Dev Kit Weekly: Monarch LTE-M Development Kit from Avnet

January 22, 2021

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The 3GPP's LTE-M standard provides a next-generation SISO alternative to 2G networks with support for voice, data, and mobility, either half- or full-duplex operation and peak downlink rates of 1 Mbps to 4 Mbps, uplink rates of 1 Mbps to 7 Mbps, and latencies as low as 10 ms.

So, in flies the Monarch LTE-M development kit, a cellular IoT enablement platform that leverages both NXP's LPC55S69-EVK and the Monarch Go Arduino shield featuring Sequans' Monarch Go modem featuring Sequans Monarch Go LTE-M chip.

The Monarch Go platform comes with an integrated antenna and is pre-certified for use on Verizon networks, includes a pre-installed ThingSpace IoT SIM, and online management capabilities via the Verizon ThingSpace platform for data plan selection, activation, FOTA updates, and so on.

The Sequans chip at the heart of the Monarch Go modem also supports the 3GPP's NB1 sister standard as well, but more on that some other time, and includes a baseband processor, RF, RAM, and power management blocks, and you can also spring for an optional embedded GPS in the modem to support location accuracies down to below 5 m for asset tracking and logistics use cases.

RF filtering allows for global band support, so you can deploy this baby anywhere.

Other highlights of the Monarch Go Arduino Shield include:

• - An embedded IP stack on the modem
• - NXP secure element
• - Vishay ambient light sensor
• - SMS send capability

And that's without even touching on the baseboard...

If you're looking for an on-ramp to modern M2M communications, stop wasting time and check out the Avnet Monarch LTE-M Development on Avnet.com where you can purchase on for just $99.

Or, register for this week's raffle by following the link below, and you could win this one for free.

Good luck in this week's raffle, and here's to getting connected. We'll see you next week on Dev Kit Weekly.