instructables

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino

by arduinofanboy

Overview

The Botletics SIM7000 LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT shield uses the new LTE CAT-M and NB-IoT technology and also has
integrated GNSS (GPS, GLONASS and BeiDou/Compass, Galileo, QZSS standards) for location tracking. There
are multiple SIM7000-series modules that cater to different regions around the world, and luckily SIMCOM has
made it really easy to identify: SIM7000A (American), SIM7000E (European), SIM7000C (Chinese), and
SIM7000G (Global). Currently NB-IoT is supported in many countries around the world but unfortunately not in the
US, although it's scheduled to be commercially available in the near future (2019) and regardless, we can still use
the LTE CAT-M functionalities!

To use the shield, simply plug the shield into an Arduino, insert a compatible SIM card, attach the LTE/GPS
antenna, and you're good to go!

Introduction

With the emergence of low-power IoT devices with cellular connectivity and the phase-out of 2G (with only T-
mobile supporting 2G/GSM until 2020), everything is moving toward LTE and this has left many people scrambling
to find better solutions. However, this has also left many hobbyists facepalming with legacy 2G technology like the
SIM800-series modules from SIMCOM. Although these 2G and 3G modules are a great starting point, it's time to
move forward and SIMCOM recently announced their new SIM7000A LTE CAT-M module at a developer's
conference. How exciting! :)

The amazing part of all of this is that SIMCOM made it extremely easy to migrate from their 2G and 3G modules to
this new module! The SIM7000-series use many of the same AT commands which minimizes the software
development by miles! Also, Adafruit already has a wonderful FONA library on Github that can be used to
introduce this new SIM7000 into the party!

What is LTE CAT-M?

LTE CAT-M1 is considered the second-generation LTE technology and is lower-power and more suitable for IoT
devices. NarrowBand IoT (NB-IoT) or "CAT-M2" technology is a Low-Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN)
technology specifically designed for low-power IoT devices. It is a relatively new technology that is, unfortunately,
not yet available in the US, although companies are working on testing and building the infrastructure. For IoT
devices using radio technology (RF) there are several things to keep in mind: Power
consumptionBandwidthRangePacket size (send lots of dataCostEach of these have tradeoffs (and I won't really
explain them all); for example, large bandwidth allows devices to send lots of data (like your phone, which can
stream YouTube!) but this also means it's very power-hungry. Increasing the range (the "area" of the network) also
increase power consumption. In the case of NB-IoT, cutting down the bandwidth means that you won't be able to
Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 1
send much data, but for IoT devices shooting morsels of data to the cloud this is perfect! Hence, "narrow"-band
technology, ideal for low-power devices with little amounts of data but still with long range (wide area)!

The Botletics SIM7000 Shield for Arduino

The shield that I've designed uses the SIM7000-series to enable users to have extremely low-power LTE CAT-M
technology and GPS at the tip of their fingers! The shield also sports an MCP9808 I2C temperature sensor, great
for at least measuring something and sending it via a cellular connection.

The shield is open source! Yay!

All documentation (EAGLE PCB files, Arduino code, and detailed wiki) can be found here on Github
.
To see which SIM7000 version is most suitable for you, please see this wiki page.
The Botletics SIM7000 shield kit can be purchased here on [Link]

1 1

1. Make sure you pick the right version!

1. Make sure you pick the right version!

[Link]

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 2

Step 1: Gather Parts

Below is a list of all the parts you will need:

