u-blox and NetModule announced their partnership in the development of modular, multifunctional automotive gateways for telematics applications. NetModule's NG800 automotive gateway platform, available for various products, features the u?blox TOBY-L2 cellular module, the u-blox NEO-M8L GNSS receiver, and in some products the u?blox JODY-W1 Wi-Fi module.

NetModule designed its NG800 automotive IoT gateway to offer robust communication between a vehicle's onboard electronics and connected cloud based applications, enabling a broad spectrum of automotive use cases, including e-mobility monitoring, fleet management, and remote vehicle diagnostics.

To meet customer-specific requirements with bespoke solutions, NetModule has adopted a modular platform approach comprising software, electronic, and mechanical modules. Per the company, this platform allows the manufacture of a broad range of product variants at a moderate investment, even in small quantities. In addition, the NG800 gateway received in 2019 the Red Dot Design Award in the category Product Design.

"The key components in the NG800 are sourced from u-blox," says Benjamin Amsler, Director Engineering at NetModule. NetModule provides the management software, connection monitoring etc. on top, while the remote management of eUICC SIM profiles have been implemented in close cooperation with u-blox."The globally certified TOBY-L2 cellular modem offers global connectivity, while the NEO-M8L GNSS receiver with dead reckoning offers robust positioning, even in typically challenging environments."

Municipalities will be among those to benefit, for instance, by equipping garbage collection, street cleaning, and winter maintenance vehicles with the NG800 telematics gateway. Authorities will be able to monitor their vehicles' activities, itineraries, and status, gathering valuable real-time data that they can leverage to optimize their operations.

The NG800, which combines LTE Cat 4 cellular communication, Bluetooth low energy short range radio, and GNSS positioning with dead reckoning, also features a Molex CMC 48 pin connector to accept wired inputs such as CAN, RS-232, automotive Ethernet 100BASE-T1, and Fast Ethernet 100BASE-TX. Housed in a robust IP69-classified case, the NG800 is designed to withstand harsh handling, making it tough enough to be mounted on the vehicles' exteriors.  

For more information, visit: www.u-blox.com or www.netmodule.com