In this episode of TechVentures, Lazina walks us through how to started with the LTE-M and NB-IOT module from u-blox: the SARA-R5 Evaluation Kit.
What is the SARA-R5 Series Module?
The SARA-R5 series, developed by u-blox, is an LTE-M / NB-IoT module with Secure Cloud.
This LTE-M and NB-IoT module supports a comprehensive set of 3GPP Rel. 14 features that are relevant for IoT applications such as:
- Improvements to power consumption
- Coverage
- Data rate
- Mobility
- Positioning
Evaluation Board: SARA-R510M8S
The module on this evaluation board is the u-blox SARA-R510M8S, which features multiple variants. The one in particular featured in this TechVentures video consists of:
- An integrated u-blox M8 GNSS receiver chip
- A separate GNSS antenna interface
If you’re not particularly interested in the GNSS receiver, there are other variants in this SARA-R5 product series that offer the same functionalities without the GNSS receiver.
Learn more: u-blox SARA-R5 Series Module
The full u-blox SARA-R5 Evaluation Kit includes:
- USB cable
- 1 cellular LTE antenna made by Taoglas
- 1 GPS/GLONASS antenna
- Power adapter with the different interfaces for use in different regions
- Evaluation Board
The SARA-R5 Evaluation Board is made up of three boards:
1. The lower one, called EVB-WL3, which contains the power supply and other peripherals for the u-blox SARA-R5 series cellular module (such as SIM card holder, reset button and power switch).
2. The cellular adapter board, called ADP-R5, which contains the u-blox SARA-R5 cellular module and connectors to access the cellular module interfaces.
These are antenna connectors for the cellular RF interface and the GNSS RF interface of the SARA-R5.
3. The GNSS adapter board, called ADP-GNSS, which contains the u-blox NEO-M8N GNSS module.
This board features a GNSS antenna connector and the USB connector for the module.
u-blox SARA-R5 Module Block Diagram
