RFSigfox: Bandwidth, Data Rate, Frequency, Modulation, and Range
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Sigfox is a prominent wireless communication standard tailored for the Internet of Things (IoT). It’s particularly noted for its low power consumption and extensive coverage, making it well-suited for connecting a large number of devices.
In this guide, we’ll explore Sigfox’s technical specifications, including its bandwidth, data rate, frequency range, modulation techniques, and coverage range, to understand its effectiveness in various IoT applications.
Sigfox Specifications
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Frequency Band | 868 MHz in Europe and 915 MHz in USA |
| Bandwidth | 200 KHz |
| Distance | 30 to 50 Km in rural areas and 3 to 10 Km in urban areas |
| Data Rate | From 10 to 1000 bps (100 bps is ideal for IoT applications) |
| Message Size | For 12 bytes of data to be transported, a Sigfox frame uses 26 bytes in total. This includes overhead. |
| Modulation Scheme | BPSK (Binary Phase Shift Keying) in the uplink (from end points to gateway/Base Station) and GFSK in the downlink (from gateway to end points) |
| Applications | M2M (Machine-to-Machine) and IoT applications providing wireless connectivity to electric meters, smart watches, washing machines, etc. Primarily for low-energy devices. |
| Architecture | Star network consisting of Sigfox objects, Sigfox base stations, Sigfox cloud, and customer IT server |
| Power Consumption | About 61mA (during transmission) |
| Capacity | A Sigfox receiver can handle approximately 3,000,000 devices or objects. |
| Protocol | Extremely lightweight protocol; objects send radio signals to the Base Station (BS). The BS retrieves the message and passes it to the cloud. The cloud authenticates the sender and triggers actions based on the ID and report, then relays the message to the customer. Two-way communication is also possible. |
Conclusion
Sigfox’s unique combination of narrow bandwidth, low data rate, and efficient modulation techniques positions it as a leading choice for IoT applications that require long-range and low-power communication. Its ability to operate in the unlicensed frequency spectrum further increases its attractiveness for scalable IoT deployments.
