The NB-IoT kit is a cellular and GPS kit that can be used for the new 5G wireless technology. The kit includes a hardware board, LTE&GPS antenna, and USB cables. This kit is available here:
The hardware board is a powerful board that features a microcontroller and a wireless modem. The microcontroller is an Atmel’s SAMD21G18A MCU which features a 32-bit ARM Cortex® M0+ core. The wireless modem is Quectel BG96 which is an embedded IoT (LTE Cat-M1, LTE Cat-NB1 and EGPRS) wireless communication modem. BG96 wireless modem provides a maximum data rate of 375Kbps downlink and 375Kbps uplink. It features ultra-low power consumption, provides data connectivity on LTE-TDD/LTE-FDD/GPRS/EDGE networks, and supports half-duplex operation in LTE networks. It also provides GNSS to meet customers’ specific application demands.
The board provides rich sets of Internet protocols (TCP/UDP/PPP/SSL/TLS/FTP/HTTP/PING/ MQTT/NITZ/SMS), GNSS technology (GLONASS, BeiDou/Compass, Galileo, QZSS), industry-standard interfaces (USB/UART/I2C/SPI/GPIO/ADC/DAC/PWM/JTAG/Interrupts/LEDs/Status Indicators), Nano USIM slot for a nano SIM card, and USB ports and DC power jack for external power supply.
The board also supports two modes of operation; the first mode where the MCU controls the wireless modem and second mode where the modem is controlled directly without the need of the MCU. The board is ultra-compact size (2.8-inch X 1.6-inch) and fits into many embedded devices and applications.
The board is also compatible with Arduino and Arduino software (IDE). Many Arduino sketches and examples are provided with the kit and additional sketches can be developed and uploaded to the board.
The board supports Windows 7/8/8.1/10, Linux and Android.
The NB-IoT board is a rich board that can be used for a variety of smart and 5G applications. It enables applications such as wireless POS, smart metering, tracking, smart transportation, smart buildings, smart city, and smart homes, navigation, location, and tracking.
This Repository is compatible with Arduino IDE 2.1.1
-ArduinoSketches: Contains different Arduino examples and sketches to use with the board.
-5G-NB-IoT_Arduino.zip: Contains the library (used with Arduino IDE).
-5G-NB-IoT.zip: Contains the board manager (used with Arduino IDE).
-Document: Contains user manual and how to use the kit and the board.
-Driver: Contains Windows driver for the BG96 chipset and the prolific USB-to-serial cable.
-NBIoTPhone: Folder contains the Arduino sketches for the NB-IoT phone, LCD, Keypad, SD card, and BG96 modem. IMPORTANT: For the NBIoTPhone, there is a file UserSetup.h, make sure to take this file and replace it in the TFT_eSPI library
-kit sketches: Folder contains more Arduino sketches for the NB-IoT & GNSS kit. Each lesson has the circuit digram in Fritzing and library. You can download Fritzing tool from https://fritzing.org/
-Tools: Different tools inclduing Quectel QNavigator and QCOM that can be used with the BG96 wireless modem to communicate over USB or serial ports.
Install Arduino IDE for Windows from the following web site: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
Launch Arduino IDE and choose File->Preferences. In the Additional Boards Manager URLs, insert the following URL: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/5ghub/5G-NB-IoT/master/package_5G-NB-IoT_index.json
In Arduino IDE, choose Tools->Board->Boards Manager and install “5G-NB-IoT SAMD Boards”.
Choose “5G NB-IoT (Native USB Port)”
In the Arduino IDE, Choose Sketch->Include Library->Add .Zip Library and select the file 5G-NB-IoT_Arduino.zip
You are ready now to use the Arduino IDE and write the first sketch.