Sector News

The MIX-ALND1 is the latest Mini-ITX board from Aaeon which supports Intel processor N-series CPUs. It is powered by either the Intel processor N97 or N50. The MIX-ALND1 offers 4800MHz DDR5 system memory via the SODIMM slot. This provides high bandwidth data transmission for the board’s dual Realtek RTL8111H-CG Ethernet, dual USB 3.2 Gen 2 ports and internal pin headers providing RS-232 / 422 / 485, digital I/O, and HD audio functions.

The MIX-ALND1 is also equipped with Intel UHD graphics and the board design affords a configuration of display options, namely HDMI 2.0 and DP 1.4 for resolutions of up to 4K at 60Hz. There is also an 18/24-bit dual channel LVDS connector (colay with eDP), which means the board is able to support three simultaneous displays. 

Storage consists of SATA III and an M.2 2280 M-Key offering NVMe, PCIe, or additional SATA storage options. Other expansion slots include an M.2 3042/3052 B-Key and an M.2 2230 E-Key, which provide support for Wi-Fi, 5G, and AI acceleration modules.

The MIX-ALND1 is suitable for machine automation, advanced gaming and point of sale and kiosk machines. 

The MIX-ALND1 is now in mass production and available for order.

http://www.aaeon.com 

Industrial IoT gateway company AMIT Wireless, and IoT connectivity company, Actility, have partnered to facilitate deployment of CBRS (Citizens Broadband Radio Service) IoT use cases for backhauling LoRaWAN gateway traffic.

CBRS was launched in the USA in 2020 by the FCC as a dynamic sharing system in the 3550 to 3700MHz band. Also known as the innovation band, this frequency band will allow for the expansion of coverage and capacity of operators’ LTE services as well as the implementation of new mobile uses (e.g., 5G and IoT). The band is currently also used by the US Navy, the Department of Defence and satellite communication service providers.

AMIT and Actility have agreed co-operation and mutual promotion of the AMIT Wireless CBRS products as a backhaul for LoRaWAN gateways using Actility’s ThingPark IoT platform, opening up a range of use cases to allow the deployment of private cellular network in CBRS bands.

One of the main challenges for IIoT LoRaWAN deployments in rural or remote areas is backhaul connectivity. Private cellular networks are privately owned, customisable cellular networks comprised of various components such as radio hardware and network orchestration software. These networks can significantly enhance connectivity and address the limitations of traditional Wi-Fi networks in industrial IoT deployments in remote areas. Public cellular networks, in contrast, provide limited control over service quality and risk data security, explained Actility. The solution, said AMIT and Actility is for the AMIT Wireless CBRS LTE devices to carry the backhaul traffic of LoRaWAN gateways.

The FCC’s decision to allocate more spectrum for business use, enterprises can now construct and operate their own private LTE or 5G networks, tailored to their needs, said Actility.

The Actility ThingPark Market presents a trial kit to demonstrate the capabilities of private LTE CBRS networks. The kit is characterised by the ability to enable roaming over CBRS and public networks using a single ThingPark global SIM card, as a result of global agreements with public network operators.

This kit illustrates a typical CBRS use case, providing backhaul for LoRaWAN gateways in rural or industrial networks, which traditionally rely on public SIMs, Ethernet or satellite connectivity. The kit can also be used to explore other CBRS use cases. Combined with AMIT Wireless CBRS gateways, it extends more possibilities by cellular connections and is also claimed to make users’ deployment easy, secure and reliable.

http://www.actility.com

The Digi XBee 3 Global GNSS LTE CAT 1 development kit can help engineers accelerate time to market and quickly integrate LTE cellular into devices and applications, eliminating the FCC and carrier end device certification process.
The kit is available from Mouser Electronics and includes the Digi XBee 3 Global LTE Cat 1 embedded modem and is pre-loaded with three months of pre-activiated cellular data service. The modem provides the flexibility to switch between multiple frequencies and wireless protocols as needed. These pre-certified Global LTE Cat 1 modules are suitable for moderate bandwidth (typically less than 25Mbyte per month) and low cost IoT applications, advised the company.
Pairing Digi Remote Manager with the XBee 3 Global LTE Cat 1 modem allows users to configure and control the modem from a central platform. The built-in Digi TrustFence security, identity, and data privacy features use multiple control layers to protect against new and evolving cyber threats.
Onboard templates can prototype cellular integration while the full suite of standard Digi XBee API frames and AT commands, MicroPython, and Digi XCTU allows users to seamlessly transition to this embedded modem with only minor software adjustments, said Mouser. Standard XBee API frames and AT commands, MicroPython, and  XCTU simplify setup, configuration, testing and adding or changing functionality.

https://www.mouser.com