LTE IoT 4 Click is a compact add-on board that contains an IoT module with worldwide coverage. This board features the nRF9160, highly integrated, low-power SiP with LTE-M/NB-IoT and GPS from Nordic Semiconductor. The nRF9160 has an integrated ARM® Cortex®-M33 processor supported by 1MB of Flash and 256KB RAM memory with advanced security features. It can operate globally, eliminating any need for regional variants, and supports SIM connection and authentication with mobile network operators. This Click board™ is suitable for applications such as logistics and asset tracking, predictive maintenance, industrial, smart agriculture, and many more.

LTE IoT 4 Click is supported by a mikroSDK compliant library, which includes functions that simplify software development.

NOTE: The GPS functionality in the SiP firmware is not currently supported. However, the user can develop their FW using Nordic's SDK, the nRF Connect SDK, and update the SiP using the SWD interface.

LTE IoT 4 Click is based on the nRF9160, a compact, highly-integrated System-in-Package (SiP) with integrated ARM® Cortex®-M33 processor, multimode LTE-M/ NB-IoT modem, RF front end (RFFE), GPS, and power management from Nordic Semiconductor. ARM® Cortex®-M33 processor is supported by 1MB of Flash and 256KB RAM memory with advanced security features, like Arm CryptoCell that enhances security by offering cryptographic and security resources to help to protect your IoT applications from various attack threats. It also has built-in assisted GPS suitable for tracking applications that combines location data from the Cloud with GPS satellite to allow remote monitoring of the device position. The nRF9160 is certified to operate in the most important regions, networks, and LTE bands around the world.

The nRF9160 is specifically designed to take full advantage of the energy efficiency associated with the LTE-M and NB-IoT standards. It supports both the PSM and eDRX power-saving modes, enabling the nRF9160 to sleep for a longer period. At the left side of this Click board™, there is an additional header, labeled as SWD, which offers full support of debugging and programming capabilities through the serial wire debug (SWD) interface (SWDIO, SWCLK, and SWO).

LTE IoT 4 Click communicates with MCU using the UART interface as its default communication protocol with the option for the users to use other interfaces such as SPI and I2C if they want to configure the module and write the library by themselves using these protocols. It also can be reset through the Hardware Reset pin, labeled as RST on the mikroBUS™ socket, by putting this pin in a logic low state.

The LTE modem integrates a very flexible transceiver that supports frequency range from 700 to 2200 MHz. Also, it possesses two SMA antenna connectors with an impedance of 50Ω, labeled as GPS and LTE, used for connecting the appropriate antenna. Besides those SMA connectors, this Click board™ also has a nano-SIM card slot that provides multiple connections and interface options.

This Click board™ is designed to be operated only with a 3.3V logic voltage level. A proper logic voltage level conversion should be performed before the Click board™ is used with MCUs with different logic levels. However, the Click board™ comes equipped with a library that contains functions and an example code that can be used, as a reference, for further development.

• Interface: I²C, SPI, UART
• Compatibility: mikroBUS™
• Dimensions: 42.9 x 25.4mm
• Input Voltage: 3.3V
• Operating Frequency Range: Min. 700MHz, Max. 2200MHz
• Operating Temperature Range: Min. -40°C, Typ. +25°C, Max. +85°C

• Schematic
• nRF9160 Datasheet
• mikroSDK
• GitHub