So I got my hands on NB-Fi. Let's talk about the domestic standard for IoT 🤔 NB-Fi is a…

So I got my hands on NB-Fi. Let's talk about the domestic standard for IoT 🤔

NB-Fi — Russian protocol for wireless data transmission of small volumes over long distances. Its main idea is minimal energy consumption with high noise immunity and communication range. The protocol was developed by WAVIoT and described in the national standard GOST R 70036-2022, which came into force on April 1, 2022

Why is NB-Fi interesting and why did I want to talk about it? 🧠

The fact is that, in fact, this is the first IoT standard in Russia that has received the status of a full-fledged GOST after three years of testing. The protocol uses narrowband phase-keyed signals with high reception sensitivity and can provide communications over distances of up to 50 km at data rates of up to 50 kbit/s. And it's impressive ( at least me ), especially in the license-free frequency range (868 MHz). The network architecture on NB-Fi is based on a star topology, where each device directly interacts with the base station ⭐️

NB-Fi is often compared to SigFox, and not with the more popular LoRa, and the protocol is really interesting for its simple and accessible implementation. For uplink packages, a universal approach is used: base stations receive signals regardless of frequency, and this in turn reduces the cost of equipment and simplifies implementation 💵

In my opinion, NB-Fi is an excellent example of how local developments can be adapted to the specific tasks of the Russian IoT market. The ability to operate in unlicensed spectrum, high communication range and energy efficiency make the protocol promising for use in industry, agriculture and utilities 🐓

But there are also nuances. First, the protocol needs to gain credibility, as it remains an open question how quickly the industry will begin to adopt it en masse. Secondly, it is still in fact inferior to LoRa in popularity, for which there are quite good reasons 👐

I will say this: NB-Fi is an interesting solution with good potential, but its success will depend on how actively domestic companies accept it and how reliably security standards will be implemented. In the IoT world, trust in protocols is one of the important factors
🤬 😱

What do you think? Do you see a future for NB-Fi or do you think LoRa and SigFox are setting the bar too high? 👨‍💻

#internet_things