XC04 - LTE GNSS (BG95-M2)
X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95-M2) is based on the cellular connectivity module BG95-M2 from Quectel®, supporting CAT-M1 and NB2 IoT with global coverage, geopositioning GPS/GLONASS, ultra-low power consumption and VoLTE support (CAT-M1 only). It comes with an eSIM – MFF2 prepaid balance of 50MB ready to be used out of the box or use the microSIM – 3FF slot (only one SIM can be used at a time). Ideal for mobile projects powered by battery, IoT, 4.0 industry, M2M applications like wireless points of sale (POS), tracking systems, remote monitoring, etc.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
I. How does it work?
The X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95-M2) comes with a micro-USB type B to send AT commands or perform firmware updates. This X-NODE works through a UART interface making it virtually compatible with any device based on a microcontroller, microprocessor or even industrial equipment.
The X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95-M2) is compatible with the mikroBUS™ standard, that enables its use with Mikroe® development ecosystem with 1000+ click boards and development boards including X-NODE devices.
All AT commands can be found on the device manual with multiple application notes, that can be found on the following link: Documentation and Resources.
To send and receive AT command using the USB interface the Silicon Labs CP210x USB to UART Bridge driver must be installed on the computer.
The X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95-M2) comes with a built-in eSIM with prepaid balance of 50MB valid for 6 months. Buy more MB on Microside Store
II. Layout
1. Female SMA connector and male U.FL connector for LTE and GNSS antennas.
2. SoC BG95-M2 module.
3. Mode selector for micro-USB port, AT (send AT commands) <> FW (Firmware Update).
4. At command port, mB(mikroBUS™) <> USB (micro-USB port)
5. Micro-USB type B port.
6. UART serial ports.
7. PWRKEY push button (press 1 second to turn on/off the module, press 3 seconds to reset the module).
8. X-NODE model.
9. X-NODE type.
10. microSIM/eSIM multiplexor.
11. microSIM – 3FF slot.
12. eSIM – MFF2
13. Test Points:
TP1: PWRKEY TP2: USB Boot TP3: 10k Pull to VDD Ext TP4: 3.3V from regulator TP5: DBG TXD TP6: DBG RXD
14. Jumpers to power the SoC BG95-M2 from the mikroBUS™ connector (3.3VmB) or use the in-built voltage regulator (VCC).
Note: Do not connect both jumpers at the same time.
15. mikroBUS™ connector.
16. Hardware revision.
17. Core component of the X-NODE device.
SMA & U.FL connector characteristics
| Conector SMA: | Conector IPEx UFL: |
|---|---|
Max. frequency: 18 GHz Impedance: 50 Ohms Polarity: Standard Gender: Female | RF series: RP-UMCC Max. frequency: 6 GHz Impedance: 50 Ohms Polarity: Reverse |
Selection between SMA & U.FL connector
By default X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95) is configured to work with SMA antennas, in order to enable U.FL antennas the position of the resistor must be changed on both sides(left-right).
III. Specification
Type | GPS / GLONASS / LTE CAT-M1 / NB2-IoT communication |
Applications | Ideal for mobile projects powered by battery, IoT, 4.0 industry, M2M applications like wireless points of sale (POS), tracking systems, remote monitoring, etc. |
On-board modules | BG95-M2 by Quectel® |
Key features | LTE CAT-M1:
NB1-IoT:
NB2-IoT:
|
Band support | LTE CAT-M1: B1 / B2 / B3 / B4 / B5 / B8 / B12 / B13 / B18 / B19 / B20 / B25 / B26 / B27 / B28 / B66 / B85; LTE NB-IoT: B1 / B2 / B3 / B4 / B5 / B8 / B12 / B13 / B18 / B19 / B20 / B25 / B28 / B66 / B71 / B85; |
Interfaces | UART, USB |
Compatibility | |
Dimensions | 87 x 27 x 21 mm |
Voltage | 3.3V |
IV. Pinout
This table shows how the pinout on XC04 - LTE GNSS (BG95-M2) corresponds to the pinout on the mikroBUS™ socket (the latter shown in the two middle columns).
V. Device operation
To use the X-NODE the user must know it’s AT commands, these commands can be send using its UART port, enabling cellular wireless communication in virtually any programming language and device that supports this interface.
