by James Richmond | Oct 25, 2017 | M2M One News
M2M One Newsletter – October 2017
Welcome to M2M One’s October Newsletter,
It was great to get such a positive response to our last month’s newsletter, where we talked about the risks of running an M2M/IoT device with a public IP address (If you missed our September newsletter click here). Seeing customers taking more initiative and control over these vulnerabilities will help strengthen the growth of the IoT industry in general and hopefully one day stop these security ‘horror stories’ that slow down the adoption of remote technology.
Keeping up with last months attempt to assist with common M2M/IoT problems we wanted to take some time in this month’s newsletter to talk about compatible frequencies for use in Australia, particularly on the M2M One Network.
We’re also talking about the new Automation Rules available to customers in CISCO Jasper 7.0, offering a brief reminder about an upcoming public holiday and inviting you to join us at our last event of 2017, Wearable Technology in Sydney.
- 3G & 4G Devices on the M2M One Network in Australia
In the aftermath of the 2G shutdown of all major networks in Australia we’re seeing more and more customers bringing hardware into Australia that they have been told is 3G or 4G/LTE compatible. Unfortunately in a lot of cases what is being sold has been misrepresented as being compatible with Australian Mobile Networks.
We’ve written a comprehensive guide to ensuring your device works in Australia in our blog: https://www.m2mone.com.au/m2m-tips-deploying-cellular-m2m-or-iot-devices-in-australia/
One of the biggest mistakes we see is people purchasing a device that is 850/2100Mhz but only GSM, this is a 2G technology – To operate on the M2M One/Telstra network in Australia you must make sure that your 3G device supports 850Mhz UMTS/HSPA/HSPA+/DC-HSPA+
Telstra Certification – While its not mandatory for devices using the M2M One network to be Telstra Certified it does mean that when purchasing a module or modem you can be confident that it will work on our network. You can download a list of Telstra Certified devices by clicking here or speaking to a provider of certified hardware like M2M Connectivity.
- CISCO Jasper M2M Control Centre 7.0 Update – Automation Rules
As part of the Control Centre 7.0 upgrade to the M2M Control Centre we are now pleased to offer Automation Rules to M2M One customers. You’ll find more information in the Control Centre Tips section of this email
- M2M One Head Office Closure – Tuesday 7th November 2017
M2M One’s Melbourne head office will be closed on Tuesday November 7th due to the Melbourne Cup Day public holiday in Victoria.
SIM Orders: Any SIM card orders received after 3:30pm on Monday 6th of November will be shipped on Wednesday 8th of November.
Technical Support: M2M One will be limited to emergency technical support only, please raise a ticket by using support@m2mone.com.au
WT | Wearable Technologies Conference – Sydney, 7-8 December 2017
M2M One are proud to sponsor the inaugural Australian edition of the WT | Wearable Technologies Conference.
Since 2006, WT has been running Conferences in Europe, North America and Asia, with over 30,000 technology leaders attending their events. This year, WT | Wearable Technologies will launch their first Australian Event to help in achieving their goal of proactively creating an intelligent wearables and Internet of Things global landscape.
Wearable Technologies Sydney provides an essential forum for key opinion leaders, investors, decision makers and innovators that are looking at ways to enhance their current wearable applications as well as roll-out wearables within their respective industries and organisations.
The event will be comprised of a free exhibition and a 2-day conference
For more information and registration – Click Here
As we continue working with CISCO Jasper to improve the M2M Control Centre experience we want to make sure you are updated to critical features that will make managing your SIM fleet more effective.
As part of the 7.0 release of Control Centre we are pleased to announce a feature that has been requested for some time – M2M One customers now have access create and manage Automation Rules for SIM cards.Automation Rules can help you monitor and manage excess usage, SIM changes and secure your SIMs against unauthorized use.
To help you get started we’ve written a PDF guide to help you navigate the functions and get your automation rules up and running quickly.
If you have any issues setting up rules or need some technical support for your services you can always contact our support team on support@m2mone.com.au
To arrange in person or webex training on the M2M One Control Centre please contact your M2M One account manager.
by James Richmond | Aug 25, 2017 | M2M One News
M2M One Newsletter – August 2017
Welcome to M2M One’s August Newsletter,
This month M2M One are taking a breather from our hectic schedules to celebrate a significant business milestone and offer our thanks to you, our valued customers for helping us get there!
