Cheapest Arduino GPRS or 3G solution

Question

I am looking at creating a fleet of low power, Arduino driven devices.

I would need some kind of GPS on them all (or could triangulate through phone network?) plus a connection to the internet - just for HTTP POST requests. GPRS or GSM would do but 3G would be better.

What are the best (price is a major factor because I'm trying to do a fleet) GSM, GPRS or 3G modules that I can use with Arduinos? As I said, I need their location so one with GPS built in would be great.

EDIT: The amount of devices in the fleet will change, so the entire network needs to be dynamic which is why having a GPRS/GSM module on each one would work so well.

Answer 1

If you are finding Cheapest and working module you can you SIM800L less then 4$.

aliexpress.com/item/Free-Shipping-Smallest-SIM800L-GPRS-GSM-Module-MicroSIM-Card-Core-BOard-Quad-band-TTL-Serial-Port/32708504554.html

You can find many other cheap alternative but they does not work properly.

Sim800 have good support and you can find many examples to use this with arduino.

Many other model also available in market as per your requirements.

Answer 2

Not many possibilities (for the phone part, I suggest a GPRS/3G shield), but not wanting to discourage you, if you are thinking about "a fleet", forget about:

low power (the phone radio needs power, some say you need > 1A for both Arduino plus the shield, depending on your distance to the antenna). you must add the GPS part. Even if you communicate just a fraction of the time, you need instant power for feeding the radio.

low price (gprs shields are not cheap, starting at some 25€, and gps shields about 20€). and don't forget that you need a SIM card with a data plan for every unit....

Depending on what are you trying to achieve, I'd try with less expensive (RF communications, for example) to avoid carrier costs and hardware costs, at the price of a more complex development.
If you want to publish to a web service, you can always make your minions transmit to a centralized Raspberry PI, for example, that would take the task of bridging with the Internets, or your mastermind...:-D

Answer 3

a few new ones have hit the scene recently. There's one by the folks that made the particle board (the electron supports 2G and 3G). There is also a kickstarter by sixfab that made one for the pi-zero footprint (but it's a standard raspberry pi GPIO and also has USB connection support or you can bread-board it to an arduino). They make a more expensive plate on standard RPi footprint that supports laptop-style WWAN modules (bought separately) so it can do 3G or 4G/LTE. One of the better one's I've seen recently is actually part of the AT&T offerings (I believe avtel is the one that put the packages together for them). If you google AT&T IoT starter kit, they have four different offerings, with the lowest being $59. (it's apparently used as just a modem and can be connected via gpio style pins or via usb) It comes with a sim with 300Mb and 300 SMS messages good for up to 6 months from date of activation. There are a few higher end chips coming out with LTE and 4G support also from Simcom (the makers of the Sim900 based devices core chip). Boards I have seen built on their LTE based devices run in the $80-120 range so, unfortunately they don't qualify as cheap. As of yet, I haven't seen anything with 3G or higher under the $40 mark though. Most of them start above $50 and go up. Maybe by the time 2G is completely phased out, LoRa will be well saturated?

Answer 4

Updated Information (November 2024):

As of November 2024, advancements in IoT and cellular technology have introduced several cost-effective and efficient modules suitable for Arduino-driven devices requiring GPS and internet connectivity. Below are some notable options:

1. SIMCom SIM7600 Series:

   • Description: The SIM7600 series offers 4G LTE modules with integrated GPS, providing reliable internet connectivity and accurate location tracking.
   • Features:
     • Supports LTE CAT1/CAT4, ensuring widespread network compatibility.
     • Integrated GNSS (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou) for precise positioning.
     • Compatible with Arduino via UART interface.
   • Pricing: Modules are available starting around $50, making them a cost-effective choice for fleet deployments.
   • Example Product: SIM7600CE-T 4G (LTE) Arduino Shield.

2. Quectel EC25 Series:

   • Description: The EC25 series provides LTE modules with GNSS capabilities, suitable for IoT applications requiring robust connectivity.
   • Features:
     • Supports LTE CAT4 with fallback to 3G/2G networks.
     • Integrated GNSS for location services.
     • Arduino compatibility through UART or USB interfaces.
   • Pricing: Modules are priced starting at approximately $45, offering a balance between performance and cost.

3. u-blox SARA-R5 Series:

   • Description: The SARA-R5 series features LTE-M and NB-IoT modules with integrated GNSS, optimized for low-power IoT applications.
   • Features:
     • Supports LTE-M/NB-IoT with 2G fallback.
     • Integrated GNSS for accurate positioning.
     • Low power consumption, ideal for battery-operated devices.
   • Pricing: Modules are available starting around $40, making them suitable for large-scale deployments.

Considerations:

• Network Compatibility: Ensure the selected module supports the cellular bands and technologies available in your deployment region.
• Power Consumption: For battery-powered devices, consider modules with low power modes to extend operational life.
• Integration: Verify that the module is compatible with Arduino, either through direct support or available libraries.
• Cost: While initial module costs are important, also consider data plan expenses, especially for a large fleet.

By selecting modules that balance cost, functionality, and power efficiency, you can effectively deploy a fleet of Arduino-driven devices with reliable GPS and internet connectivity.