Cellular and GNSS technology integrated into a miniature SiP

U-blox has released the ALEX-R5, a miniature cellular module that integrates LPWA connectivity and GNSS technology into an ultra-small SiP form factor. Comprising hardware components designed fully in-house, the device is based on the secure UBX-R5 LTE-M/NB-IoT chipset platform with out-of-the-box Secure Cloud functionality and the company's M8 GNSS chip for world-class location accuracy.

The device stands out for its miniature 14mm x 14mm footprint, realised thanks to its SiP design, decreasing its size compared to the functionally equivalent SARA-R5 module by half. Its tiny dimensions make it an excellent fit for size constrained applications.

The device is optimised for power-sensitive and battery-dependent applications, meeting common pain points of size-constrained applications including wearables and connected medical devices. It accomplishes this by using the lower power modes of the company's UBX-R5 and UBX-M8 chipsets and providing users options to balance power consumption and performance further using GNSS Super-E mode.

Its rugged SiP construction makes it an ideal fit for severe environments, where moisture or vibration may be a concern for conventional modules. The device is rated at moisture sensitivity level 3 (MSL 3), providing decreased handling and device production complexity.