In this exclusive webinar presented by M2M One in partnership with Telstra Enterprise, we discussed how Cat-M1 and NB-IoT are both good connectivity options for industries looking to take advantage of Low Power Wide Area Network #LPWAN) technology.
Follow the session a rich question and answer covered a diverse range of topics. Find attached the full transcript of this Q&A Session.
The Webinar is also available here : https://vimeo.com/452191361
Welcome to the May edition of the M2M One Newsletter.
M2M One are committed to the continued support of our customers during these unprecedented times. In this months newsletter we have some further updates on our COVID-19 procedures, as well as some further information on our upcoming NB-IoT solution.
Gideon Borden
Senior Director – Sales & Operations | M2M One
It is great to see that we as a nation are coming together in order to battle the COVID-19 outbreak. As the country slowly (and cautiously) comes out of lockdown, we are beginning to see some more activity in the industry, which is a very positive sign.
We would like to remind customers that M2M One are still open for business. We will continue to run a skeleton staff in the office for the time being, but are able to ship any SIM orders if required. If you need to place an order, please email orders@m2mone.com.au and we will get them out within 1 business day.
We would also like to continue to remind customers that during the lock-down period we are available to help remotely in auditing your account to ensure you are on the most efficient plans possible. If you would like to arrange an audit of your account, please get in touch with the Customer Service Management Team or your account manager.
While we are getting closer to a commercial launch of the NB-IoT service, we are continuing discussions around new opportunities and a potential roll-out of NB-IoT Fleets. What we have noticed is that there is still some confusion about what NB-IoT is, and the difference between Cat-M1 and NB-IoT (also known as NB1).
NB-IoT is a low-power, wide-area cellular network (LPWAN) technology which uses 200kHZ of bandwidth to transfer data. Generally, the maximum upload data transfer rate is around 62.5kb per second. The slightly slower data transfer rate is offset by lower power consumption and device affordability
NB-IoT is designed for simple devices which infrequently send data, and require a longer battery life.
If you have widely-deployed devices in the field (such as gas, electricity or water meters, environmental sensors, or building automation) that do not need to send frequent updates, this may be a suitable technology for your requirements.
However in many cases, NB-IoT will not be the correct technology to use for your deployment. There are some inherit limitations:
· NB-IoT cannot send any SMS or Voice.
· NB-IoT does not support cell tower handover.
· NB-IoT transfers data at a much slower rate than Cat M1, meaning you will need to remain on the network longer in order to send your data.
With this consideration, we invite anyone contemplating releasing a NB-IoT device to get in touch with our team and have an in-depth conversation about your solution, and the best go-to-market strategy from a connectivity standpoint.
Due to current COVID-19 situation, all events have been cancelled. Interestingly however, we have managed to have many more face-to-face meetings using technologies such as Microsoft Teams, Skype for Business and Zoom.
If you would like to have a face-to-face meeting with one of our staff, please reach out and we can arrange a video conference to help work through and of M2M / IoT needs.
There are a number of trade shows which we are hoping will still take place later in the year – we will keep you updated as soon as we have heard more.
Each month we bring you tips and tricks for getting the most value out of the M2M Control Centre.
Training Sessions:
Did you know that M2M One can offer you a one-on-one Jasper training session for your business?
If you are looking for a training session for new staff, a more detailed guide to some of the more complex features of Jasper, or even just a basic refresher, we are happy to provide a free-of-charge training session so that you can get more out of your Jasper portal.
If you are interested in a session please get in touch with your account manager or the customer service team at support@m2mone.com.au
Have more questions about the M2M Control Centre or want some training?
Contact your M2M One account manager
Welcome to M2M One’s September 2019 Newsletter,
It has been a busy time in the industry and we have a lot to share this month; we have a wrap-up of our attendance at Telstra Vantage event; we are also pleased to launch our new Customer Billing Portal; and have a further update on the progression of NB-IoT commercial launch. Lastly, we will share a security certificate update for the M2M One Control Centre.