Arduino or Arduino-compatible board - The Arduino Uno is the most common choice for this! If
you want to use the LTE shield as really a "shield" you should use an Arduino board with the
Arduino form factor. Stating the obvious, you will also need a programming cable to upload Arduino
sketches to the board! If you are not using an Arduino-form-factor board that's fine too! There's info
on what connections to make in this wiki page and different microcontrollers have been tested,
including ESP8266, ESP32, ATmega32u4, ATmega2560, and ATSAMD21.
Botletics SIM7000 Shield Kit - The shield comes with a dual LTE/GPS uFL antenna and stacking
female headers! The board comes in three different versions (SIM7000A/C/E/G) and depending on
which country you live in you will need to select the right version. I've created this page on the Githu
b wiki that shows you how to find out what version is best for you!
LTE CAT-M or NB-IoT SIM Card - Although the kit no longer includes a free SIM card, you can pic
k up a Hologram SIM card which gives you 1MB per month for free and works practically anywhere
in the world because Hologram has partnered up with over 500 carriers! They also have pay-as-you-
go and monthly plans and have a great community forum for technical support on SIM card activatio
n, Hologram APIs, and more! It works great with this shield nation-wide in the USA for AT&T and
Verizon's LTE CAT-M1 networks but note that in other countries you may have to get your own SIM
card from a local provider since Hologram partners up with carriers and CAT-M and NB-IoT is
relatively new.
3.7V LiPo Battery (1000mAH+): While searching for networks or transmitting data the shield can
draw significant amounts of current and you can't rely on direct power from the Arduino 5V rail. Plug
in a 3.7V LiPo battery into the JST connector on the board and make sure the battery is wired with
the positive wire on the left (like those found at Sparkfun or Adafruit). Also, it's important to make
sure that the battery must have at least 500mAH capacity (bare minimum) to be able to supply
enough current and prevent the module from rebooting during current spikes. 1000mAH or greater is
recommended for stability. The reason for this bare minimum capacity is because the LiPo battery
charging circuitry is set to 500mA so you should make sure that the battery is at least 500mAH
capacity to prevent damage to the battery.

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 3

 1 2

1. My Arduino came with a holder but it's optional!

2. You can use a different microcontroller board without the standard Arduino
pinouts if you want to use the LTE shield as a standalone module, but you will
have to wire up the necessary connections.

1
1. Photo credit: Image taken from [Link]
2. The LiPo battery is optional for the SIM7000A version and is
mainly for preventing the module from rebooting during high current
consumption in GSM mode for SIM7000C and E versions.

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 4

Step 2: Assemble the Shield

In order to use the shield you will need to solder are included with the shield. After soldering the
headers onto it unless you don't plan on using this headers, go ahead and place the shield on top of the
board as a "shield" and more of a standalone module Arduino board (unless you're using it as a standalone
instead, which is also perfectly OK! An example of board) and you're ready for the next step!
doing this is using an Arduino Micro as the controller
and wiring it up to the shield separately. Note: For tips on how to solder the pins you can visit t
his page of the Github wiki.
The most common choice for using the board as an
Arduino shield are stacking female headers, which

1
1

1. This is the best choice for using the board as a shield and the shield 1. The SIM7000 shield kit comes with a set of stacking female headers.
comes with a loose kit of these headers!

1 1

1. This is a good option if you know you won't need to stack another 1. This would primarily be useful only if you are using the board as a
shield on top of the LTE shield or if you're using it as a standalone standalone module. It wouldn't make sense to put the shield *under* the
module. Arduino!

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 5

 1

1. The easiest way to solder female headers onto the shield is to slip the
headers into the board, then flip it over and solder!

Step 3: Shield Pinouts

The shield simply uses the Arduino's pinout but connects certain pins for specific purposes. These pins can be
summarized below:

Power Pins

GND - Common ground for all logic and power

3.3V - 3.3V from the Arduino's regulator. Use this just as you would on the Arduino!
5V / LOGIC - This 5V rail from the Arduino charges the LiPo battery which powers the SIM7000 and
also sets the logic voltage for the I2C and level shifting. If you are using a 3.3V microcontroller,
connect 3.3V to the shield's "5V" pin (please see the section below).
VBAT - This grants access to the LiPo battery voltage and is normally not connected to anything on
the Arduino so you are free to use it as you wish! It's also the same as the input voltage of the
SIM7000 module. If you're thinking about measuring and monitoring this voltage, check out the "b"
command in the demo tutorial which measures the voltage and displays the battery percentage!
Remember, the LiPo battery is required!
VIN - This pin is simply connected to the VIN pin on the Arduino. You can power the Arduino as you
normally would with 7-12V on this pin.