We’re also looking at Telstra’s launch of the Cat-M1 network earlier this month and what it means for your M2M/IoT devices, invite you to join us at our next trade event All Energy Australia 2017 in October and give you some hints on managing SMS with your M2M One SIMs.
James Mack
General Manager | M2M One
- M2M One reaches 100,000 active connections in Australia!
Earlier this month M2M One reached a major company milestone in securing 100,000 active SIM connections across Australia! This marks a huge step forward from activating our first SIM card with Telstra in November 2010.
The team at M2M One want to extend our warmest thanks to all of the customers who have chosen M2M One as their preferred supplier of SIM cards over the last 6 years – whether you have 1 SIM or 10,000 with us, please know that we truly value your business and thank you for continuing to work with us.
If there is ever anything we can do to help you improve or grow you M2M/IoT business please reach out to our team and we’ll be happy to assist.
- Telstra Launch Cat-M1 Network Australia Wide
On 1/08/2017 Telstra announced that their 4G Network now covers 99% of the Australian population and that they have officially enabled Cat-M1 capability across the 4G footprint.
So what exactly is Cat-M1?
Cat-M1 is an LTE standard designed specifically for IoT/M2M that allows compatible modules to operate on a reduced spectrum with reduced speed to theoretically improve battery life, coverage and penetration.
Can I use Cat-M1 now?
Yes – As of 1st of August Telstra’s entire 4G network is enabled for Cat-M1 transition and your M2M One SIM cards will work with no additional changes! All you need is a compatible module or modem, if you need help sourcing a product feel free to contact M2M One and we can introduce you to some of our partners.
All Energy Australia 2017 – Melbourne, 11-12 October 2017
M2M One are excited to be a first time exhibitor at one of Australia’s premier Clean Energy & Waste Management events in it’s return to Melbourne in October. We’ll be exhibiting our range of SIM Cards and Data Plans as well as talking about how customers in the energy, utility and waste industry are using our services to power their IoT & M2M solutions.
You can find M2M One at Stand 1016 – View our exhibitor profile
Held in partnership with the Clean Energy Council, the 2017 program will showcase expert opinions from more than 120 speakers and feature more than 120 domestic and international exhibitors.
Each month we bring you tips and tricks for getting the most value out of the M2M Control Centre.
Managing SMS Usage
This month we look at various ways to utilize SMS with your M2M One SIM Cards.
As standard all M2M One SIMs come with additional features like SMS, Voice & Roaming barred but you can have these activated and added at any time – For full information on pricing click here
When you have SMS enabled on your SIM cards there are a few features you can benefit from in the M2M Control Centre:
- SMS Live – In the control centre you can click on any ICCID to access additional information and features, from here navigate to the bottom and click the SMS tab.
The first option here is SMS Live, this allows you to send SMS messages from the control centre at no additional cost to your devices in the field. Many of our customers use this as a low cost way to remotely configure devices in the field by sending AT Commands via SMS – SMS Live is also available through the API
- Message History – The second tab in SMS labelled Message History lets you view in real-time any SMS messages sent or received from that particular SIM. While you can’t see the content of the message you can see date, time, sent from and sent to information to help you diagnose any issues you may be having related to SMS on your device.
- SMS Monitoring and Alarms – M2M One can set alerts and automation rules on services on your behalf to notify and event suspend SIM cards on high SMS usage within a month or 24 hour period. To set this up either contact your account manager or email support@m2mone.com.au
Have more questions about the M2M Control Centre or want some training?
Contact your M2M One account manager
by James Richmond | Jun 20, 2017 | M2M One News
M2M One Newsletter – June 2017
Welcome to M2M One’s June 2017 Newsletter,
We’re back after an exciting and successful CeBIT 2017 up in Sydney, it was great to meet so many people passionate about the future of M2M & IoT in Australia and we look forward to working with as many of you as possible.
One thing that really stood out was the number of questions we were getting about LPWAN technologies, it seems with the uncertainty around the lifespan of 3G/Next G in Australia many people are taking their time to look at the next logical upgrade path for their device – Do they jump to 4G/LTE as it exists today, do they wait for CAT M1 or do they hang on that bit longer for the ultra low bandwidth NB-IoT? Some people are questioning whether they stick with cellular or move to alternative technologies like SIGFOX, LoRA or even some of the new innovations coming from the satellite space.