Last week Telstra held its annual Vantage Roadshow in Melbourne. It was an impressive show, and bigger than ever. The event provided attendees with comprehensive information about the ongoing rollout of Australia’s first commercial 5G network. There was a very informative demonstration of the capabilities of 5G, which included a 360 degree, 8k live stream from the Gold Coast.
For me information on the stream see here (https://exchange.telstra.com.au/australias-first-live-5g-broadcast-and-what-5g-could-mean-for-entertainment/)
While there is a lot of discussion around 5G and what it can bring for the future, it is still very early days for M2M/IoT applications as there is still work to finalise the IoT standards in a 5G world. Having said that, there is still much work being done for M2M and IoT applications using Cat-M1, LTE and NB-IoT. There were many partners present at the show, offering some very interesting applications.
There was also a working demonstration of the water monitoring solution developed with MIoT using the recently approved Captis devices. These devices can give businesses access to information and control in the field, and are a great example of the technology that is going to power the Smart Cities projects of the future.
For more information on these technologies please get in touch with our sales team for advice.
We are continuing to work on the commercial launch of the NB-IoT plans – we are hopeful to be able to launch this in the next few months.
As mentioned there will be specific NB-IoT sims running on the new “telstra.iot” APN.
Until they have been launched commercially, we still have access to a limited number of trial sims. If you would like access to these for testing please reach out to us.
We have been busy in the backend in preparing our billing portal which has now gone live.
In the portal our customers will have access to:
o Previous statements
o Payment history
o Ability to set up and edit direct debits.
o Secure payment gateway to make payments.
If you would like access to the portal please contact accounts@m2mone.com.au for instructions on how to get set up.
As a scheduled maintenance activity, Cisco Jasper is replacing the existing Secure Socket Layer (SSL) Security Certificate. The renewal is required to maintain availability of secure access to the Control Centre Platform via API. The certificate update is to occur on Thursday 12th September 2019 at 2:00pm.
If you access the Control Centre Platform via API or a system that uses a pre-loaded *.jasperwireless.com certificate, you will need to take further action to ensure that you can continue to access the platform after this change.
WHO IS AFFECTED BY THIS CHANGE:
If you access the Control Centre platform via API and you have:
1. Preloaded the *.jasperwireless.com certificate in your automation API software or system, or
2. Hardcoded the existing certificate into an API client application.
Then you will need to replace the existing certificate in your application or system with the new certificate, in order for your access to the API to keep working.
WHAT DO YOU NEED TO DO:
Prepare and plan to replace the certificate in your system or software during or soon after the change window starting on Thursday 12th September at 2pm AEST.
1. To access the new certificate:
a. Contact Support (support@m2mone.com.au) to receive the new certificate. Alternatively,
b. Download the new certificate from this link in readiness for the change
2. During or soon after the maintenance window, update your old certificate with the new certificate. NB: If you replace the certificate before the above maintenance window, then your API access will not work until after the maintenance window.
WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF I DO NOT REPLACE THE CERTIFICATE?
1. API operation will be impacted if the SSL certificate is not updated during or immediately after the scheduled maintenance
2. Please do not replace the certificate prior to maintenance window as this will impact operation until Maintenance is completed.
We apologise in advance for any inconvenience caused.
For the first time, M2M One is excited to be attending the National Roads & Traffic Expo 17–18 September at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.
The National Road & Transport Expo focuses on road transport ecosystems including infrastructure, traffic management, smart mobility, parking and safety. As with many other industries, there is also a large amount of growth with M2M / IoT solutions and we look forward to being a part of the expo. If you are in Melbourne, please come along and say hello to the team at stand #429 – registration and trade entry is free into the expo.
Each month we bring you tips and tricks for getting the most value out of the M2M Control Centre.
Custom Field Management
M2M One offer up to 12 columns of custom information that can be recorded in Jasper against your SIM fleet.
By default we have 7 Customer Notes fields available in Jasper that can be turned on by ‘right clicking’ on any column heading in the Service View in the Control Centre. This will open a tick list of column headings, and you can add or remove the columns you need – including our Customer Notes 1-6, and Customer Modem ID fields.
If you find that these fields aren’t enough for your needs, you can add an additional 5 Custom Fields that are completely unique to your account. Go to Admin > Custom Fields in Jasper and enable the 5 custom field options available. These fields are able to be given unique column names for greater customisation.
