Tag: Quectel LTE module

Quectel BC97 LTE Cat-NB2 and GSM Module Presented

The LTE cellular module manufacturer Quectel presented its first dual-mode LTE Cat-NB2 / GSM module at the end of February at the Mobile World Congress. The module is Quectel BC97, which can switch between NB-IoT and GSM technologies according to the coverage of one to the other of networks. At the MWC, the BC97 module sample displays compact dimensions of 23.6 x 19.9 x 2.2 mm and is compatible with the GSM/GPRS M95 variant, allowing a smooth migration from one design to the next NB-IoT while minimizing costs and development time, says the Taiwanese firm.

 

Presented in a surface mount box (LCC + LGA), the Quectel BC97 Module also supports voice communications on GSM and Bluetooth Low Energy technology. Equipped with a rich set of interfaces (USB, USIM, UART, A/D conversion, SPI, GPIO, MIC audio …) and compatible with the incremental update mechanism of low-level software DFOTA (Delta Firmware Over- The-Air), the Quectel LTE module targets diverse and varied applications such as shared bikes, smart parking, Bluetooth gateways, smart meters, smart city, asset tracking, smart home appliances, electronic devices carried on oneself, agricultural and environmental monitoring devices, etc.

 

“The migration of GSM to LTE and 5G is irreversible,” said Doron Zhang, vice president of Quectel. But the GSM network, because of its extensive coverage, will remain operational for many years, especially in some developing countries. With its GSM fallback mode, the BC97 module can accommodate existing GSM networks and switch to NB-IoT in a progressive and transparent manner for the user as the NB-IoT infrastructure is unfolded. ”

 

It will be recalled that the NB-IoT version known as LTE Cat-NB2 refers to Release 14 of the 3GPP specifications, the first version of the NB-IoT (LTE Cat-NB1) having been detailed in Release 13.

Quectel EP06 LTE Cat6 Module

The Quectel EP06 is an LTE Category 6 module, which allows downstream speeds up to 300Mbps and upstream speeds up to 50Mbps. In Mini PCIe form factor, Quectel EP06 could be easily mounted in an LTE broadband Router with a port type such as ZBT-WE826T and MTK MT7623. Since more and more LTE advanced Pro modules available now, the EP06 card is in good price now based on the main features below:

2 frequency band aggregation in most regions (depending on model):

  • Support UMTS/HSPA+ besides LTE
  • Support GNSS, GPS with dedicated antenna port
  • Support DFOTA, eCall and DTMF
  • Support MIMO technology

 

Among which, the 2 antenna ports and the GNSS port are in Ipex format. There are several version of this card such as EP06-E, EP06-A, EP06-LA, EP06-APAC etc…

The Quectel EP06-E version could support following frequency bands:

  • LTE-FDD B1/B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28/B32
  • LTE-TDD B38/B40/B41
  • The 2AC aggregation available on:
  • B1 + B1/B5/B8/B20/B28
  • B3 + B3/B5/B7/B8/B20/B28
  • B7 + B5/B7/B8/B20/B28
  • B20 + B32
  • B38 + B38
  • B40 + B40
  • B41 +B41

 

Like other Quectel 4G LTE Modules, the EP06 module could be controlled by AT commands, which is documented by the manufacturer. A certain mastery of the subject is necessary, but if you have acquired your router box under OpenWRT or ROOter, it is that you have at least knowledge about it. And this will allow you to configure it with little opinions.

 

The Quectel EP06 card is basically designed for the M2M industrial market, so it meets the standards of this market. In particular, it supports the firmware update via DFOTA from an FTP server for example.

Quectel Released LTE Cat20 Module EM20 at CES 2019

As one of the global leading supplier of cellular and GNSS modules, Quectel Wireless will release its most advanced LTE module on Category 20. The new LTE cellular module is named EM20, which are bound to bring a brand-new connectivity experience for years to come and it targets at the high-level of wireless connection and 5G commercialization starting in 2019.

 

According to the specifications of the Quectel EM20, we can see the EM20 could achieve download speed up to 2.0Gbit/s and upload speed up to 150Mbps, which is optimized specially for Laptop, PC and high-speed industrial IoT applications. Designed in M.2 form factor and measuring 42.0×30.0×2.3mm, this high-speed module is compatible with Quectel’s broad portfolio of LTE-Advanced products including Cat 12 module EM12 and future 5G module, allowing for smooth migration between different categories and to next-generation connectivity.

Quectel EM20 highlight Specifications

Besides the high speed connection for peak download speed up to 2Gbit/s, based on Qualcomm’s SDX24 chipset and fully compliant with 3GPP R13 specification, Quectel EM20 supports cutting-edge LTE wireless technologies such as up to 7 Carrier Aggregation (CA), 4×4 MIMO technology, 256-QAM as well as LAA (LTE Assistant Access) and CBRS (Citizen Broadband Radio System).

 

As the high-level LTE wireless module, the new Quectel LTE module supports FDD LTE frequency bands of B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/ B14/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B29/B30/B66 and TDD LTE bands of B38/39/B40/B41/B42/B43/B46(LAA)/B48(CBRS). This ensures that IoT devices with Quectel EM20 module inside can operate on networks of nearly all the mainstream carriers worldwide.

 

In addition, Quectel EM20 features Qualcomm® IZat™ location technology Gen8C Lite (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou, Galileo and QZSS). The integrated GNSS greatly simplifies product design, and provides quicker, more accurate and more dependable positioning capability.

 

Thanks for Quectel’s proven success stories in high speed wireless module industry, and global spectrum availability, EM20 is going to be an ideal choice for ultra-high-speed Laptop, PC, Router, Industrial Gateway, In-Vehicle Video Surveillance System, Cloud-based 4K IP-Camera and many more similar applications, which indeed require very high throughput and preferably low latency.

 

Quectel EM20 Price and Buy

Since Quectel Wireless just debut of EM20, we can’t get the EM20 price currently. But we believe once it’s available in the market for large volume, the price would be down. However, if you need only samples now, it would be hard to buy now. You have to wait for few months to see this real product.