Other Pins

D6 - Connected to the SIM7000's PWRKEY pin

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 6

 D7 - SIM7000's Reset pin (only use this in case of emergency reset!)
D8 - UART Data Terminal Ready (DTR) pin. This can be used to wake the module from sleep when
using the "AT+CSCLK" command
D9 - Ring Indicator (RI) pin
D10 - UART Transmit (TX) pin of the SIM7000 (this means you should connect the Arduino's TX to
this!)
D11 - UART Receive (RX) pin of the SIM7000 (connect to Arduino's TX pin)
D12 - Good 'ole D12 on the Arduino, BUT you can connect it to the ALERT interrupt pin of the
temperature sensor by soldering a jumper
SDA/SCL - The temperature sensor is connected to the shield via I2C

If you are using the board as a standalone module and not as a "shield", or if you're using 3.3V logic instead of 5V
you will need to make the necessary connections as detailed in the section "External Host Board Wiring" of this Git
hub wiki page.

However, if all you need is to test AT commands, then you only need to connect the LiPo battery and the micro
USB cable, then follow these procedures to test AT commands via USB. Note that you can also test AT
commands via the Arduino IDE, but that would require connecting pins D10/D11 for UART.

For detailed information about the shield pinouts and what each pin does, visit this Github wiki page.

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 7

Step 4: Powering the Shield

To power the shield, simply plug in the Arduino and alive because there maybe not be any LED's turning
plug in a 3.7V LiPo battery (1000mAH or greater on. This is because the "PWR" LED is a power
capacity) like the ones sold at Adafruit or Sparkfun. indicator for the SIM7000 module itself, and although
Without the battery you will likely see the module boot you are supplying power you haven't turned the
up then crash shortly thereafter. You can still power module on yet! This is done by pulsing the PWRKEY
the Arduino as you normally would via the USB cable low for at least 72ms, which I'll explain later. Also, if
or externally by a 7-12V power source on the VIN pin you have a battery connected and it's not fully-
and the 5V rail on the Arduino will charge the LiPo charged the green "DONE" LED won't turn on, but if
battery. Note that if you are using a standard Arduino you don't have a battery connected this LED should
board you can safely power it via an external power turn on (and might flash occasionally when it's tricked
source while also keeping the programming cable into thinking the nonexistent battery isn't fully-charged
plugged in because it has voltage-selection circuitry. due to slight voltage drops).

LED Indication Now that you know how to power everything let's
move on to the cellular stuff!
At first you might be wondering if the board is even

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 8

 2

3 1

1. This green LED indicates the LiPo charging status but if there's no battery
then it acts as a power indicator for the shield!
2. Don't be surprised if you don't see the module's power LED turn on! You
have to pulse the PWRKEY pin low.
3. You will also need a 3.7V LiPo battery! Continue reading...

Step 5: SIM Card & Antenna

Choosing a SIM Card First of all you should make have to break the micro
SIM out of the normally-sized SIM card holder. On the
Again, your SIM card needs to be able to support LTE LTE shield locate the SIM card holder on the left side
CAT-M (not just traditional LTE like what's probably in of the board near the battery connector. The SIM card
your phone) or NB-IoT, and it has to be a "micro" SIM is inserted into this holder with the SIM's metal
size. The best option I've found for this shield is the H contacts facing down and the little notch on one edge
ologram Developer SIM card which provides facing the SIM card holder.
1MB/month for free and access to Hologram's APIs
and resources for the first SIM card! Simply log on to Antenna Goodness
your [Link] dashboard and enter the SIM's
CCID number to activate it, then set the APN settings The shield kit comes with a really convenient dual
in the code (already set by default). It is hassle-free LTE/GPS antenna! It's also flexible (although you
and works anywhere in the world because Hologram shouldn't try to twist and bend it a lot because you
supports over 200 carriers globally! might break the antenna wires off the antenna if
you're not careful) and has a peel-away adhesive on
It should be noted that the SIM7000C/E/G versions the bottom. Connecting the wires is super simple: just
also support 2G fallback, so if you really want to test take the wires and snap them onto the matching uFL
and don't have a LTE CAT-M or NB-IoT SIM card, connectors on the right edge of the shield. NOTE:
you can still test the module on 2G. Make sure you match up the LTE wire on the antenna
to the LTE connector on the shield, and the same
Inserting the SIM Card with the GPS wire because they're criss-crossed!

