The number of devices connected to the internet via cellular connectivity is continuously growing. To ensure a seamless, power efficient and secure data exchange the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) has released the Narrow-Band Internet-of-Things standard (NB-IoT). The NB-IoT technology provides the basis for better cell coverage and revolutionary low power communication solutions for health care, smart home, traffic, logistic systems or industrial applications.
Before NB-IoT devices like smart meters can be installed, the coverage of the NB-IoT network and its performance at the location of the device needs to be ensured.
Exelonix launched the new NB-IoT test application NB|METER at the IEEE 5G World Forum in Dresden.
NB|METER offer a simple, but powerful solution, that can be operated with standard AndroidTM Smartphones. An end-to-end connectivity test can be performed by a fingertip.
“We were involved in many NB-IoT proof-of-concept field tests in the past two years, and we saw, that each tests started with a coverage check before devices were installed in the field” said Matthias Stege (CEO of Exelonix). “Connecting IoT devices via cellular networks is a promising option to ensure the expected exponential growth of IoT applications, but it is crucial that customers can verify E2E connectivity before installation and NB|METER is a perfect tool for that purpose”
Beside the simple E2E test the NB|METER shows the UE receive Statistics ( Cell ID, RSRP, RSSI, ECL,…) and stores that along with the position in the cloud. Additionally, an AT-console and test automation screen offers further debugging capabilities.
The results of the test is reported to a cloud for documentation and quality insurance.
