NB IoT
For applications that don’t move while in use and only require minimal bandwidth, NB IoT is a great option. It does not support full mobility (i.e. handoff between towers), but it does not need to, because assets are relatively stationary. Uses for NB IoT include street lighting, industrial monitors, parking and utility meters, heavy equipment tracking, and alarm panels.
It is important to note that while NB IoT may not be mobile, it is transportable. If an asset leveraging NB IoT technology changes locations, connectivity can be re-established with the nearest tower once stationary. Think of a moving company that provides containers as an option for transporting assets. They want to know whether or not the container has been dropped off at the customer’s location and when it has been picked up for delivery. NB IoT can pinpoint its resting location.
But what about its “in-transit” status once the pod is mobile? There is an LTE technology for that, too.
Cat-M
For uses that require a little more bandwidth, but do not require the advanced features of Cat-1, Cat-4, or Cat-6, there is Cat-M. Cat-M fully supports legacy IoT and M2M applications, offering four times the throughput with 50 percent of the battery life as NB IoT. Cat-M is a great option for mobile tracking use cases, such as fleet management, as it can jump from tower to tower without losing connectivity. It is also a great option for applications including building security and management, wearables, and remote patient monitoring.
Take the previous example: If the moving company needs to know if the containers have been dropped off or picked up as well as the in-transit status of the truck carrying the container in real time, then Cat-M would be a better solution.
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