All AT commands can be found on the device manual with multiple application notes, they can be found on the following link: Documentation and Resources.
Example using AT commands through the USB port.
Using the official Quectel® serial terminal it's possible to send the AT commands. In this example we will ping a web server and then synchronize the internal clock with a NTP server.
To follow this example the device comes with a eSIM(virtual SIM) with a balance of 50MB with validity of 6 months, and already to configured to connect to IoT cellular networks.
First download the Quectel serial terminal: QCOM_V1.6 download link., unzip the files.
Before connecting the X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95-M2) to the computer make sure that the appropriate antennas are connected to the device (either SMA or U.FL connector see section “Selection between SMA & U.FL connector” for more information) and the switches are in the USB position (see Layout section for more information).
If everything is correct, connect the device to the computer through the USB cable, if the drivers are installed the device will show up on the device manager as a COM port.
If it doesn’t show up, install the drivers from the following link and try again.
https://www.silabs.com/developers/usb-to-uart-bridge-vcp-drivers
Launch the executable file QCOM.exe (any COM serial terminal can be used as long as the settings are set to 115200, 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity), select the COM port of the device and press the Open port button. The application will display a message indicating if the operation was successful.
Press the PK button on the X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95), the device indicator will blink, and the serial terminal will display two messages, indicating that the device is ready to receive commands.
Send the appropriate commands for your application, here is a short list of commands to connect to the internet and get an IP address:
AT command description:
AT+CSQ | Signal Quality report, displays the signal strength. |
AT+COPS? | Displays current operator. |
AT+QIACT=1 | Activate a PDP context 1 (internet access). |
AT+QIACT? | Displays the assigned IP address. |
AT+QPING=1,"url" | Using PDP context 1, ping a remote server. |
AT+CCLK | Displays device time. |
AT+QNTP=1,"ntp.server",123 | Using PDP context 1, Sync NTP server time on port: 123 with the device time |
Send the above commands to establish a mobile cellular connection.
The device can connect to a variety of services through different protocols, like MQTT, HTTPS, FTP or plain TCP. For the full description of commands and examples make sure to read the device manual and application notes, which can be found on the following link: Documentation and Resources
To power off the device make sure to deactivate the PDP context using command:
AT+QIDEACT=1 Replace 1 with the active PDP context
Or just hold the device PK button for 1 second, the indicator led will turn off.
UART settings
To use the X-NODE with a microcontroller set the MCU UART generator to the following settings.
Baud rate: 115200 bps.
Parity: No parity.
Data bits: 8.
Stop bits: 1.
The same AT commands apply for both USB connection and UART connection.
Additional settings
The X-NODE LTE GNSS (BG95) is configured to work with the eSIM by default, however an AT command is necessary to use the microSIM slot, this setting is saved on the device, so it only needs to be done once.
SIM multiplexing (choosing SIM)
eSIM > microSIM:
AT+QCFG=”gpio”,1,66,1,0,7,1
AT+QCFG=”gpio”,3,66,1,1
microSIM > eSIM:
AT+QCFG=”gpio”,1,66,1,0,7,0
AT+QCFG=”gpio”,3,66,0,0
After sending this command restart the device using:
AT+CFUN=1,1
APN set up:
To use a microSIM is required to know the APN (Access Point Name), consult your service provider for this information, the command to set up the APN is:
AT+CGDCONT=1,”IP”,”APN”
Where:
1 is the PDP context identifier (1-15), this context will be used for any following internet related commands if unsure use 1. “IP” is the Packet data protocol, accepted values are: “IP” Internet protocol version 4 “PPP” Point to Point protocol “IPV6” Internet protocol version 6 “IPV4V6” Internet protocol dual stack (compatible with V4 and V6) “Non-IP” Non ip protocols
If unsure use “IP”
“APN” is a string containing the APN, the eSIM uses m2m.tag.com, contact your service provider to get this information for your microSIM
i.e command to set the eSIM APN:
AT+CGDCONT=1,”IP”,”m2m.tag.com”
Display current SIM
Every SIM has a unique identifier called ICCID, you can display this information with the following command:
AT+ICCID
VI. Downloads
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