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 9

 1

1. The LTE shield comes with this flexible antenna which is super
convenient because it has both LTE and GPS antennae built in!
Fantastique!
2. uFL connectors make the wires super easy to snap on to the board!

1. Top of the line 3M sticky stuff makes it easy to slap this onto a 3D 1. Complete setup with a LiPo battery
printed enclosure, etc. Use your imagination!

Step 6: Arduino IDE Setup

This SIM7000 shield is based on the Adafruit FONA You can also see how to test out the MCP9808
boards and uses the same library but improved with temperature sensor by following these instructions,
added modem support. You can read full instructions but here I'll mainly be focusing on the cellular stuff!
on how to install my revised FONA library here on my
Github page.

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 10

 1

1. Download the entire repository but you'll only really use the "Code" folder,
which will be placed in your Arduino libraries directory.

Step 7: Arduino Example

Baud Rate Setup

By default the SIM7000 runs at 115200 baud but this is too fast for software serial to reliably operate and
characters might randomly appear as square boxes or other odd symbols (for example, an "A" could show as
"@"). This is why if you look carefully, the Arduino configures the module to a slower baud rate of 9600 every time
it's initialized. Fortunately the switching is taken care of automatically by the code, so you don't need to do
anything special to set it up!

LTE Shield Demo

Next, follow these instructions to open the "LTE_Demo" sketch (or whichever variation of that sketch, depending
on which microcontroller you are using). If you scroll down to the end of the "setup()" function you will see a line
"[Link](F("hologram"));" which sets the APN for the Hologram SIM card. This is
absolutely needed, and if you are using a different SIM card you should first consult the card's documentation on
what the APN is. Note that you only need to change this line if you are not using a Hologram SIM card.

When the code runs the Arduino will attempt to communicate with the SIM7000 via UART (TX/RX) using
SoftwareSerial. In order to do this, of course, the SIM7000 has to be powered on, so while it's trying to establish a
connection, check for the "PWR" LED to make sure it turns on! (Note: it should turn on about 4s or so after the
code runs). After the Arduino successfully establishes communication with the module you should see a large
menu with a bunch of actions the module can perform! However, note that some of these are for SIMCom's other
2G or 3G modules so not all of the commands are applicable to the SIM7000 but lots of them are! Simply type the
letter corresponding to an action you want to perform and click "Send" at the top right of the serial monitor or
simply press the Enter key. Watch in amazement as the shield spits back a reply!

Demo Commands

Below are some commands you should run to make sure your module is set up before proceeding:

Type "n" and press enter to check the network registration. You should see "Registered (home)". If
not, check if your antenna is attached and you may also have to run the command "G" (explained
below) first!
Check the network signal strength by entering "i". You should get an RSSI value; the higher this
Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 11
 value the better! Mine was 31, which indicates the best signal strength bracket!
Enter the command "1" to check some really cool network info. You can get the current connection
mode, carrier name, band, etc.
If you have a battery connected, try the "b" command to read the battery voltage and percentage. If
you're not using a battery this will command will always read around 4200mV and therefore say it's
100% charged.
Now enter "G" to enable cellular data. This sets the APN and is crucial for getting your device
connected to the web! If you see "ERROR" try turning data off by using "g" then try again.
To test if you can actually do something with your module, enter "w". It will prompt you to enter the
URL of the webpage you want to read, and copy/paste the example URL
"[Link] and press enter. Shortly thereafter it should
give you a message like "{"this":"failed","with":404,"because":"we couldn't find this"}" (assuming no
one posted data for "sim7000test123")
Now let's test sending dummy data to [Link], a free cloud API by entering "2" in the serial
monitor. You should see it run through some AT commands.
To test if the data really got through, try "w" again and this time enter
"[Link] without the brackets, where the device ID is the IMEI
number of your device which should be printed at the very top of the serial monitor from the module
initialization. You should see "succeeded" and a JSON response containing the data that you had
just sent! (Note that the 87% battery is just a dummy number that is set in the code and may not be
your actual battery level)
Now it's time to test the GPS! Enable power to the GPS using "O"
Enter "L" to query the location data. Note that you might have to wait around 7-10s before it will get
a fix on the location. You can keep entering "L" until it shows you some data!
Once it gives you data, copy and paste it into Microsoft Word or a text editor so that it's easier to
read. You will see that the third number (the numbers are separated by commas) is the date and
time, and the next three numbers are the latitude, longitude, and elevation (in meters) of your
location! To check if it was accurate, go to this online tool and search your current location. It should
give you the lat/long and altitude and compare these values with the one your GPS gave!
If you don't need GPS you can turn it off using "o"
Have fun with the other commands and check out the example "IoT_Example" sketch for a cool
example on how to send data to a free cloud API via LTE!

