The Internet of Things (IoT) transformed the parking industry and the way business is conducted. Recent news from leaders in the industry such as Nedap and Q-Free have brought the term NB IoT or Narrow Bad IoT to the forefront.
But what is NB IoT and is there really a difference between this and the IoT?
The Narrow Band Internet of Things (NB IoT), also known as LTE Cat NB1 is a term given to the connectivity between devices that require small amounts of data to be exchanged. This can work in the following way:
My apartment building has the water and electricity meters installed in the basement parking garage. Because of the concrete, this area has low connectivity to the cellular network. The water and electricity company install a smart meter that will send the readings directly to the company using narrow band communication. This means that even though the garage might have low connectivity, the data the meter sends is still able to be communicated via the already existing networks.
Narrow Band IoT and Parking
This same technology is making its way to parking and the reasons for it make perfect sense. Parking sensors are a must-have for on and off-street parking so that drivers can receive information about parking spaces in real-time. These sensors, however, require electricity and some type of network or connectivity to transmit the data.
Having sensors that can connect using narrow band IoT means that parking operators will spend a fraction of the costs related to battery life and connectivity without jeopardizing the information drivers receive via parking guidance systems and parking apps.
To learn more about Nedap’s and Q-Free’s tests with NB IoT parking sensors, click here and here.
To learn more about the Internet of Things, click here.
