Technology
EIT Smart provides a global LPWA connectivity service dedicated to the IoT world based on 0G Sigfox technology. Learn about the main features and benefits of this protocol below.
What is Sigfox? Introduction to 0G technology.
Created to address the “massive IoT,” Sigfox combines unique technical features with a global business model to connect the physical world and easily and efficiently collect data from connected devices, especially those that are self-powered.
Features and benefits
The Sigfox protocol was specifically developed to address the requirements of “massive IoT”: high energy savings to ensure long battery life, long communication range, high network scalability, simplicity and deployment speed. By not requiring additional actions to “set-up” the IoT devices that use it, Sigfox allows for a reduction in the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of the solution.
Sigfox network architecture
Unlike cellular technology, the device is not docked to a single cell but broadcasts its message. The message thus broadcast is received by every base station in the area. This feature, in addition to increasing the safety of communication, ensures the predictability of energy consumption levels as it is not dependent on the distance and quality of communication between node and antenna.
Small messages for big results
The net payload of an uplink message is 12 bytes, 8 in the case of a downlink, carrying the data you need, when you need it. In fact, while small at first glance, the information content that can be carried in a Sigfox message is more than enough to monitor information such as the location and status of a device or the measurement of energy consumption levels or, again, air quality.
High energy efficiency
The small message size, together with the absence of synchronization between the IoT device and the network, allows for a significant reduction in energy consumption by ensuring the maximization of the autonomy of an IoT device. In fact, the only parameter that affects consumption is the number of transmissions of the object since the bandwidth, data-rate and transmission power are fixed.
Global connectivity
Sigfox provides a common device and network management cloud service for all operators thus ensuring seamless interoperability between different networks in Europe and overseas.
Ultra Narrow Band Modulation
Sigfox uses an innovative wireless communication protocol with ultra-narrow UNB (Ultra Narrow Band) band operating on the ISM 868MHz free band. The output signal power level is 14 dBm with 100 Hz bandwidth, D-BPSK modulation, and can be transmitted at 100 or 600 bps depending on the geographical region. These features contribute to the achievement of long communication distances and ensure the quality of transmission and effective containment of power consumption.
Integration with the Sigfox Backend
The service offered includes the use of the Sigfox Backend, a standard interface for managing devices and the messages they transmit. The Backend enables to manage one’s own devices and also to configure callbacks quickly and easily for receiving the data transmitted by the device on one’s own systems.
Access to the radio resource
Transmission between the device and the network is asynchronous. Each device sends each message 3 times in frequency modulation (frequency hopping) while each base station remains constantly listening on the ISM band spectrum waiting for UNB messages to be demodulated.
Optimized protocol
The Sigfox protocol is specifically designed to efficiently transport small amounts of data. Among other things this allows for the containment of energy consumption levels all the while ensuring the correct information intake.
High resistance to interference
The UNB (Ultra Narrow Band) protocol due to its robust characteristics, together with redundancy in base station reception, is particularly resistant to interferences thus giving the signal proven “anti-jamming” capabilities. The UNB protocol is the best choice for operating on the free ISM 868MHz band.
Sigfox network security
Security starts with the device but must also be supported by radio technology. Communication between the base stations and the Sigfox cloud, as well as the cloud itself, is secure, robust, reliable, and scalable. At the end of the chain, the clients’ IT platforms are connected with the Sigfox service via HTTPS encrypted interfaces.
