LTE-M module with IoT Security-as-a-Service wins award

“The solutions selected for the Industrial IoT Product of Year Awards represent the diverse range of innovation driving the multi-billion-dollar IoT market today. It is my honor to congratulate u-blox for their innovative work and superior contribution to the rapidly evolving IoT industry,” said Ken Briodagh, Editorial Director for IoT Evolution.

“It is my pleasure to recognise ALEX-R5 with IoT Security-as-a-Service, an innovative solution that earned u-blox the 2021 Industrial IoT Product of the Year Award,” said Rich Tehrani, CEO, TMC. “I look forward to seeing more innovation from u-blox in the future.”

The ALEX-R5 LTE-M SiP module with IoT Security-as-a-Service makes it extremely simple to protect your data, both on the device and during the transmission of data from the device to the cloud. u-blox implements a true end-to-end concept where data are protected from the device to the end-user and are not visible by the intermediate nodes or platforms, nor by the service provider.

Its out-of-the box, simple, secure, and cost-effective onboarding process to leading cloud IoT platforms speeds up development, shortening time-to-market. IoT Security-as-a-Service is specifically optimised for low power wide area (LPWA) deployments that use resource-constrained IoT devices.

ALEX-R5 is based on the u-blox UBX-R5 LTE-M / NB-IoT cellular chipset and the u-blox M8 GNSS receiver chip for world class location accuracy. It is a miniature cellular module in an ultra-small system-in-package (SiP) form factor measuring only 14x14 mm, making it 50% smaller than the functionally equivalent SARA-R5 module.

ALEX-R5 makes zero performance compromises in terms of the technologies it features. Its 23 dBm cellular transmission power guarantees that end devices operate effectively in all signal conditions, even at cell edges, underground, or in other challenging scenarios. And a dedicated GNSS antenna interface enables fully independent, concurrent operation of the u‑blox M8 GNSS chip that matches the performance of a stand-alone u‑blox M8 module, making it possible to transmit real-time location data to the cloud without interrupting the GNSS receiver.

“We were excited to learn that ALEX-R5 was recognised as a 2021 IoT Evolution Award recipient. With its small footprint, it is ideally suited for small form factor IoT devices that transmit critical or confidential information and that require best-in-class, concurrent GNSS performance,” said Samuele Falcomer, Senior Product Manager, Product Center Cellular, u blox.

“The award recognises our commitment to bringing robust, light-weight security to industrial applications. Each ALEX-R5 module has a unique and immutable identity based on a robust root of trust that forms the basis for a trusted set of advanced security functionality, available as u-blox IoT Security-as-a-Service,” added Giovanni Solito, Senior Product Manager, Product Center Services, u-blox.