Hi, dear!
Currently, existing 2G and 3G IoT services are migrating to NB-IoT, 4G, and 5G networks. 4G Cat.1 has better communication capabilities than NB-IoT, more mature than Cat.M networks, and more cost-effective than Cat.4, making it a star in the IoT communications industry this year.
What is 4G Category.X?
What I talk about is not the Cat!
The full name of Cat.X is LTE UE-Category, and UE is user equipment. Therefore, the value of Cat.X is mainly used to measure the transmission rate level supported by the terminal. According to 3GPP Release, UE-categories are classified into 15 categories, including Cat.1-5 in R8, Cat.6-8 in R10, Cat.9-10 in R11, and Cat.11-15 in R12. Currently, the LTE network used by our mobile phones mainly refers to LTE Cat.4.
Cat.X: measure the transmission rate level supported by terminal
UE-Category | Maximum Upstream Speed (Mbit/s) | Maximum Downstream Speed (Mbit/s) | 3GPP release |
Category1 | 5.2 | 10.5 | Release8 |
Category2 | 25.5 | 51.0 | Release8 |
Category3 | 51.0 | 102.0 | Release8 |
Category4 | 51.0 | 150.8 | Release8 |
Category5 | 75.4 | 299.6 | Release8 |
Category6 | 51.0 | 301.5 | Release10 |
Category7 | 102.0 | 301.5 | Release10 |
Category8 | 1497.8 | 2998.6 | Release10 |
Category9 | 51.0 | 452.2 | Release11 |
Category10 | 102.0 | 452.2 | Release11 |
Category11 | 51.0 | 603.0 | Release12 |
Category12 | 102.0 | 603.0 | Release12 |
Category13 | 51.0 | 391.6 | Release12 |
Category14 | 102.0 | 391.6 | Release12 |
Category15 | 1497.8 | 3916.6 | Release12 |
Cat.1, Cat.4, and Cat.M2(NB-IoT)
Cat.M2(NB-IoT) | Cat.1 | Cat.4 | |
Maximum Bandwidth | 200kHz | 20MHz | 20MHz |
Maximum rate | DL 200kbps/UL 200kpbs | DL 10Mbps/UL 5Mpbs | DL 150Mbps/UL 50Mpbs |
Power consumption | <5uA@PSM <2mA@Idle mode(DRX=1.28S) <300mA@Tx(23dBm/15kHzST) <50mA@Rx | <40uA@Poweroff <15mA@sleep <12mA@IdIe | <80uA@Poweroff <5mA@sleep <60mA@ldle |
Module cost | 20 - 30 yuan | 40 - 60 yuan | 60 - 150 yuan |
Application Scenario |
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Limitations of 4G Cat.4
LTE was originally designed to meet one of the most important needs - fast enough. Although this technology can meet the requirements of mobile broadband communications, it cannot be used in some applications, such as wearable devices, industrial sensors, and household appliances. These devices are characterized by small size, battery-powered devices, and are often placed in areas where network coverage is poor or even no signal, such as basements.
Therefore, 3GPP adds several enhanced standards to LTE technologies. Some are simplified and some are completely new to connect IoT devices:
The rate of LTE Cat.1 equipment can reach 10 Mbit/s.
The rate of the LTE Cat.M1 can reach 1 Mbit/s and is optimized to reduce power consumption.
LTE Cat.M2, also known as Narrow-Band IoT (NB-IoT), has a rate of only a few hundred kbit/s, but greatly optimizes power consumption and expands indoor coverage.
Benefits of 4G Cat.1
Cat.1 has some cost advantages over Cat.4. For example, in terms of network construction, LTE Cat.1 can seamlessly access the existing LTE network without upgrading the software and hardware of the base station, and the network coverage cost is low. In terms of chip cost, after system optimization, Cat.1 integration is higher, the module hardware architecture is simpler, and peripheral hardware costs are lower.
Compared with Cat.M2 (NB-IoT), Cat.1 has advantages in data rate, delay, and mobility. It has the same millisecond-level transmission delay as LTE Cat.4 and supports a moving speed of more than 100 km/h.
In some applications, Cat.4 can be migrated to Cat.1 for obvious benefits. For example, in scenarios where 4G is used for voice interaction, such as walkie-talkies and toy robots, Cat.4 can be converted to Cat.1. There will be Cat.1 in many scenarios where voice functions and medium-rate connections are available. These scenarios include sharing, financial payment, industrial control, in-vehicle payment, public intercom, and POS machines.
Ultra cost effective Cat1 module - ML302
ML302 pre-integrates the HUAWEI CLOUD IoT Device SDK in advance, allowing device vendors to quickly access the HUAWEI CLOUD IoT platform by invoking three AT commands. This resolves issues such as the long interconnection periods between device vendors and mainstream IoT platform vendors and complex technologies, shortening the IoT solution development period, saving development costs.
Thanks for reading!