We’ll be producing some articles on the evolution of wireless networks in the coming months but until then if you’re feeling confused about where to take your product next, get in touch – We’d love to hear from you.
- M2M One Billing Portal Maintenance (23/6/2017)
Please note that on 23/6/2017 M2M One’s online billing portal will be down for scheduled maintenance from 10am – 2pm and will be unable for processing credit card payments. If you need to pay your invoice during this period please contact accounts@m2mone.com.au or call our office on 03 9696 3011.
Please note that if you need to order any SIM cards and have them lodged as a purchase before 1st July 2017 we need to receive the order no later than 3:00pm Friday the 30th of June – All SIM orders should be sent to orders@m2mone.com.au for the fastest processing.
Security 2017 – Sydney, 26-28 July 2017
M2M One are excited to once again be exhibiting at Australia’s largest Security Expo on it’s return to Sydney. We’ll be exhibiting our range of SIM Cards and Data Plans as well as talking about how customers in the security industry are using our services to power Alarm Panels, IP Cameras, Tracking Devices and more.
M2M One will be located at stand B27 next to Digital Matter
Registration to the expo is free – Register Here
Using M2M One SIMs and Data Plans for redundancy & failover
M2M One SIMs are ideally designed for failover solutions, either over an ADSL link or dual SIM modem. Due to our unique cost strucure we can help you minimize the costs associated with operating a redundant SIM.
What are your options?
- Activation Ready – M2M One SIMs can be placed into a status called Activation Ready this stops all billing on the SIM but keeps it alive on the mobile network. As soon as data is passed through the SIM it becomes live and ‘billable’. This is a great solution for dormant SIMs that only need to be used in the event of a link failure.
- Managed Group Plans – As part of our ongoing service to customers M2M One manage and monitor pooled data usage on your account, with the pooled plans if one or more of your SIM cards exceeds the pool (i.e in a failover event) we can work with you to optimize the plans for the lowest cost in that month.
- Single Step Plans – For customers managing a single site or SIM we can create a rule that will automatically step a SIM up to the next plan when it exceeds a specific amount of data and suspending at 100GB of usage. This is an ideal solution for customers wanting a simple fixed cost solution that they can set and forget.
For more information about using M2M One SIMs in a failover or redundancy capacity or for some recommendations on compatible hardware please contact your account manager or email info@m2mone.com.au
Each month we bring you tips and tricks for getting the most value out of the M2M Control Centre.
Locating your SIMs IP Address
This month we look at finding the IP Address of your SIM Card once its connected to the mobile network.
From Services > SIM List click on the ICCID number of any ‘In Session’ SIM card to load the Details screen. From the details screen you can see the current session information including the Session Start Time, Device IP Address and APN.
For customers using our IPX Static IP service you can locate the IP Address allocated to your SIM cards at any time by enabling the IPX Address column on the SIM List screen – This can be done by right clicking on any of the column headings in the SIM List and then ticking the IPX Address checkbox.
Have more questions about the M2M Control Centre or want some training?
Contact your M2M One account manager
by James Richmond | Apr 29, 2016 | M2M One News
Welcome to M2M One’s April Newsletter – We’re now 12 months out from Optus shutting down their 2G network and only 8 months from Telstra shutting down theirs, the conversation around upgrading hardware is heating up. IoT/M2M Solution providers are considering the jump from 2G to 3G, LTE or possibly a LPWAN technology like SigFox or LoRA. At M2M One we’ve been working with customers and hardware vendors across the country to help them prepare their device for the shutdown and future proof their next model for years to come.
In this months newsletter we invite to join us at CeBIT Australia in Sydney, show you a new monitoring feature in the M2M Control Centre, highlight our participation in the recent Connect expo in Melbourne, highlight a product from one of our hardware partners, and as always, we remind customers that Telstra we be shutting down their 2G network on 1st of December 2016.
