“Most IoT modules on the market use LTE modem technology, developed by silicon vendors specializing in wearables. These may not be ideal for IoT applications because they focus on features sought by Tier 1 wearable manufacturers, which are limited by short lifecycles. The LARA-R3121 is different, possessing features and qualities designed for industrial markets,” said Andreas Thiel, co-founder of ublox and executive vice president of Cellular Products & IC Design. “This is the only cellular module that includes both a Cat 1 LTE modem and a GNSS engine, with complete module hardware and software, all developed by a single vendor. With our IoT-market-centric approach, we bring an IoT-first vision to silicon design.”
The LARA-R3121 module comes in the small 24 x 26 mm LARA LGA form factor, ideal for compact IoT devices. This standardized package enables easy automated manufacturing and offers pin-to-pin compatibility with u-blox's LARA-R2 series, which supports multimode LTE Cat 1 with 2G/3G backup. It marks a first milestone in u-blox's long-term strategy to create modules based on the UBX-R3 LTE modem technology platform, a flexible, software-defined modem architecture specifically designed for IoT and M2M.
In-house development, a customer advantage.
The main modem and the positioning and module components of the LARA-R3121 were developed in-house, allowing complete freedom in developing innovative features, ensuring end-to-end security, and enabling comprehensive product quality control. This, in turn, guarantees the long-term product availability required by many IoT applications. Because the modem and GNSS technologies were developed internally, u-blox is also able to provide unparalleled technical support for developers.
The LARA-R3121 integrates FOTA and provides customers with a solution for issuing firmware via over-the-air updates. Customers also benefit from end-to-end security features, including secure boot, a secure transport layer, secure authentication, and secure interfaces and APIs. Like other u-blox cellular modules, the LARA-R3121 adheres to a nested architecture, enabling easy migration and seamless, future-proof mechanical scalability across cellular technologies.
Ready for an LTE World:
As a single-mode, LTE-only device, the LARA-R3121 takes advantage of the fact that LTE networks are becoming universally available. Increasingly, products no longer require 3G or 2G backup, meaning non-essential components can be eliminated, reducing cost and power consumption.
LTE Cat 1's maximum download and upload speeds of 10 Mbps and 5 Mbps provide sufficient data rates for good quality video streaming.
