What is the difference between CAT1 and NB-IoT

Choose Cat-1 or NB-loT for communication equipment? NB-loT stands for Narrowband Internet of Things; Cat-1 is designed for Internet of Things devices that require medium and low bandwidth. They have attracted widespread attention and are considered to be the technologies that will promote the next generation of cellular I0T. So when buying equipment, choose Cat-1 or NB-loT?

Cat-1 is designed for IoT devices that require medium and low bandwidth. It is part of the 8th edition of the 3GPP standard. Cat-1 (which has been widely adopted by global operators) provides an upload speed of 5Mbps, a download speed of 10Mbps, and a delay of 50 to 100 milliseconds. In full-duplex mode, it uses up to 20 MHz bandwidth and supports tower switching.

Cat-1 can manage low-power applications supported by NB-loT and Cat-M1, and can support higher bandwidth requirements. Compared with NB-loT and Cat-M1, Cat-1 consumes more power and has a slightly smaller signal range. short. Cat-1 also supports voice and mobile loT applications, and also provides a good migration path for 2G and 3G applications (such as asset tracking, smart meters and other remote sensors).

Cat-1 application scenarios: wearable devices, point-of-sale terminals, automated teller machines, retail kiosks, video surveillance, networked medical care, consumer electronic equipment, and some vehicle remote information processing data. It also supports shared mobile applications, such as bicycle and scooter rental, and complex IoT devices, such as digital signage and automated drone delivery.

NB-loT is a standard developed by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) as part of the 13th version of the cellular communication LTE standard. This is a low-power, wide area network (LPWAN) technology that runs on licensed spectrum and is designed for IoT devices with low bandwidth requirements. Compared with other existing cellular standards, it is inexpensive, provides better indoor coverage, consumes less power, and therefore has a longer battery life. The uplink speed of NB-loT in half-duplex mode is 66kbps and the download speed is 26kbps, which means that data can only flow in one direction at a time. It also has a delay of 1.6 to 10 seconds.

NB-loT application scenarios: smart gas meters, water meters and electric meters, smart city applications (such as smart street lights and parking sensors), and other remote sensing applications that do not send frequent or large amounts of data. These include HVAC controls, industrial monitors and agricultural sensors that monitor irrigation systems and detect leaks.