- Trade Event – CeBIT Australia 2016
- Control Centre Update – Month-to-Date Voice Usage Now Available
- Highlights – Connect Expo 2016
- Product Spotlight – Remora 3G Battery Powered Tracker
- Customer Reminder – Telstra 2G (GSM) 900MHz Shutdown
1. Trade Event – CeBIT Australia 2016
M2M One would like to invite you to join us at CeBIT Australia 2016 taking place at Sydney Olympic Park from the 2nd to the 4th of May.
M2M One will be exhibiting our range of M2M SIM Cards, Data Plans & Networking services at booth F15
As well as exhibiting M2M One will be participating in a number of presentations during the exhibition:
Free Show-floor presentation – ‘Developing & managing wireless M2M services in Australia’
- Tuesday 3rd May – 2:40pm at CeBIT Show-floor theatre stage B
- Wednesday 4th May – 10:40am at CeBIT Show-floor theatre stage B
Internet of Things Conference – ‘Reinventing and empowering retail with the Internet of Things’ with Cradlepoint
- Wednesday 4th May – 12:15pm at CeBIT IoT Conference in the Dome Theatre
We’d also like to extend a huge thank you all our customers who provided testimonials for our nomination to the CeBIT business awards this year, with your generous feedback we have been short-listed as a finalist for the
CeBIT Business Award for Service Distinction.
If you’d like to arrange a meeting with any of the M2M One staff at CeBIT please reply to this email with a suggested time and date.
2. Control Centre Update – Month-to-Date Voice Usage
In this months update to the M2M Control Centre a new feature that several customers have been asking for is now available. The ability to monitor voice usage per device in real-time. For customers currently using M2M One’s voice enabled SIMs you can now view Month to Date Voice Usage in the Services listing of your current fleet.
To enable this feature simply right click on any column heading in the Services listing and enable the ‘Month to Date Voice (min)’ column – Please note that this is a combination of outbound and inbound voice usage, and M2M One only charge for outbound (MO) voice sessions.
3. Highlights – Connect Expo 2016
M2M One were pleased to once again participate in one of Australia’s leading ICT and emerging technology events, Connect 2016. Connect took place at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre over the 19th – 20th of April.
Naturally the show was focused on the IoT hype slowly starting to meet reality, with conversations around LPWAN, Smart Cities and LTE for IoT being more about practical deployments than theoretical possibilities. One of the most exciting stands at the show was
LX Group who were showing their new modular IoT Core product could be a game changer for companies looking to incorporate multiple wireless technologies into a small simple form factor.
We look forward to seeing you all next year at Connect 2017!
4. Product Spotlight – Remora 3G Battery Powered Tracker
As M2M One continues to grow our partner program with leading M2M Hardware & Software providers world wide we are always on the look out for special offers that will benefit our customers. This month we have partnered with Australian Telematics hardware supplier Digital Matter to provide M2M One customers who are interested in trying their new 3G battery powered tracking device the ‘Remora’ free batteries for the month of May – Simply mention this newsletter when you purchase the product.
Digital Matter’s Remora is a low-profile, rugged 3G battery powered tracking device that is well suited for tracking of large assets like trailers, equipment, bins, skips, caravans, boats, motorbikes & jet-skis and can provide tracking updates for up to 5 years purely on battery power if configured for a single ping a day.
The Remora is an ideal replacement for old 2G hardware or an additional product to add to an existing tracking suite as it can be seamlessly integrated into any tracking platform with Digital Matters OEM Server & Data Connectors
For those of you who want to get a feel for the product, Digital Matter will be on hand at the M2M One booth F15 at CeBIT Australia on Monday the 2nd of May and we’ll have a demo unit throughout the expo.
If you’d like to learn more about Digital Matter’s dealer program or their product line please contact Stuart German on +61 497 770 050 or email at stuart@digitalmatter.com
The Remora is now available for purchase from M2M Connectivity or Digital Matter
5. Reminder – Telstra 2G 900MHz Shutdown
M2M One would like to continue to remind customers that Telstra will discontinue their 2G/GSM 900MHz network on the 1st of December 2016. This will impact all M2M One customers utilising 2G/GSM only hardware in Australia.
You can view our official notification here
M2M One customers with 2G devices have the opportunity to utilise 3G and soon, 4G LTE. All M2M One SIM cards are compatible with the Telstra 2G, 3G (and soon) 4G network, so you will not need to physically change any SIM cards from M2M One.
