How much do you know about the rising star of CAT1?

tianwanghulian

How much do you know about the rising star of CAT1? [Copy link]

There are many technical solutions for IoT device communication solutions and LTE technology used in IoT applications. Various industries and technical standard organizations are formulating corresponding IoT technical solutions. Some are in the process of being formulated, some are still in prototype testing, and some technical solutions with independent intellectual property rights have been applied in the market.

IoT devices actually have the following six major characteristics:

1. Simple design: Low system complexity can ensure that IoT devices can work normally in harsh environments;

2. Low cost: IoT devices are generally deployed in large quantities, so the cost needs to be controllable;

3. Large coverage: To ensure that the data of some instruments and equipment in the basement can be transmitted;

4. Low power consumption: Most application scenarios require the use of battery functions and need to be able to work for several years;

5. Low rate: For example, in some meter reading applications, only a few dozen bytes need to be transmitted per day;

6. Massive equipment access: You can imagine that there are tens of thousands of various instruments and machines in a community;

What is LTE Cat.X?

The Cat.X we often say refers to UE-Category. UE stands for user equipment, and Category means classification. Therefore, the Cat.X value is used to measure the wireless performance of user terminal equipment. To put it simply, it is used to divide the terminal rate (level). According to the 3GPP Release definition, UE-Category is divided into 10 levels from 1 to 10, of which Cat.1-5 is in the R8 group, Cat.6-8 is in the R10 group, and Cat.9-10 is in the R11 group. The LTE network currently used by our mobile phones mainly refers to LTE Cat.4.

Common LTE Cat.4 cannot meet the communication needs of some IoT devices

LTE was originally designed to solve one major requirement – it had to be fast enough. Although the technology can meet the needs of mobile broadband communications, it cannot be well used in some application products, such as wearable devices, industrial sensors, and home appliances. These devices are small in size, battery-powered, and often placed in places such as basements where network coverage is poor or even no signal.

LTE Cat.1 has unique advantages:

Compared with Cat.4, Cat.1 has certain cost advantages. For example, in terms of network construction, LTE Cat.1 can now be seamlessly connected to the existing LTE network without the need to upgrade the software and hardware of the base station, and the network coverage cost is very low. In terms of chip cost, after system optimization, the integration is higher, the hardware architecture of the module is simpler, and the cost of peripheral hardware is lower. Compared with Cat.M2 (NB-IoT), Cat.1 has certain advantages in speed, latency and mobility. It has the same millisecond-level transmission latency as LTE Cat.4 and supports mobile speeds of more than 100KM/H. In some applications, it is possible to migrate from Cat.4 to Cat.1, and the benefits are obvious. For example, scenarios such as walkie-talkies and toy robots that use 4G for voice interaction can be completely switched to Cat.1 instead of Cat.4. Many scenarios with voice functions and medium-speed connections will have a place for Cat.1. These scenarios include sharing, financial payment, industrial control, in-vehicle payment, public network intercom, POS, etc.

Why is Cat.1 so popular?

1. 2G/3G will inevitably be decommissioned in the future, and the Internet of Things technology based on 4G/5G (NB-IoT+4G+5GNR) will take on the task of enabling the interconnection of all things.

2. NB-IOT cannot meet the needs of medium speed and mobile characteristics. The development of eMTC is not satisfactory, and the domestic industrial ecology has not kept up. Cat.1 has become the only choice. For example, three-proof tablets such as Leidun and Yidao Information can support Cat.1 in logistics and other industry applications.

3. Cat.1 advantage: it can seamlessly access the existing 3G/4G network.

As important components of the new infrastructure, Cat.1 and NB-IoT will continue to expand and innovate in key areas such as smart homes, smart agriculture, industrial manufacturing, energy meters, fire smoke detectors, logistics tracking, and financial payments!

qwqwqw2088

Cat.4 has cost advantages over Cat.1

I don't see where the advantage is.

Fred_1977

Good, I have learned a lot. Thanks to the disseminators of knowledge. I have learned, learned, learned, and practiced.