Send & Receive Texts!

To see how to send texts from the shield directly to any phone and send texts to the shield via Hologram's
Dashboard or API, please read this Github wiki page.

IoT Example: GPS Tracking!

Once you verify everything is working as expected, open the "IoT_Example" sketch. This example code sends
GPS location and bearing data, temperature, and battery level to the cloud! Upload the code and watch in
amazement as the shield does its magic! To check if the data was really sent to the cloud, go to
"[Link] in any browser (fill in the IMEI number found at the top of the serial
monitor after module initialization, or printed on your SIMCOM module) and you should see the data that your
device sent!

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 12

With this example you can also uncomment the line with "#define samplingRate 30" to send data repeatedly
instead of only running once. This makes your device essentially a GPS tracking device!

For more details, please visit the tutorials I made for real-time GPS tracking:

GPS tracker tutorial part 1

GPS tracker tutorial part 2

Troubleshooting

For common questions and troubleshooting issues please visit the FAQ on Github.

2
1. This is the menu you should see if the "LTE_Demo" code ran
successfully. Enter a letter up top to do cool stuff!
2. Make sure you have "Both NL & CR" selected as well as the
appropriate baud rate!

1
1
1. Lots of cool and useful network info here! 1. Enabling
GPRS!

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 13

 1 1

1. This is the minimalist approach if you don't need GPRS 1. You should get an HTTP status code of 200

Step 8: Testing With AT Commands

Testing from Arduino IDE Perhaps an easier method (for Windows users) is to
install the Windows drivers detailed in this tutorial and
If you want to send AT commands to the module via test AT commands by using the shield's micro USB
the serial monitor, use the "S" command from the port instead!
menu to enter serial tube mode. This will make it so
that everything you type in the serial monitor will be If you still want to experiment with the AT commands
sent to the module. That being said, make sure to but want to run them in a sequence and don't want to
enable "Both NL & CR" at the bottom of the serial mess with altering the FONA library you can do that
monitor, otherwise you won't see any response to with a simple little library I wrote called the "AT
your commands because the module won't know Command Library" which you can find here on Github
you're done typing! . All you need to do is download the ZIP from the
repository and extract it into your Arduino libraries
To exit this mode, simply press the reset button on folder and an example sketch (called
your Arduino. Note that if you are using ATmega32u4 "AT_Command_Test.ino") for the SIM7000 can be
or ATSAMD21-based boards, you will have to restart found here in the LTE shield Github repo. This library
the serial monitor as well. allows you to send AT commands via Software Serial
with timeouts, checks for a specific reply from the
For more info about sending AT commands from the module, neither, or both!
Arduino IDE, please see this wiki page.

Testing Directly Via USB

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 14

 1
1. Make sure "Both NL & CR" is enabled in serial monitor!

Step 9: Current Consumption

For IoT devices you want to see these numbers to go way down, so let's take a look at some of the tech specs! For
a detailed report of current consumption measurements, please see this Github page.