M2M One customers affected by the shut down of Telstra’s 2G/GSM network who are looking for solutions/alternatives for their 2G/GSM devices are advised to contact a 3G/4G LTE device vendor.
Please read M2M One’s notification of the shutdown if you haven’t already.
You can also read our blog on the Australian 2G Shutdown
by James Richmond | Mar 27, 2015 | M2M One News
The closing of Telstra’s 2G network and the expansion of 3G and 4G/LTE technology has spurred companies to look at upgrading their 2G applications and devices. This is a good time to start planning the migration of 2G to 3G/4G devices and M2M One is working behind the scenes to make sure our customers are supported during this transition. Our Voice Plans & International Roaming SIMs will be available in May and and we are happy to talk to you about these new services, our soon to be available 4G/LTE service or anything else in our range of services at Connect Expo next month. We look forward to seeing you there.
This months newsletter features:
- Notification – Voice Plans
- Notification – International Roaming Services
- Reminder – 2G Shut Down
- Blog – The Business of the Internet of Things – Smart Questions for Smart Devices
- Invitation – Connect Expo
1. Notification – Voice Plans
We bring you an update on M2M One’s Voice Plans. Offering affordable packages to fit your M2M communication needs, our Voice Plans will be commercially available in May. The PAYG and bundles rates are listed below.
The Voice plans support M2M applications where voice calls, machine call back, DTMF, and emergency dialing are required. If you would like more information on our Voice Plans, please contact M2M One.
| Pay Per Use |
1 Minute Bundle |
10 Minute Bundle |
| $1.20 per minute |
Monthly Fee – $1.10 per month |
Monthly Fee – $4.40 per month |
| $0.02 per second |
Excess usage – $0.018 per second |
Excess usage – $0.018 per second |
2. Notification – International Roaming Services
As mentioned in our January newsletter M2M One are engaging an alternative SIM provider for global roaming services to allow us to better service our customers.
I’m pleased to announce that this relationship is now in place and we will be able to offer roaming SIMs for a selection of countries with group plan options from 500KBs – 30MB – Full commercial pricing and available countries will be made available at the end of April.
For customers wishing to activate roaming on their existing M2M One SIM cards, this option is available at a pay per use rate of $4.00 per MB and only on the APNs “telstra.m2m” & “m2mone.com.au”
As always we advise customers with large scale international deployments to contact us directly for custom pricing and logistics.
3. Reminder – Telstra 900MHz 2G Shut Down
We would like to remind our customers that Telstra will discontinue their 2G/GSM network on the 1st of December 2016. This has implications for M2M One customers using 2G 900MHz GSM/GPRS modems.
M2M One customers with 2G devices have the opportunity to utilize 3G and soon 4G LTE. All M2M One SIM cards are compatible with the Telstra 2G, 3G and soon 4G network so you will not need to physically change any SIM cards from M2M One.
M2M One customers affected by the shut down of Telstra’s 2G/GSM network who are looking for solutions/alternatives for their 2G/GSM devices are advised to contact a 3G/4G LTE device vendor. Please read M2M One’s notification of the shutdown if you haven’t already.
4. Blog – The Business of the Internet of Things – Smart Questions for Smart Devices
M2M One’s blog navigates the hype of the Internet of Things. As IoT becomes ubiquitous, James Mack suggests questions customers should ask themselves in order to arrive at measured ways of climbing aboard the IoT juggernaut.
“The IoT is a powerful movement that will change the way we interact with the world around us…but like any tool the more you use it the more proficient you get with it, experiment, make mistakes but make sure you have a set goal in mind.”
Read the full blog.
5. Invitation – Visit M2M One at Connect
CONNECT is a showcase of the technologies transforming business, government and society. Visit Connect to explore the latest in cloud, data analytics, mobility and collaboration solutions to wearable tech, cybersecurity, devices, IoT, drones and network infrastructure,
M2M One invites you to the Connect Expo where we will be exhibiting our services on stand no. 24.
Date: 21 & 22 April 2015
Time: 10am to 4pm daily
Place: Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre
You can register for the expo free of charge, and we’re please to offer our customers 10% off conference registration fees by using the code “M2M” before the 10th of April.
Drop in and say hello. We will be happy to help you with comms for your M2M/IoT project.