Welcome to M2M One’s May 2019 Newsletter,
Hard to believe we are already heading towards the middle of the year – time sure has gone fast this year. This month we continue our ongoing discussion around NB-IoT, welcome a new staff member and gear up for a number of trade shows we are participating in the second half of the year.
As always if you need any help or advice regarding your M2M / IoT Solution please reach out so we can see how we can help.
We have previously updated everyone on where we are with Telstra progress on releasing the NB-IoT plan (https://www.m2mone.com.au/m2m-one-february-2019-newsletter/). As more time passes we are getting closer to a commercial launch of the NB-IoT plans. As a further update we now have a number of customer successfully testing on the new telstra.iot APN.
We still have some remaining trial sims so if you would like to get started please get in touch to arrange.
We would like to welcome to the M2M One family, Shobhana Mallela who has joined the team as our newest Business Development Manager. Shobhana come to us with many year experience in the Telecommunications industry managing a range of accounts for one of Telstra’s Partners.
Shobhana is excited to be onboard and help customers get the most of our their M2M One SIM services.
M2M One are proud to announce that we again are partnering with the Victorian Government’s Trade Mission to the CommunicAsia in June this year. We are looking forward to working with customers wanting to bring their innovative products to Australia.
We will be part of the Victorian Government Pavilion located at Level 5, Stand Number 5F4-01. If you will be at the show please get in touch to set up a time to meet.
CommunicAsia 2019
June 18-20 2019
Marina Bay Sands,
Singapore
Our other upcomming shows:
Security Exhibition + Conference
July 24-26 2019
ICC Sydney,
Australia
National Roads & Traffic Expo 2019
September 17-18 2019
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Australia
IoT Impact 2019
October 15-16 2019
University of Technology Sydney,
Australia
All-Energy Australia
October 23-24 2019
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Australia
CeBIT Australia 2019
October 29-31 2019
ICC Sydney,
Australia
Each month we bring you tips and tricks for getting the most value out of the M2M Control Centre.
Below is a quick guide to troubleshoot failures for each section:
If you see this error, simply change the status of your SIM card in CISCO Jasper to the correct SIM State.
If you see this error contact support@m2mone.com.au for immediate help.
· No power to the device
· Incorrect frequency bands for the mobile network (Example no 850Mhz 3G for Telstra)
· No mobile coverage in area
· SIM card incorrectly inserted or SIM reader damaged
When you see this error we recommend trying the following trouble shooting steps before contacting support@m2mone.com.au
1. Check power to the device, if the device is powered try cycling the power to the modem
2. Check you have the supported mobile frequencies on your device and in your location
3. Check our coverage map to see if you have coverage in your area
4. Test the SIM in a mobile phone to see if it registers
5. Reinsert the SIM and check the contacts on the SIM reader
· Incorrect or misspelled APN in the device
· Limited power to the modem
· Limited signal strength
· Incorrect ports or sockets open on device
· IPX Address incorrectly configured (IPX customers only)
When you see this error we recommend trying the following trouble shooting steps before contacting support@m2mone.com.au
1. Check the APN(s) in the device are spelt correctly
2. Check signal strength on the device
3. Check power to the device
4. Send any necessary SMS commands to force a modem reboot
Welcome to M2M One’s April 2019 Newsletter,
Well another month has been and gone in a flash, for M2M One and the IoT industry in general there has been a lot happening! In this issue we will be discussing our experiences at IoT Asia, changes to CISCO Jasper API security and a continued discussion on the progress of Telstra’s NB-IoT Launch as well as the 2100MHz 3G shutdown.
M2M One are gearing up for big last half of 2019 with at least 5 – 6 tradeshows on the calendar for us to attend – Keep an eye on our upcomming newsletters for details of shows coming up in your region with information on how to attend and meet the M2M One team.
IoT Asia was back in Singapore last week and once again showcased a wide array of businesses either looking for or offering services in the M2M and IoT Space. While smaller than previous years, it was a great regional showcase for some of the more innovative and interesting applications in IoT.
