LOW COST GLOBAL DATA FOR IOT
| https://swarm.space/ | https://swarm.space/product/swarm-m138-modem/ |
Swarm provides low-bandwidth satellite connectivity for only $5/month using ultra-small satellites in a low orbit. Swarm satellites cover every point on Earth, enabling IoT devices to affordably operate in any location.
As an ‘explorer’, the potential implications this has on my awaited RISC-V uconsole are striking. Signal… anywhere?! I wonder how the modem could fit.
The data rate may be minuscule, but I think if one was conservative with binaries it would be enough for at least primitive messaging. Regardless, I think this finding is relevant to the community and many may find it interesting if not already aware of Swarm. I would enjoy hearing others’ thoughts and ideas, opening a discussion on this network and the like.
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I’ve been in discussion with the Swarm team - there is a $200 starter kit from Adafruit… USD $5/MO PER DEVICE
Provides 750 data packets per device per month (up to 192 Bytes per packet), including up to 60 downlink (2-way) data packets
AES256-GCM encryption for secure transmission.
Annual contract with no setup or hidden fees.
Data delivered via a REST API or Webhook to any cloud service. I’m going to explore Meshtastic first… lower cost hardware - no fees … but if you don’t have connectivity you can’t talk to anyone…
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Sfe has a similar kit, but the ground plane requirement doesn’t make it easy to use like that.
Ground Plane (PCB, 8" x 8")
I’ve done stuff like this with OrbComm. Beware of SATCOM link availability. I highly recommend looking at flyover coverage for any candidate constellation using gpredict in Linux. It shows you the downlink footprints in any zone on earth at a given time.
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