Here's a quick summary:

SIM7000 module powered off: entire shield draws < 8uA on 3.7V LiPo battery
Sleep mode draws about 1.5mA (including the green PWR LED, so probably ~1mA without it) and
stays connected to the network
The e-DRX settings can configure the cycle time of the network negotiation and save energy but
also will delay things like incoming text messages depending on what the cycle time is set to
Connected to LTE CAT-M1 network, idle: ~12mA
GPS adds ~32mA
Connecting USB adds ~20mA
Data transmission over LTE CAT-M1 is ~96mA for ~12s
Sending SMS draws ~96mA for ~10s
Receiving SMS draws ~89mA for ~10s
PSM sounds like a wonderful feature but has yet to work

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 15

And here's a little more explanation:

Power Down Mode: You can use the "[Link]()" function to completely power off the
SIM7000. In this state the module draws only about 7.5uA, and shortly after you turn off the module
the "PWR" LED should also turn off.
Power Saving Mode (PSM): This mode is like the power down mode but the modem remains
registered to the network while drawing only 9uA while still keeping the module powered. In this
mode only the RTC's power will be active. For those ESP8266 fans out there, it's basically
"[Link]()" and the RTC timer can wake up the module but you can do some pretty cool
stuff like wake the modem up by sending it an SMS. However, unfortunately I could not get this
feature to work. Definitely let me know if you do!
Flight Mode: In this mode power is still supplied to the module but RF is completely disabled but
the SIM card is still active as well as UART and USB interface. You can enter this mode using
"AT+CFUN=4" but I did not see this take effect either.
Minimum Functionality Mode: This mode is the same as Flight Mode except the SIM card
interface is inaccessible. You can enter this mode using "AT+CFUN=0" but you can also enter this
mode using "AT+CSCLK=1" after which the SIM7000 will pull up the DTR pin when the module is in
idle mode. In this sleep mode pulling DTR low will wake up the module. This can be handy because
waking it up can be a lot faster than powering it up from scratch!
Discontinuous Reception/Transmission (DRX/DTX) Mode: You can configure the "sampling
rate" of the module so to speak, so that the module only checks for text messages or sends data at
a faster or slower rate, all while remaining connected to the network. This significantly reduces the
current consumption!
Disable "PWR" LED: To save a few more pennies you can disable the module's power LED by
cutting the normally-closed solder jumper next to it. If later you change your mind and want it back,
just solder the jumper!
"NETLIGHT" LED On/Off: You can also use "AT+CNETLIGHT=0" to turn off the blue network
status LED completely if you don't need it!
GNSS On/Off: You can save 30mA by turning off GPS using the command "[Link]()"
with true or false as the input parameter. If you're not using it I'd suggest you to turn it off! Also, I
found that it only takes about 20s to get a fix on location from a cold start and only about 2s when
the device has already been on (like if you turn GPS off then back on and query again), which is
pretty fast! You can also experiment with warm/hot start and assisted GPS.

Download
[Link]
…

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 16

Step 10: Conclusions

Overall, the SIM7000 is super fast and uses cutting-edge technology with integrated GPS and comes loaded with
cool features! Unfortunately for those of us in the United States, NB-IoT is not fully deployed here so we will have
to wait a bit until it comes out, but with this LTE shield we can still use LTE CAT-M1 on AT&T and Verizon's
networks. This shield is great for experimenting with low-power cellular devices like GPS trackers, remote
dataloggers, and much more! By including other shields and modules for things like SD card storage, solar panels,
sensors, and other wireless connectivity, the possibilities are almost endless!

If you liked this project, please give it a heart and vote for it!
If you have any comments, suggestions, or questions, feel free to post it below!
To order your own shield, please visit my website for info or order it on [Link]
As always, please share this project!

With that said, happy DIY'ing and make sure to share your projects and improvements with everyone!

~ Tim

SIM7000 is NB-IoT compatible. Please see this: [Link]

Shield/wiki/Board-Versions
hi. what is a good temperature to solder the sim7000 shield at?

