BEST LTE Modules and Dev Boards for MQTT

Brainstorming
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Hi everyone, I wanted to ask for advice on which module/dev kit is best suited for my project. Simply put, the intention is to transmit sensor data via the MQTT protocol, so I have looked at the solutions offered by Particle. I am based in Europe, so I can only use 2G/3G… These are the modules or dev boards that should in theory be suitable:

  • T SoM Evaluation Kit with EtherSIM (LTE CAT1/3G/2G (Europe) Evaluation Kit)
  • Boron 2G/3G Global Starter Kit with EtherSIM
  • E SoM Evaluation Kit with EtherSIM (2G/3G (Global - E314) Evaluation Kit)
  • M.2 SoM Evaluation Board + B SoM LTE CAT1/3G/2G (Europe) with EtherSIM
  • Tracker ONE, although not specifically dedicated to prototyping…

I don’t know, however, what one has more than the other and which has broader functionality for perhaps future updates.

Thanks to those who can clarify my ideas :v:

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We do not recommend using MQTT on Particle devices, and in particular on cellular devices. While there is a 3rd-party MQTT library, there is not one that is based on TLS/SSL, so the data is not encrypted. Even if there were a TLS/SSL library, using it on cellular devices, especially when using sleep modes, would use a very large amount of cellular data, because each connection would add an additional 2 to 5 kilobytes of data usage, which can add up quickly as each wake from sleep requires re-authentication with MQTT over TLS.

The recommended method with Particle is to use its native CoAP implementation to the Particle cloud and use webhooks to export the data to an external service. This is by far the most efficient way, and uses the least cellular data as the CoAP connection is based on DTLS which is able to maintain a session in sleep mode.

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Hey, there is one, the fantastic work from @hirotakaster , and it lives here:

It does not change your conclusion though, as to not being recommended for cellular devices for the reasons you stated.

@martin.iot : the CoAP messages plus the webhooks Particle offers are a fantastic combo to use in your projects. Please give them a shot and if you have questions post again.

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You are correct. I was thinking https, which there is no library, but the hirotakaster library is the best for TlsTcpClient and MQTT-TLS.

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Thanks for the tips. I took a look at the website regarding the offered cloud, however, it’s not very transparent about costs, or rather, I couldn’t find a section that summarizes the plans to choose from.

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In the growth plan, you need to determine how many blocks you need, with is based on:

  • Number of devices (up to 100 per block)
  • Number of data operations (720,000 per block, pooled across all devices, per month)
  • Amount of cellular data (540 MB per block, pooled across all devices, per month)

If you exceed any one of the limits, you need to purchase another block, which is $299 per month for cellular devices.

There is a much longer explanation in data operations.

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