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New Tech Tuesdays

Join Mouser's Technical Content team for a weekly look at all things interesting, new, and noteworthy for design engineers.

In order to manage equipment health in factories, monitor patients remotely in the healthcare system, or track air and water quality in real time, operators need a monitoring system. These systems are essential in industries such as security, environmental monitoring, healthcare, and industrial automation. However, many monitoring systems feature outdated communication methods that can’t deliver the reliability and speed required for modern applications.

Long-term evolution (LTE) connectivity helps these monitoring systems become faster, smarter, and more efficient. LTE technology provides the high-speed cellular communication required for real-time monitoring and data transmission.

Traditional connectivity methods, including low-bandwidth approaches using the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) standard or Wi-Fi-based setups, typically struggle with range, interference, and transfer rates. LTE can support low-power operation, which makes it ideal for Internet of Things (IoT) devices in remote locations or harsh environments. In this week’s New Tech Tuesday, we examine how LTE connectivity bolsters monitoring systems and opens up a range of new solutions.

LTE in Modern Applications

LTE connectivity improves monitoring systems in several ways. For example, high-bandwidth LTE allows surveillance cameras to stream in real time to enhance situational awareness.^[1] LTE is important in smart infrastructure, where LTE-connected systems improve operations by automating gates with real-time video feeds that enhance control and monitoring.^[2] Remote wildlife monitoring also benefits from LTE connectivity, with trail cameras that can relay images and videos in remote areas and track animal behavior (Figure 1).^[3]

Figure 1: Using LTE technology, trail cameras can capture images and videos to track animal behavior remotely. (Source: nitnicha/stock.adobe.com; generated with AI)

With LTE advancements, operators can trust that communication will be reliable in areas where traditional networks struggle. To leverage LTE connectivity’s advantages, developers need flexible and scalable tools to streamline integration while ensuring top-notch performance across many applications.

The Newest Products for Your Newest Designs^®

This week’s New Tech Tuesdays looks at the Digi XBee^® 3 Global LTE Cat 4 Dev Kit, which allows developers to integrate LTE’s benefits directly into their designs. Digi offers an easy solution for creating reliable, low-power LTE-connected devices tailored for these IoT applications.

The kit (Figure 2), which includes the Digi XBee 3 Global LTE Cat 4 embedded modem, a development board, antennas, and a SIM card, simplifies development of high-bandwidth, low-power communication systems with a compact design and pre-activated SIM card for rapid prototyping. These cellular modems reduce setup processes, as they do not need their connectivity configured and do not require gateway devices necessary for RF communication.

Figure 2: Digi XBee 3 Global LTE Cat 4 Dev Kit. (Source: Mouser Electronics)

The modem incorporates MicroPython programmability on the device itself to allow for custom scripting, and built-in Bluetooth^® Low Energy enables local configuration and beaconing capabilities. With support for 2G and 3G fallback, GNSS for location services, and LTE downlink speeds of up to 150Mbps, this kit ensures flexibility and scalability across applications like monitoring systems, digital signage, and smart agriculture. OEMs building such applications have tools at their disposal for building and testing with the Digi XBee Studio, as well as monitoring and management with Digi Remote Manager^®.

The Future of LTE-based Monitoring

As LTE evolves and developers incorporate it into more monitoring systems, we may see significant advancements in 5G integration, energy-efficiency networks, and synergy between artificial intelligence (AI) and edge computing. For example, future systems may combine LTE and 5G to enhance speed and bandwidth for IoT device performance, or future advancements in energy efficiency could further reduce battery drain in remote sensors. When it comes to AI and edge computing, LTE sets the stage for environmental sensors to analyze data locally with edge computing and then transmit only the critical information via LTE, reducing bandwidth usage.

Tuesday’s Takeaway

LTE connectivity improves monitoring systems by providing real-time communication, reliability, and low-power operation. So, whether an application is geared toward tracking wildlife or securing infrastructure, LTE-enabled devices make IoT solutions even smarter and more efficient.

Sources

[1] https://bokysee.com/4g-lte-security-cameras-benefits-surveillance/
[2] https://www.digi.com/blog/post/what-is-lte
[3] https://iotbusinessnews.com/2023/04/18/vital-iot-technology-behind-endangered-animal-conservation-efforts/