Quectel BG951 – NB-IoT, LTE-M, GNSS module

Quectel BG951 – NB-IoT, LTE-M, GNSS module

Quectel BG951

The Quectel BG951 is based on Altair Semiconductor. The eDRX (extended Discontinuous Reception)/PSM (Power Saving Mode) ensures low power consumption. With a super-low current consumption of approximately 1,5 uA in PSM mode, the Quectel BG951 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 BG951 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.

A cheap tracker will have a BOM of less than 15 USD with the BG951. 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 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 the Qualcomm chip inside the BG77. The motion sensor wakes up the tracker from PSM or eRDX mode and switches to active tracking mode. The tracker can also be used to track skis, surfboards, prams, jewellery boxes, pets, eBikes and many other precious items.

To go with the BG951, we have an 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 BG951 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.