Until now, when it comes to connecting an object (a machine, a vehicle …) to know its status, its location, or interact with it, the only global solution – a global geographical coverage, national, even international – consisted of equipping it with a SIM card, and using the GPRS / 3G network of a telecom operator. The problems of this technology, commonly called M2M (Machine to Machine), are known:
- Expensive equipment: difficult to find a 3G modem less than 20-30 Euro …
- Very high energy consumption, requiring either a permanent power source (and therefore a wiring) or a powerful battery, making the size of the sensor incompatible with many use cases
- Large footprint
- A subscription cost, for connectivity, not insignificant, related to the need for a radio network (antennas operators) dense and expensive.
It is therefore difficult, with the M2M, to connect small objects, or not having an electric source. Or to accept that the sensor costs more than the connected object itself … Not to mention that it is undesirable for health, given the power of emissions, to carry a connected object in 3G, 24 hours a day.