Demystifying the NB-IoT smart module, how ofo will be the first entrance to the mobile Internet of Things

The ofo NB-loT smart module that has been rumored for some time finally has a real impact. At the Huawei Full Connectivity Developer Conference held not long ago, ofo’s little yellow car officially appeared as a partner of Huawei. Ofo co-founder Xue Ding showed off the actual commercial results of ofo’s little yellow car in NB-IoT narrowband Internet of Things technology—global The first IoT smart lock.

Previously, people close to ofo's supply chain broke the news to 36Kr that ofo had secretly developed a new NB-loT module with Huawei. This module was implanted in the Xiaohuang car and has been put on the market recently.

"NB-IoT technology is the best solution for smart locks for shared bicycles at this stage. The advent of this new smart product also means that the little yellow bike is the most representative application scenario in the Internet of Things era and the first breakthrough for the Internet of Everything. "Xue Ding, co-founder of ofo, said at the previous Huawei Full Connection Conference.

NB-IoT (Narrow Band Internet of Things) technology is based on the existing cellular wireless network. It can provide more comprehensive and better network coverage for communication between things, and also supports multiple connections. , while requiring lower power consumption of the terminal.

Currently, the smart locks based on the 2G network standard commonly used in shared bicycles consume relatively high power. Even if they rely on the power generation device on the vehicle to power the electronic lock, once there is a problem with the power supply system, the smart bicycle will become a zombie bicycle and cannot be used by users. . According to public information, Huawei has made technical improvements to the NB-IoT module. The application terminal will enter deep sleep mode during non-data transmission periods, thereby saving power consumption and making the device available for longer.

The NB-IoT module is used for shared bicycles, which also means that in many environments where current network signals are difficult to reach, such as underground parking lots, users can still scan the code to unlock.

At the same time, 36Kr learned that in addition to Huawei, China Telecom is also one of the partners. Ofo’s small yellow car using smart modules will use China Telecom’s domestic wireless network resources with the widest coverage. "Take Beijing as an example. Previously, the sector of the network base station could only cover a few hundred shared bicycles. If the coverage was not covered, the vehicles would be unusable. However, the new module will have an improvement. In the future, one sector of the base station will The number of device connections will increase hundreds of times."

According to the "Internet of Things Industry Research Report" released by 36kr in August this year, ofo was the first to commercialize NB-IoT smart locks to replace the traditional 2G communication mode. It can not only position and track vehicles, but also use data collection and analysis to more accurately place shared bicycles, match the optimal return route for real-time dispatch, promote different marketing activities for different user groups, and distribute vehicles Usage rate increased significantly.

Previously, ofo was late in developing smart locks, but it was successful because of its low cost, fast vehicle production, and its rapid expansion into the market based on quantity. "When the shared bicycle war develops to a certain scale, if you want to go further, you will need more intelligent terminal equipment and higher bicycle quality." The above-mentioned person said that as a first-tier enterprise in shared bicycles, ofo has obviously gained It has tilted the advantageous resources such as Huawei.

An industry insider who has been paying attention to shared bicycles said that the NB-IoT smart module is used in ofo, and there is more room for imagination in the field of Internet of Things in the future.

If the Internet connects people, then the Internet of Things (loT) connects things and things. A large number of manufacturers, including software, hardware and Internet companies, are competing for this market.

Among them, shared bicycles with many users are currently the best usage scenarios of the Internet of Things. Ofo currently has more than 8 million users, and these users are continuously providing travel big data. As ofo's NB-IoT technology continues to be optimized, ofo may use more dimensional sensors to detect complex urban information near the vehicle and sense the concentration of people, traffic congestion, and commercial passenger flow. Once user data is analyzed and processed using technologies such as artificial intelligence, real-time traffic can be effectively scheduled and provided as a reference for government urban planning. This is also a higher-level scenario where ofo's IoT technology is used.

In fact, it is not just ofo's data. As the controlling shareholder of this company, Didi Chuxing's future user data will also be connected with ofo. By then, ofo's Internet of Things will have strong data support. At the same time, 36Kr learned that Alibaba may also be roped in as an ally for the offline development of the Internet, providing more user payment data to help Ofo expand offline consumption scenarios on the Internet. "Even in the future, we do not rule out installing sensors on bicycles to monitor the physical status of cyclists in real time." an ofo insider said.

These different attempts are ultimately aimed at comprehensively understanding users from multiple perspectives such as travel conditions, spending power and physical signs, so as to provide them with smarter and more comprehensive services through the Internet of Things.

"After NB-IoT is commercialized, ofo may extend from the top application layer of the Internet of Things to the underlying more basic network layer to expand its business radius." Internet of Things experts told reporters.

To put it simply, the NB-IoT smart module connects the two ends of the small yellow car and other items. The other end may be a street lamp, an office elevator, a shopping mall rolling door, or it may be a supermarket shopping cart and a POS machine for payment. These can be activated by users using their mobile phones to scan the QR code for the yellow car. Once commercial exploration is completed, the service scenarios of offline IoT will be more specific in the future. For example, street lights will automatically light up when a bicycle approaches, and discount information from frequently visited shopping malls will be automatically received before going shopping. Even when the user When you get home after riding a bike, you will find that the air conditioner has automatically turned on, the water dispenser has a glass of water ready, and the TV has jumped to your favorite channel.

At the same time, with the construction of infrastructure such as chips and modules, the shared bicycle business will become one of the business modules of ofo's technology platform, followed by the access to more imaginative spaces, such as or other shared terminals, or even It is a smart city and credit system.

And this chip is the key to officially opening the door to ofo’s mobile Internet of Things.