Questions for Working With RAK5860

WisBlock
1

Hi, I have a RAK5860 that is going to be connected to my RAK19007 baseboard and RAK4631 CPU. I have a couple of questions of the best way to configure this module.

  1. Are there any limitations which SIM cards can be used with this module or will any SIM/ESIM work?

  2. Where exactly does configuration of the SIM in the code occur? I found the following screenshot in the Quick Start guide, but when I look at at this code example → WisBlock/examples/common/communications/Cellular/RAK5860_BG77_Module/RAK5860_AWS_MQTT/RAK5860_AWS_MQTT.ino at master · RAKWireless/WisBlock · GitHub
    I can’t find where it does this type of configuration for the SIM.

    Screenshot 2024-08-12 at 2.44.49 PM
    Screenshot 2024-08-12 at 2.44.49 PM2092×430 45.5 KB

  3. Lastly, I’m deciding between using AWS MQTT (something like this code example - WisBlock/examples/common/communications/Cellular/RAK5860_BG77_Module/RAK5860_AWS_MQTT/RAK5860_AWS_MQTT.ino at master · RAKWireless/WisBlock · GitHub) or making HTTP requests to an AWS DynamoDB table (something like this code example WisBlock/examples/common/communications/Cellular/RAK5860_BG77_Module/RAK5860_Access_HTTP_Server/RAK5860_Access_HTTP_Server.ino at master · RAKWireless/WisBlock · GitHub). My use is just having many Rak kits in the field that will all be logging data, I want to send all of this data (around a kilobyte in intervals of a few minutes) to a central server from each RAK device so that I can monitor all of the devices from a single location. What are the benefits that MQTT provides with IoT devices over HTTP requests? I am more familiar with DynamoDB and HTTP requests, but I am willing to use MQTT if it is better suited.

2

Hi @Dhruv ,

I can’t say much about RAK5860 since I do not have here LTE-M and NB-IoT coverage in my place.

However, some thoughts I can share to you:

  1. We cannot say all Sim cards will work. It depends on what network is available to you and how you can connect to the telco you are trying to connect. I did some experiment with RAK5860 few years ago with our Local telco with ther NB-IoT (test network not yet public) but I cannot connect to it. However, using our RAK5010 with GPRS works fine since GPRS network is widely available in my place. If you have other working Cellular module on the type of network you want to connect then there is a good chance you can connect to it.
  2. APN configuration depends on your Telco provider or on the global SIM you use (if you use one). IoT Sim like monogoto or hologram has APN configuration in their guide/website.
  3. MQTT is a lightweight protocol and widely use in IoT than HTTP. This is a matter of preference on the developer side. HTTP is widely adopted in the internet itself but if you will dwell with IoT, it is worth pursuing to use MQTT since likely this is the type of communication protocol that you will frequency see in the IoT space.
3

Hi @carlrowan , thanks for the answers. Are you aware of if this module is required to specifically use an IoT sim card or IoT esim? For example, is it required to use a Sim Card like one from Hologram which calls itself an IoT Sim?

4

I also am still trying to figure out how to configure an eSim in the example codes to work with the RAK5860 module when attempting to connect to cellular, in case anyone out there has done this before

5

Hello @Dhruv

in my experience SIM cards for mobile phones don’t work for NB-IoT. So yes, you’ll need an NB-IoT SIM card like the one from Hologram. Make sure you chose a SIM card which covers your location and desired service type, e.g. NB-IoT / LTE-M1.

From what I understand the eSIM IC is not populated on RAK5860.

From the RAK5860 documentation:

"SIM Card Circuit
The RAK5860 module only supports the 1.8 V ESIM/SIM card. Figure 12 shows the SIM interface circuit. By default, a Nano SIM card is used, and eSIM is not mounting. To offer good ESD protection, a TVS diode array is added to the SIM card circuitry."

Thanks
Felix