Quectel BG770 – NB-IoT, LTE-M, GNSS module

Quectel BG770 – NB-IoT, LTE-M, GNSS module

The Quectel BG770 is based on the Altair Semiconductor ALT1250. The eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception)/PSM (Power Saving Mode) ensures low power consumption. With a super-low current consumption of approximately 3 uA in PSM mode, the Quectel BG770 offers a long operating life of 10 to 15 years on a single battery. Since the operating voltage for the baseband ranges from 2.2 – 4.35 volts, the BG770 can be powered by 2 inexpensive alkaline AA cells. The RF part operates from RF 3.1 – 4.2 volts. Therefore, only switch on the DC/DC converter with the nominal input voltage of 2.4 volts when the RF part is needed. With 3 AA cells in series, you can save the DC/DC converter and lower the costs again.
The Mona-Lisa tracker will have a BOM of less than 15 USD with the BG770. The cellular and GNSS antennas are integrated into the motherboard and cost 0 USD. The antennas will be better than any chip antenna. I expect 0.5 to 1 dB more antenna gain than with standard chip antennas. At MCU I am thinking about an STM32 with Cortex M0+. Possibly also an STM32 with M4 from the L-series (low power). The Mona-Lisa tracker will be mounted on expensive art objects. It is located behind the paintings in the Louvre and reports once a week. Its 80-second eRDX timer makes the tracker cyclically accessible. 14 uA eRDX receive current is uniquely low. It is 47 times lower than with the Qualcomm chip inside the BG77. The motion sensor wakes up the Mona Lisa tracker from PSM or eRDX mode and switches to active tracking mode. The Mona-Lisa tracker can also be used to track skis, surfboards, prams, jewellery boxes, pets, eBikes and many other precious items.
To go with the BG770, I have a NB-IoT/ LTE-M SIM card available on request at 0.84 euros a year, which is 7 cents a month.
More about the Quectel BG770 and the 0 USD antennas can be found at www.akoriot.com. For enquiries about the development of a tracker with 0 USD antennas, please contact harald.naumann (at) lte-modem.com. Price enquiries about the BG770 and the SIM card should also be sent to harald.naumann (at) lte-modem.com.

Product Specifications  Quectel BG770

Product
Part Number	BG770
Manufacturer	Quectel
Description	NB-IoT / LTE-M Module with integrated GNSS functionality
General
3GPP Release	Release 14
Cellular Standards	LTE-M (Cat M1), NB-IoT (Cat NB2)
Dimensions	14.9 × 12.9 × 1.9 mm
GNSS	Yes
GNSS Band	GPS, GLONASS
Interface	USB 2.0, UART, PCM, I2C, ADC, GPIO
LTE Bands	NB-IoT (Cat NB2) B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B28/B6 LTE-M (Cat M2) B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B8/B12/B13/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B27/B28/B66)
Package	LGA
Package Type	Surface Mount
Region	Global
Currents	NB-IoT & LTE-M PSM Current Avg. 3.44 µA / 0.67 mA @ eDRX LTE-M = 81.92 s / 0.66 mA @ eDRX NB-IoT= 81.92 s
SMS	Yes
Technology	LTE-M, NB-IoT
Voice	Yes
Downlink Data Rate	127 kbps NB-IoT (Cat NB2), 588 kbps LTE-M (Cat M1)
Operating Temperature	-35 to 75 °C
Storage Temperature	-40 to 85 °C
Supply Voltage	VBAT_BB: 2.2–4.35 V VBAT_RF: 3.1–4.2 V
Transmitted Power	23 dBm
Uplink Data Rate	158.5 kbps NB-IoT (Cat NB2), 1119 kbps NB-IoT (Cat M1)
Certifications	Planned: GCF (Global) / CE (Europe) /FCC / PTCRB (North America) / IC (Canada) / KC (South Korea) / NCC (Taiwan) / JATE / TELEC (Japan) / RCM (Australia) / NBTC (Thailand) / IMDA (Singapore)/ T-Mobile (USA)/AT&T(USA)/Vodafone(Global)/ SRRC/NAL/CCC (China)