provides a low-cost solution for those in need of remotely monitoring various aspects of their business, without the need of an existing internet connection.” said Brad Walters, CEO of Monnit.
Systech adds a new member to the SysLink family of M2M modular gateways
Also launching a new gateway, was Systech with the SL-2000 M2M Modular Gateway shown at the ThingWorx booth. The SL-2000 is a modular networking platform that allows custom configuration to meet the needs of the target application.
At its core, the SL-2000 is a fully functioning router with two Ethernet ports, two USB (UF or UH), a PCIe slot for GSM, HSPA, HSPA+ CDMA, EVDO or LTE cellular networks or Wifi connectivity. An option card slot offers the ability to communicate using POTS, Serial, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Z-Wave or GPIO.
“Our design goal is to provided the customer with just the right amount of features needed for the application. The SysLINK is modular, should the customers needs change, the SL-2000 can change along with it,” said a Systech spokesperson. “There are two great communication standards in the building automation world right now, ZigBee and Z-Wave. We speak both languages, so we can seamlessly integrate with the peripheral that best fits the users needs, without worry about compatibility. Systech products offer ‘foreward compatibility’. If a new communication protocol emerges in the building automation space, Systech can design a module that integrates into the existing SysLINK product family.”
Taoglas and Peregrine Semiconductor team up on digitally tunable LTE antenna
Taoglas USA, Inc., provider of antenna solutions to the M2M and connected device market, has teamed up with Peregrine Semiconductor Corporation (NASDAQ: PSMI), a fabless provider of high performance radio frequency integrated circuits (RFICs), to bring a dynamically tunable LTE antenna solution to the M2M market. The solution contains an embedded surface-mount ceramic PIFA antenna from Taoglas — the Warrior PA.710.A — and Peregrine’s successful PE64102 DuNE™ Digitally Tunable Capacitor (DTC) on one evaluation board.
It enables M2M devices to reach wide bandwidths and meet high performance requirements using similar antenna space requirements to 3G/4G systems. Additionally, it has the ability to dynamically change the antenna band ‘on the fly’ to match the cellular band a radio module is using.
“This system will benefit our customers because it means they can achieve very high performance and throughput on those challenging lower frequencies such as 700 MHz, without dramatically increasing the size of the antenna,” said Ruben Cuadras, engineering manager with Taoglas USA. “Our Digitally Tunable Antenna (DTA) — the Warrior PA.710.A — helps customers reduce the size of their product and enables them to ‘re-tune’ an antenna whenever it is impacted by items such as a battery, enclosure or LCD. The antenna frequency can adjust for each specific location in cases such as when driving a car across multiple locations, or when a device moves between different countries. Teaming up with a top-tier company such as Peregrine means that, together, we can help our clients globally prepare their devices for LTE.”
“Today’s wireless devices must now support a subset of more than 40 frequency bands worldwide. M2M devices, in particular, must adapt ‘in the field,’ in order to connect to the strongest signal,” said Mark Schrepferman, director of the communications and industrial product line for Peregrine’s High-Performance Solutions business unit. “By dynamically tuning the antenna with DuNE DTCs, the system can support multiple bands while providing optimal RF performance. We are pleased to work with Taoglas to bring this cost-effective solution to the M2M market.”
Geotab launches telematics technology into Europe via Telenor Connexion
A new service under discussion in Vegas was Telenor Connexion’s multi-operator telematics offering which is designed to help Geotab expand its fleet telematics business overseas in Europe. Geotab, a North American provider of GPS fleet telematics solutions, has just launched its the GO7 tracking device into the European market. Since completing certification on the Telenor Connexion global network, Geotab’s GO7 device can now be used by fleet managers and business owners in over 100 countries across Europe and Asia.
The GO7 device works in sync with Geotab’s GPS fleet management software, MyGeotab. The end-to-end solution enables managers to track and monitor vehicle locations, identify aggressive driving behaviours, optimise driver routes, and improve overall fleet health through ongoing maintenance reminders and alters. As an enabler of connected services, Telenor Connexion’s multi-operator solution and custom roaming profile works with Geotab’s solution to deliver valuable, real-time insight.
Geotab already works with ten of the top 100 fleets in North America and, according to Clive Cawse, Geotab VP of Operations, “Extending our technology to multiple regions around the world which is not limited by geographic boundaries provides our customers with reliable service that they can rely on in order to optimally manage their vehicles and drivers on a daily basis.”
George LeBron, head of Market Development, Americas, at Telenor Connexion, “For over a decade Telenor Connexion has helped customers such as Volvo, Securitas and Hitachi pave the way for global expansion. With over 300,000 units deployed, Geotab is uniquely positioned to target new enterprise customers and win market share.”