LTE-M for Smart Construction: What is the Real Value?
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45 million. That is how many smart buildings there were in the world in 2022. Insider Intelligence predicts that their number will grow to 115 million by 2026. Agree, you also have a smart home/office or something to remind you about this convenient option. A coffee maker? A motion sensor turning the light on?
It's not news that a smart building requires proper connectivity and management. As it turned out, Long Term Evolution for Machines (LTE-M) cellular technology is the one that supports these processes. Read on to discover why it's better to use it for your smart facility and what excellent options you should try to make sure LTE-M is perfect for smart homes.
You may also like: Wireless technologies are here to stay. What future do they have?LTE-M cellular technology: a brief explanation
It seems that LTE-M is another buzzword that speaks nothing. Meantime, the technology is pretty clear and simple. It's a type of low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) designed for the Internet of Things or Machine-to-Machine. It was created because of the popularity of wireless technology and the need to spread it to as many areas as possible.
Lightning-fast technologies, such as 5G, are not always the case for those who want to get the most out of a smart connection. They are costly and complicated in implementation and maintenance. Moreover, even now, we can't use 5G at a full scale.
LTE-M was created to cover that gap and make advanced connectivity affordable to everyone. Meantime, don't expect it's as fast as 5G or 6G. In reverse, compared with other innovations in this field, LTE-M cellular technology is like a snail that moves towards its goal. Among its core features are:
Full mobility
Lower power consumption
Wide in-building range
Voice functionality support
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LTE-M seems to be another eco-friendly and innovative technology capable of combining digital progress with sustainability. However, the only disadvantage that might be noticed here is its low throughput.
LTE-M can transfer only a limited amount of data but for long distances. It allows businesses to achieve:
Excellent indoor coverage. The technology offers excellent coverage for locations that do not support 2G, 3G, or 4G networks allowing it to operate data in real-time.
Long-live operation. LTE-M has an energy-saving mode that ensures battery operation for 10 years. It means that smart devices won't need regular attention.
Low latency. A limited amount of data transferred and 4G support, as well as access to voice, data, and SMS management, allows the technology to deliver messages with minimal delay.
These capabilities make Long Term Evolution for Machines suitable for smart buildings and smart city connections, creating a "green" system with high productivity. Moreover, the technology can support human wellbeing, empowering smart wearable devices. The long-life battery and perfect coverage allow it to perform:
Timely security alarms. LTE-M can respond immediately to any natural or tech disaster by notifying people and performing actions required in each scenario
Manage energy consumption. The technology is used for smart cities to manage the network of streetlights. It allows for regulating the lighting level for a long distance.
Support the entire device scope in a smart building. The innovation provides uninterrupted operation, preventing various issues with utilities.
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Many vendors in the market offer LTE-M devices for smart facilities to simplify management and ensure a high level of safety. For example, the LTE-M smart home alarm "Point", designed by Minut, employs best-of-breed motion, temperature, sound recognition, humidity, and air pressure detection sensors to define potential danger and notify residents via an application immediately.
Meantime, dozens of smart devices in homes, hundreds at offices, and millions in smart cities require a proper and robust management platform to process and deliver accurate data. Despite various options, construction companies opt for custom development to bring unique value and functionality. This approach allows them to increase CLV and expand revenue streams.
Development from scratch is always time-consuming and costly, making solutions irrelevant after launching. But if you decide to transform your business model and design highly performant LTE device management platforms - use the low code approach. With low code solutions, like XME. fast code platform, you can create MVP in several weeks focusing on business logic with a ready-to-use and fully configurable toolkit. This way, you'll make the development process cost-effective and cut the timeline to deliver a proven solution to end-users timely.
If you want to explore how to build a full-fledged device management platform for a smart facility with the XME.fast code platform - contact our sales team to choose your starting point.