There was a lot of buzz around NB-IoT and Cat-M1. Interestingly there were many companies developing hardware and software solutions, even though there are still only a handful of countries around the world and specifically in APAC with these networks up and running, (Australia being at the forefront of Cat-M1 deployments).
With the ever increasing power of data and control being understood there are many new industries being introduced to M2M and IoT. One such industry that had a number of players on show at IoT Asia this year was the connected Public Bathroom. Sensors dotted around Public Restrooms on toilet roll holders, doors and stalls with Ammonium level sensing, collate information and let the cleaning staff know when to clean the bathrooms – increasing both time and cost efficiencies while maintaining better quality facilities for the customers.
This is a great example of an industry that would never have thought of a connected solution a mere 5 years ago, but the advancement in the hardware, software and networks has made this a possibility. If you are keen to explore ways in which you may be able to take advantage of new technologies like this please get in touch with the IoT specialists at M2M One for a discussion.
As is required from time to time, Jasper has an upcoming maintenance planned on its API Security Certificate.
If you access the Control Center Platform via the API or a system that uses a pre-loaded *.jasper.com certificate, then you may need to take further action to ensure that you can continue to access the platform after this change.
This change only affects customer using the API – and you should have also received direct communication from Telstra regarding this.
If you have not received this and need the updated Security Certificate please contact support@m2mone.com.au
Planned Change Date: 17th April 2:00pm AEST and will take about 2 hours.
Last month we brought you some updates as to where we are with regards to the commercial launch of the NB-IoT network on Telstra (https://www.m2mone.com.au/m2m-one-february-2019-newsletter/) The NB-IoT trials are continuing and we now have many customers with successful connections on NB-IoT SIMs (using the new “telstra.iot” APN)
Telstra are still finalizing what the commercial plans will look like and as soon as we find out we will share them. In the meantime if you would like to trial some NB-IoT SIMs please get in touch.
We have mentioned in the past few newsletters that the 2100Mhz shut down will commence from 25th March 2019. We have recently received information from Telstra that this has been delayed until 30th April 2019.
The main reason for the delay is to allow certain devices detected on the network time to change the hardware as it was detected that they would not work on 850MHz.
As previously discussed, as long as your device in the field can operate on the 850Mhz frequency or LTE (Band 28 – 700Mhz or Band 3 – 1800Mhz), you should be fine – you may need to do a power cycle to re-register to the network.
If you are still experiencing further issues after the 30th of April (and your device is 850Mhz capable) please get in touch with support for further help. Support can be reached by:
Security Exhibition + Conference
July 24-26 2019
ICC Sydney,
Australia
IoT Impact 2019
September 10-11 2019
University of Technology Sydney,
Australia
National Roads & Traffic Expo 2019
September 17-18 2019
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Australia
All-Energy Australia
October 23-24 2019
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre,
Australia
CeBIT Australia 2019
October 29-31 2019
ICC Sydney,
Australia
Each month we bring you tips and tricks for getting the most value out of the M2M Control Centre.
Batch Updates:
One of the great features of Cisco Jasper, is that you have the ability to add customer information to every sim card you have under management. This help for support and in breaking down the information at the end of each month when doing reports. While you can do this by manually editing each field, when you start connecting larger number of devices this can become quite tedious.
Enter the Batch update – Instead of updating Custom Fields manually in Jasper, or changing SIM States page by page, large changes can be made via uploading an excel spreadsheet through a Batch Update. This feature is quite useful for when you have a number of SIMs needing updating.
Start by navigating to the services page. From here you can take an export of your SIMs. This will create a spreadsheet that can be opened in Excel. On this sheet you can then make the changes you require.
In order to upload these changes, you will need to save the spreadsheet with some specific headings (More details on this below) and upload it back to Jasper. This can be done by clicking on Services, then Batch Update. Under the Actions option you will then be able to upload the file.
Jasper will send you an email when the file has been uploaded.
There are some special considerations when utilising Batch Updates. The SIM ICCID must be used as one of the columns, as this is how Jasper identifies the SIMS. There are also special headings you must use for each field and not your custom headings, and these can be found below.
