GPS tracker CAT M1

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CGNAT

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# 247933 3-Mar-2019 15:14

I'm studying and looking closely at GPS trackers that use CAT M1. The 4G tracker I like the look of atm is TK319-L which is available on Aliexpress or Ebay. I want to use the tracker to locate vehicles.

I hear CAT M1 has significant advantages in a number of areas including power saving. Also Spark turned on CAT M1 recently.

Do I need a special or certain SIM to use CAT M1? or will any 4G SIM do it?

TK319-L can work with 4G LTE Cat M1. It support HSDPA/UMTS/EDGE/GPRS/GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHZ

LTE bands: Global bands: 1,2,3,4,5,8,12,13,17,18,20,25,26,28 & 29

It appears Spark can supply the service? ..and there's others on-selling the service i.e. M2Mone.co.nz

Who's good?

Monthly data? Given CAT M1 is very frugal on data is 50mb/month reasonable? I've no proper idea of the answer but I'll need to start somewhere.

M2Mone.co.nz have something called a "M2M & IoT Starter kit" for $26+gst, 3 month prepaid with 50mb/month data. Is this the correct service to suit the TK-319-L?

Please throw some light onto the situation, discuss or recommend etc.. Thanks.

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31 posts

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# 2191004 4-Mar-2019 22:09

I see Voda recently started supporting CAT M1. Looks like the potential for CAT M1 is huge. The signal can penetrate buildings like never before. It has a theoretical ideal range of 62 miles! I understand it well suits certain tasks like tank level monitoring..

Given that Spark supports CAT M1, I wondered if Skinny subsequently offers the service or doesn't it work that way? They are my ISP/cellphone provider.

Spark provides CAT M1 to 98% of the population.

hio77

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# 2191008 4-Mar-2019 22:22

It's unlikely that skinny would offer it, simply because of the space it sits in.. (my own personal opinion to be clear.)

There are a few M2m Folk that resell it, not too bad pricing (it's just behind a phonecall first)

Vodafone have taken it a step further with their nb iot, that has some insane penetration, But comes at a cost of massive dip in overall bandwidth.

the one thing that seriously bothers me about IoT is it's so heavily corporate marketing.

There is one global offer that roams onto VF, i hope they will also pickup spark at some point..

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

CGNAT

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# 2191385 5-Mar-2019 14:38

Checked with Skinny, they don't have CAT M1.

Another question: would I only need data on the sim and not sms or voice?

hio77

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# 2191403 5-Mar-2019 15:43

Depends... What medium does your device work on?

Normally if its sms or voice based its utms/GSM.

Cat m1 has some interesting options using volte though...

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

CGNAT

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# 2191848 5-Mar-2019 23:40

I found these details : The sim card need support A,support SMS GPRS. B,NO pin code,no password,no voice mail box. C,support caller ID display.

I notice it requires GPRS... but isn't GPRS only for 2G & 3G? Perhaps it's for when 4G isnt available?

Specs here:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4G-LTE-Cat-M1-Vehicle-GPS-Tracker-TK319-L-for-Car-Truck-Motorcycle-Positioning-Waterproof-Geo/32960564675.html?spm=a2g0s.13010208.99999999.259.2da33c00x4W09G

hio77

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# 2191851 5-Mar-2019 23:53

Yes. That's 2g only.

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

CGNAT

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# 2193280 7-Mar-2019 22:17

I got a response from m2mone.co.nz. Helpful chap. Plan costs seem reasonable.

Continuing to study..

CGNAT

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# 2201334 19-Mar-2019 08:06

There has been no response from Spark re SIM card availability query.

Questions raised:

Does the device have RCM certification for NZ? Is such necessary?

Am I tied to using their GPS server platform?

jaidevp

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# 2213722 9-Apr-2019 15:59

3 people support this post

Apologies for the late reply, we do not restrict ability to use the Cat M1 network by Sim card type. Effectively you could use current Spark SIMs.

However we recommend getting our M2M evaluation starter kit to get started if your IoT application is business related :)

https://spark.m2m.com

Cat M1 devices must support 700Mhz (Band 28) to work effectively on our network. In the future 1800MHz (Band 3) and 850MHz (Band 5) will also be ideal.

As for RCM, anyone who imports, distributes, manufacturers, installs or sells, an electrical, electronic or radio product should get RCM certification

hio77

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# 2214075 10-Apr-2019 08:08

@jaidevp totally forgot you were on the iot side now..

you just answered my next endeavor question too...

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

CGNAT

31 posts

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# 2214307 10-Apr-2019 11:18

Thanks for the super informative response. Excellent.

That's interesting about the current Spark SIMs.

A suitable SIM would need to:

A,support SMS GPRS.

B,NO pin code,no password,no voice mail box.

C,support caller ID display

Re m2m evaluation starter kit, it appears a nice way to go however the system "favours business". I had thought about marketing GPS to my customers once I got proficient. I have numerous customers running very valuable vehicles. A modest sum for security wouldn't seem like much of an investment.

The TK319L meets RCM standard according to information found. Also it supports bands 28, 5 & 3.

I found Spark's CAT M1 coverage map. It's very impressive.

Also found the instruction manual. Command of English is reasonable.

This CAT M1/NB1 has really got me going. I'd like to set up asset monitoring of a number of items at home. Water tank level and home security for instance. Possibilities seem endless.

Feeling more confident..

hio77

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# 2214309 10-Apr-2019 11:21

CGNAT:

A,support SMS GPRS.

You will only get this on VF.

GPRS is a dinosaur. leave it behind.

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

CGNAT

31 posts

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# 2215231 11-Apr-2019 20:06

OK, now I'm confused.

The vendor

...does state those 3 things (A,B & C) a SIM need support.

Therefore is it a vendor mistake or will the tracker be limited in function? Surely the system will use GPRS or LTE?? So it's irrelevant that Spark doesn't have GPRS because it's not needed?

Please advise? Thanks.

CGNAT

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# 2217746 15-Apr-2019 23:13

Anyone??

gajan

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# 2217764 16-Apr-2019 06:57

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SMS GPRS (using a data call) is a specific method by which a device or modem can use to send/receive SMS. It was poorly implemented / adopted as most handsets and operators stuck with standard SMS. I don’t know if anyone in NZ implemented it - Spark certainly didn’t.

The device should support standard SMS (which will get configured via the SIM), but you’d need to verify with the manufacturer that this is the case. Unless of course your not interested in SMS functionality in which case it’s not relevant.

My comments and remarks are not necessarily of my employer.

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