Edge devices can be connected to a RockBlock that utilises the Short Burst Data (SBD) element of the Iridium Satellite Network. This will allow the Edge device to have a two way data connection globally.
Any Edge device can be upgraded with a RockBLOCK module. The RockBLOCK allows the device to use Iridium Short-Burst Data (SBD). The RockBLOCK hosts an Iridium SBD transceiver, simplifies the power requirements, and provides a serial interface to the main control unit. RF considerations are taken care of by RockBLOCK's built-in antenna.
Please always check the most up to date information from the source: https://docs.rockblock.rock7.com/docs/rockblock-management-system
Please always check the most up to date information from the source: https://docs.rockblock.rock7.com/docs/power-consumption-guidance
Example Usage:
Typically, the most energy efficient way of operating is to maintain the unit in sleep mode for most of the time, then exit from sleep mode immediately prior to executing a command to carry out the SBD transmission. Immediately after the SBD attempt has completed, return the unit to sleep mode. If a transmission fails, it is recommended to return the unit to sleep mode, then repeat the transmission attempt after 1 minute. (An immediate re-try is likely to fail as the satellite locations will not have changed much in that time). Your own retry strategy will need to consider your application’s requirements, known environmental conditions and other factors.
(1) Transmitting every hour:
(2) Transmitting every 6 hours:
(3) Transmitting every 12 hours:
The above calculations assume all transmissions are successful. Whilst this is unlikely to be the case in practice, the fact that some transmissions will be shorter will make up for the repeated attempts where there are failures.
Please always check the most up to date information from the source: https://docs.rockblock.rock7.com/docs/iridium-contract-costs
WARNING: THESE ARE OLD PRICES - PRICES HAVE INCREASED - THIS SECTION WILL BE UPDATED SOON
Line rental is paid in blocks of 1 month, and allows the RockBLOCK to exchange information with the Iridium satellite network. You only pay for months in which you wish to use the RockBLOCK. No annual contract is required. Line rental costs £12.00 per month and includes access to the RockBLOCK Management System for managing your devices.
Credits are used each time you transmit. 1 credit is used per 50 bytes (or part thereof) of message sent or received. 1 credit is also used if you check your mailbox and there are no messages waiting (A mailbox check). Credits do not expire unless you do not use your account at all for 12 months. Credits are shared/pooled between all of the devices on your account.
| Number of Credits | Price per credit | Total price |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | £0.13 | £13.00 |
| 200 | £0.11 | £22.00 |
| 500 | £0.10 | £50.00 |
| 1000 | £0.09 | £90.00 |
| 2000 | £0.08 | £160.00 |
| 5000 | £0.07 | £350.00 |
| 10000 | £0.06 | £600.00 |
| 20000 | £0.045 | £900.00 |
All prices exclude Tax/VAT if applicable.
The device advertises if satellite functionality is currently enabled or not in the status in byte features (byte 15 if 0. and 1. byte are count as header), bit 1 (enabled/disabled). In the FW, functionality is stored as the global sys_features.satellite_com, set false on boot.
The user can enable or disable satellite functionality by setting value of setting:
"satellite_enabled": {
"id": "0x3A",
"enabled": true,
"default": true,
"min": false,
"max": true,
"length": 1,
"conversion": "bool"
}Sending messages via satellite module is governed similar to LoRaWAN send. Setting flag:
"sat_send_flag": {
"id": "0x39",
"enabled": true,
"default": 138,
"min": 0,
"max": 4294967295,
"length": 4,
"conversion": "uint32"
},The routine determines if a message on port 1 - 32 will be send via satellite or not. If for a specific port the bit is set, a message will be transferred to the satellite thread that indefinitely waits for a new command message to arrive. A new message is added to the send buffer of length 340 byes. In a similar way a message is stored to flash memory, a message is added to the buffer as:
If there is not enough space in the buffer, the oldest message in the buffer is removed and a new one is added.
The satellite send buffer is send periodically. The communication thread checks if the buffer needs to be send. The send period is determined by setting:
"satellite_send_interval": {
"id": "0x04",
"enabled": true,
"default": 3600,
"min": 0,
"max": 86400,
"length": 4,
"conversion": "uint32"
},If the satellite module is enabled and the send period is reached, the communication thread will send CMD_SEND_SAT_BUFFER command to the satellite thread. The user can also send the same command to initiate buffer sending.
When the send command is received in the satellite thread, the unit checks if the send buffer is empty. If this is the case, a status message is added to the buffer. The module then enters sending mode by enabling the satellite module and configuring port. A message is queued and the send/receive loop is entered. The number of retries is defined by user setting:
"satellite_retry": {
"id": "0x3B",
"enabled": true,
"default": 10,
"min": 1,
"max": 15,
"length": 1,
"conversion": "uint8"
}where the delay between retries is determined at random by formula:
Within the same loop, the module also tries to receive messages, that are parsed in the same way as other messages received via LoRaWAN or Bluetooth.
The current number of retries is also reported in the device status message in byte byte 15 if 0. and 1. byte are count as header, represented as integer number stored in bits 4 - 8, with max value 32.
The user can initiate immediate send of satellite buffer by calling the command:
"cmd_send_sat_buffer": {
"id": "0xC6",
"length": 0,
"conversion": "uint8",
"value": 0
},The user can send a Mobile Terminated (MT) message to the RockBLOCK device.
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