Implementing Multi-Radio Technology for IoT Applications - Emmanuel Katto

General
1

Hello All, I am Emmanuel Katto from Uganda. I’m developing an IoT device that requires simultaneous connectivity to multiple wireless networks (e.g. LTE-M, and Wi-Fi). I’m using a Telit module, but I’m struggling to implement the multi-radio technology. I’d like to know how to Integrate multiple radio interfaces into a single module or separate modules. Can someone share tips?

Thanks!
Emmanuel Katto

2

Hello Emmanuel,

First of all, welcome to the Telit Cinterion Developer Community!

Regarding your question, there are two main options I can suggest:

  1. You can use one of our Smart Modules (SE250B4 Series) with Android, that supports LTE Cat 4, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and has an embedded GNSS receiver. These are relatively powerful modules with 2 GHz Qualcomm quad-core ARM Cortex processors. They require some experience with Linux/Android on embedded platforms but can offer a rich multimedia experience as well as reliable wireless connectivity.

  2. Alternatively, you can base your device on one of our standard cellular LPWA/LTE/5G modules (e.g. EXS82-W for LTE Cat.M/NB/2G) and complement that with one of our Wi-Fi & Bluetooth modules (e.g. WE310F5). This will give you greater flexibility in the design process and the solution may be based even on a simple MCU.

For a list of available products please refer to https://www.telit.com/ and the tab “Products & Services”. There you will find an overview of all products sorted by the technologies they support: 5G, LTE, LPWA, Wi-Fi & Bluetooth, and Smart Modules (supporting multiple wireless communication technologies).

When it comes to the physical design and hardware-related concerns, please note that having multiple wireless technologies working within a single device / on one PCB can easily cause problems with interference/spurious emissions and other RF-related issues, hence this requires careful schematic and layout design. If your device will require Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity, then you may also need to implement some switching mechanism (see: wireless coexistence), to prevent both antennas from operating at the same time.

Best Regards,
Karol