Let’s get back to the Garmin InReach Mini 2. In part 1, I’ve given a general overview of how satellite messaging services works with the device in general. In this part, I’ll have a closer look at how to get started and how long it takes to activate a device. Once you have the device … Continue reading When All Else Fails – The Garmin InReach Mini 2 – Part 2: Activation
The times are getting stranger and stranger. Only a few years ago, I didn’t worry too much about scenarios which would prevent me from communicating with members of the household while any of us were traveling. But the world has changed massively in the past few years, and at least from a European point of … Continue reading When All Else Fails: The Garmin InReach Mini 2 – Part 1
It’s the time of the year again to reflect on what has happened in the last 12 months. It’s been quite a ride again, with many things happening, and also some things not happening. So if you are interested, come with me on a trip through my year in tech 2023.
While heat insulating windows are a great thing, they have one big disadvantage: They also block RF signals. That means that cellular reception inside buildings and trains becomes very difficult. Back in 2016, I first heard about the concept of modifying the heat insulation layer of windows so they would let RF signals through. At … Continue reading Train Windows Permeable For Cellular Signals – From Theory to Practice
And again a seamless continuation from part 4 on 3GPP’s Non-Terrestrial Networks specification extension in Release 17 in which I’d like to come back to a particular requirement: The mobile device has to be aware of its location, which means it has to get a GPS fix before it can contact the network via a … Continue reading NTN – Part 5 – Why Does the UE Need a GPS Fix?
In the previous post on the topic, I’ve been looking at how 3GPP has studied and then extended the LTE and 5G NR air interface so it can be used over a satellite link. For transmitting data to and from smartphones with omnidirectional antennas over satellites, 3GPP has extended the LTE Narrowband Internet of Things … Continue reading NTN Part 2 – NB-IoT over Satellite
Another crazy year, both good and bad in so many ways, is coming to an end, so here I go with time honored tradition of looking back to what moved me this year in tech! In The Wireless Domain Obviously, there’s been a lot going on in the wireless domain again. While some parts of … Continue reading Things That Moved Me in 2022
In the previous parts on this topic I have mentioned a few times how amazed I am that despite a transmit power of only 1.5 watts, the small Garmin InReach Mini 2 can send text messages to Iridium satellites that are thousands of kilometers away. This becomes even more impressive when one sees where the … Continue reading When All Else Fails – Part 7 – Satellite Distribution