5 ms·

There seems to be people in these comments that know, so: is there something similar to the ESP32 but for cellular networks? A small, cheap microcontroller tha

There seems to be people in these comments that know, so: is there something similar to the ESP32 but for cellular networks? A small, cheap microcontroller that I can add a SIM to and get connectivity? The only ones I've messed with before were from Adafruit, but they are all 3g which is, afaik, completely decom'd now.

ohazi 4y ago
Haven't used it, but I've heard good things about Nordic's nRF9160 platform. e.g.: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4753 https://www.adafruit.com/product/4753
elcritch 4y ago
There's lots of cellular modems that only requires a serial port / uart connection. I think espressif sdk supports "AT" commands for them.
- ErikCorry 4y ago
  Toit (platform for the ESP32) has some cellular drivers that all use a serial/UART connection. https://pkg.toit.io/search?query=cellular https://pkg.toit.io/search?query=cellular. (Disclaimer: I work for Toitware.)
willemmerson 4y ago
What about https://randomnerdtutorials.com/lilygo-t-sim7000g-esp32-lte-gprs-gps/ https://randomnerdtutorials.com/lilygo-t-sim7000g-esp32-lte-...?
karmanyaahm 4y ago
Blues Wireless has included data and a robust seeming SDK.
jareklupinski 4y ago
I've been buying cheap combo 4G/wifi routers that contain Sim card slots, setting the router up as usual, and then connecting the esp32 to the router's wifi network. So far it's been a more stable solution than any standalone microcontroller / module I've used, and easier to replace with local parts if anything happens.
- alex_sf 4y ago
  That's clever. Have you had good luck with a particular model?
  - jareklupinski 4y ago
    haven't had any major issues post-deployment with any of the random amzn/aliexpress ones I've used so far, fingers crossed i've noticed that if your phone doesnt get full signal in the spot you want to place the router at all times of the day, a cheaper router usually doesnt stand a chance of getting a good signal without an external antenna the ones where you can attach an external antenna with a wire lead are usually easier to position in just the right spot for full bars, and they just seem 'hardier' of the bunch, but you need the antenna, tradeoffs
bitwrangler 4y ago
on a similar note, what are people using for 4G/LTE IoT providers? I've used freedompop and hologram.io before, but not sure what is best for low volume data traffic?
jonathonlui 4y ago
As you noted, in the US, 3G and older cellular modems aren't usable. For current cellular technology, the keywords to look for are LTE-M [0] and NB-IoT [1]. Most of these types of dev boards aren't cheap. Particle makes a 65 USD board [2] and they seem to have a free tier for cellular data access. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE-M https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE-M [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowband_IoT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowband_IoT [2] https://store.particle.io/collections/ethersim/products/boron-lte-cat-m1-noram-with-ethersim-4th-gen https://store.particle.io/collections/ethersim/products/boro...

ohazi 4y ago

Haven't used it, but I've heard good things about Nordic's nRF9160 platform. e.g.: https://www.adafruit.com/product/4753 https://www.adafruit.com/product/4753

elcritch 4y ago

There's lots of cellular modems that only requires a serial port / uart connection. I think espressif sdk supports "AT" commands for them.

ErikCorry 4y ago
Toit (platform for the ESP32) has some cellular drivers that all use a serial/UART connection. https://pkg.toit.io/search?query=cellular https://pkg.toit.io/search?query=cellular. (Disclaimer: I work for Toitware.)

willemmerson 4y ago

What about https://randomnerdtutorials.com/lilygo-t-sim7000g-esp32-lte-gprs-gps/ https://randomnerdtutorials.com/lilygo-t-sim7000g-esp32-lte-...?

karmanyaahm 4y ago

Blues Wireless has included data and a robust seeming SDK.

jareklupinski 4y ago

I've been buying cheap combo 4G/wifi routers that contain Sim card slots, setting the router up as usual, and then connecting the esp32 to the router's wifi network. So far it's been a more stable solution than any standalone microcontroller / module I've used, and easier to replace with local parts if anything happens.

alex_sf 4y ago
That's clever. Have you had good luck with a particular model?
- jareklupinski 4y ago
  haven't had any major issues post-deployment with any of the random amzn/aliexpress ones I've used so far, fingers crossed i've noticed that if your phone doesnt get full signal in the spot you want to place the router at all times of the day, a cheaper router usually doesnt stand a chance of getting a good signal without an external antenna the ones where you can attach an external antenna with a wire lead are usually easier to position in just the right spot for full bars, and they just seem 'hardier' of the bunch, but you need the antenna, tradeoffs

bitwrangler 4y ago

on a similar note, what are people using for 4G/LTE IoT providers? I've used freedompop and hologram.io before, but not sure what is best for low volume data traffic?

jonathonlui 4y ago

As you noted, in the US, 3G and older cellular modems aren't usable. For current cellular technology, the keywords to look for are LTE-M [0] and NB-IoT [1]. Most of these types of dev boards aren't cheap. Particle makes a 65 USD board [2] and they seem to have a free tier for cellular data access. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE-M https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LTE-M [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowband_IoT https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Narrowband_IoT [2] https://store.particle.io/collections/ethersim/products/boron-lte-cat-m1-noram-with-ethersim-4th-gen https://store.particle.io/collections/ethersim/products/boro...