Do you mean a good temperature to solder the headers onto the shield? That depends on what
kind of solder and soldering iron you have, but around 600 deg F (315 deg C) should be sufficient
for most applications. It's really not an exact science when soldering headers.
Yes. Thank you

Hi , I'm interesting of your product . I face a problem when I'm trying to get the network status by
pressing " n " the result is not registered , can you help me please , what should I do? Thank you
Hi, are you saying you currently have the Botletics shield and are having issues, or is it with some
other hardware?
I'm using Botletics shield , what should I do?
Please see this: [Link]

I'm using my sim card , how can I activate it? Can you contact me on e-mail.
If you are using a Hologram SIM card please follow the instructions here:
[Link]
Hi, the SIM7000 does not support 3G, and it doesn't support traditional 4G LTE. It uses LTE CAT-
M or NB-IoT. However, the 7000C also supports 2G fallback. You will have to check if there is LTE
CAT-M or NB-IoT in Taiwan.
Hi I have spend many hours trying to get the SIM700 let shield to work with my arduino mega
without any access following your code step by step
the error i am currently getting is
LTE_Demo:98:3: error: 'Adafruit_FONA_LTE' does not name a type
I would really appreciate some guidance
I have a 4G sim card in shield

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 17

I am wanting to be able to get current location from the board so that i can then build a geo fence
application.
I am happy to communicate live via skye if possible my skype name is TrackingCentral or you can
email me at raiola@[Link]
PS when i use the standard card that comes in the DFRobot library for this shield the serial monitor
stops at Turn On SIM7000.....
It sounds like you don't have the right library. Please see the product wiki:
[Link]
i have followed your instructions and still get same error
Adafruit_FONA_LTE fona = Adafruit_FONA_LTE();
this is crazy i buy a shield then have to spend many hours for several days trying to get it to
perform basic functions
And are you using the Botletics SIM7000 shield or some other hardware? I don't see your
name/email/country matching any of my orders so I just want to confirm.
Sorry you're having problems with it. I'll email you so we can communicate better. Many people are
using the shield without any problems. I think it's just a setup issue where you might have an old
conflicting FONA library in there somewhere.
You should also use a Hologram SIM card or another AT&T or Verizon LTE CAT-M1 enabled SIM
card. Traditional LTE SIM cards won't work.
Hi,

I am in Australia, are you telling me that I cannot use a 3/4g lte sim from Australia in this board ???
That is correct. If you're in Australia you should be using Telstra's LTE CAT-M or NB-IoT SIM card.
The SIM7000E module only supports LTE CAT-M, NB-IoT, and has 2G/2.5G fallback if needed, so
you should use GSM if you wanted but that's not the main point of the module so I suggest getting
an appropriate SIM card :)
Great. I noticed it's GPS ..can this be modified for GPS free using LTE TDOA .. If not I assume the
battery would still last 5 years if I say enable GPS on demand to send coordinate every 30 mins or
an hour?
So apparently the SIM7000 uses the cell tower for assisted GPS but does not support standalone
TDOA. Hope that helps!
That's a great question! I'm finding out right now from SIMCom, hopefully I get a reply.

How to integrate with firebase, https post

What's up guys! It's midnight here and I just launched my Indiegogo campaign for the SIM7000
shield. Be sure to check it out and please share on social media, thanks!

[Link]
Thanks for the kind remark! And yes, that's something I didn't really bother fixing because you can
follow this tutorial to send AT commands directly via micro USB which is way easier and faster:
[Link]
Hey guys, I added a tutorial page on how to work with SMS messages on the SIM7000 shield to do
cool stuff like activate special functions, etc. based on the contents of the text message. It also
sends a reply back!
[Link]

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 18

I got a kind reply from one of SIMCom's engineers and I have the SIM7000 Windows drivers so
now you can directly test AT commands via a terminal program like PuTTY simply by plugging in
the micro USB cable! You can view the instructions I wrote here: [Link]
IoT-Shield/wiki/SIM7000-USB-Drivers
Hi everyone, I'm excited to announce that I will be launching the Indiegogo campaign for this
LTE/NB-IoT shield on 1 February 2018 so mark your calendars! You can check out the pre-
campaign page here and be sure to share it with your friends:
[Link]
Early-bird orders will ship out immediately but I will have limited supplies on a first-come-first-
served basis. The price for any version of the shield will be $99 (USD) in case you're interested!
Looking forward to the new year and stay warm!
Hey guys, I just tested version 3 of the board and updated this Instructable to reflect the changes.
The main difference is that now you don't need a LiPo battery to power the shield! Simply plug it
into an Arduino and you're ready to roll!

Botletics LTE CAT-M/NB-IoT + GPS Shield for Arduino: Page 19