4G Communication Technology
Now it is the era of 5G communication. Meanwhile, 4G is still the biggest part in the legacy market. Many countreis have not yet stepped into the 5th generation of telecom, or at least, still many countries have not achieved the pratical, broad deployment for 5G. So, besides LoRaWAN and QOTA, we promote 4G as our supplementary interated technology for oversea markets.
Qoto Smart had engaged in the GSM application of wirless control for valve actuators in early times.
4G VS IoT Technologies for Smart Irrigation
Coverage
4G has mature and broad coverage; while other IoT technologies have not; Users could set up a small application without device like gateway; but in some rural areas, the quality of 4G coverage is also an issue. Also it may meet the problem of network congestion.
Operation Cost
For a small business and limited terminals, 4G would be an easy choice but its data charge is high enough compared to IoT networks; The bigger deployment, the more cost; while the IoT systems charge no fees for increasing device.
Power Consumption
IoT technologies are renowned for low power and long battery life; in comparison, 4G equipment is a monster living by power. 4G is not for battery driving.
Overall
To be fair, 4G could not compete with the IoT systems for smart irrigation. It is designed for heavy-duty public communications. But for a small-scale network deployment, it is a useful supplement for sure. Easy, convenient but a bit expensive.
4G in Smart Irrigation
