u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 Explorer Application Platform

u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 Explorer Application Platform is a complete platform for developing various proof-of-concept IoT applications. The kit provides everything needed for an out-of-the-box experience, including an embedded SIM with u-blox MQTT Anywhere and MQTT Now trial accounts, enabling connection to the Thingstream IoT service delivery platform. The Nordic Semiconductor nRF5340 wireless System-on-Chip (SoC) in the NORA-B1 wireless MCU module controls the device. The kit features a dual-core Arm® Cortex®-M33 MCU with up to 128/64MHz clock frequency, 512kB + 64kB RAM, and 1024kB + 256kB flash. The SoC hosts custom applications developed with the Nordic nRF Connect Software Development Kit (SDK) or the Zephyr development environment. The kit publishes data to the cloud and demonstrates a complete end-to-end solution with only a few initial manual steps.

The device supports BLUETOOTH®, Wi-Fi, and LTE-M/NB-IoT cellular communications, and a dedicated low-power GNSS receiver provides accurate positioning data. The IoT Explorer kit has integrated sensors for temperature, pressure, humidity, ambient light, magnetometer, gyroscope, accelerometer, and battery gauge. A pre-configured, embedded SIM allows cellular network connection in many countries across the globe. Alternatively, users can access the available nano SIM slot to connect with a network operator. The XPLR-IOT-1 kit utilizes the MQTT-SN protocol for power/data-efficient communication to the Thingstream platform when connecting with the u-blox MQTT Anywhere service. The built-in Wi-Fi module and the u-blox MQTT Now service offer an alternate route to the cloud if Wi-Fi is preferred.

The u-blox XPLR-IOT-1 Explorer application platform kit comes with pre-flashed application software (also available as source code). This software collects sensor/positioning data from the device for publication to the Thingstream platform, where the Data Flow Manager receives and processes the data. The available Node-RED programming example shows a quick and easy dashboard visualization of the data.

Features

Multipurpose explorer kit for IoT applications
LTE-M/NB-IoT, Wi-Fi, BLUETOOTH, and GNSS
Designed for use with u-blox services
Embedded SIM with MQTT Anywhere trial subscription
Dual-core Arm Cortex-M33 application MCU
Application and cloud software examples

UART over USB communication interface
Temperature, humidity, pressure, ambient light, magnetometer, battery gauge, gyroscope, and accelerometer sensors
SparkFun Qwiic® I²C connector
8cm x 14cm x 3cm in dimension

Applications

Environmental control
Sensor networks
Security
Smart appliances
Smart lighting

Medical devices
Home control panels
Energy consumption monitors
Asset tracking
Matter controller

Kit Contents

NORA-B106 stand-alone dual-core BLUETOOTH 5.2 Low Energy and IEEE 802.15.4 module with 2x Arm Cortex M33 cores, NORA-B106 module acts as the main MCU for the platform
4x UARTs that connect the various u-blox technologies
NINA-W156 stand-alone multi-radio module with Wi-Fi 4 and BLUETOOTH 5
SARA-R510S cellular LTE-M / NB-IoT module for 1500MHz spectrum with Secure Cloud

MAX-M10S standard-precision, Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) module
Thingstream MQTT for IoT connectivity, security, enterprise-grade MQTT broker, simple enterprise integration visual programming, and support for u-blox global positioning hardware
NFC antenna with tag capability for Near Field Communication (NFC)