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I would like to know what are your thoughts on the following below.

I am designing a GSM tracking device with a SIMCOM808 module and I am speaking to an antenna supplier that advises me to rather go for Ublox modules because they are 'supposedly'more superior.

SIMCOM fills all my needs and they are cheap, while Ublox is more costly.

what are your thoughts or please refer me to a blog where I can read up on this.

user150963
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  • I agree the Ublock is certainly superior. So what is your prioirity? Cost or performance and quality? http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Ublox-GPS/ – Tony Stewart EE75 Nov 13 '17 at 12:58
  • SIMCOM is getting old. Those are 2G/3G only right? At least in the US, carriers are already reducing 3G bandwidth... so depending on projected product life... – MadHatter Nov 13 '17 at 13:13
  • Cost is a very high priority because the product is literally going to be used once and then thrown away, I'm based in Africa so 2G/3G will still be around for a very long time. – user150963 Nov 13 '17 at 14:48

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Your antenna supplier is probably also an U-blox reseller ;)

Seriously - pretty much all cellular modules: Telit, U-blox, Gemalto [former Cinterion], Simcom, Quectel are basically the same (I've tried Telit, U-blox, Simcom and Quectel myself). The basic AT commands (like dial, send SMS etc.) are standarized by 3GPP, and are the same across all modules.

There are very few manufacturers that make cellular chipsets (Qualcomm, Intel, Mediatek - google Apple issues with the supply of their wireless modems). When it comes to single-standard LTE-NB1 modules (not exactly your case) even the chipset inside is identical in U-blox and Quectel. If the chipset is identical, then without an extra RF-frontend all radio parameters are also identical.

Unless you need a very specific characteristic (like temperature range, special firmware, sensitivity, support, long-term availability and logistics) - I would regard all modules as the same. If a cheaper module works for you - just use it.

You could buy for example 2-3 different development kits and do some testing in the location you plan to install your device to see if there are any measurable differences (assuming same installation, same antenna, same antenna feeder etc.).

Having a GSM/GPRS-only module can be risky, because the old networks are being slowly phased out, so perhaps ask your network operator what are their plans. Norway for example plans to disable 3G in 2020 and GSM in 2025.

The nice thing about Simcom is that some of their modules can be easily soldered by hand, because they only have castellations ("pins") at the edges. It also reduces manufacturing price, because the solder joints are obviously visible, easy to inspect and easy to rework. Forget about that in case of an LGA package from another supplier - you'll need an X-ray machine to inspect the joints hidden below the module.

The nice thing about Telit is that some of their modules are programmable, ie. you can write your own software package that will run on the module itself, so you may not need an external MCU (haven't tried that yet myself).

filo
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  • I actually own a telematics company. For gps receivers, uBlox are pretty nice compared to others that we tried. For modems, you have to do switchoff circuits for all of them. If you just connect and that's it, Simcom is nice. If you are doing lot's of stuff and your modem handing code is like 50k lines because of several options and features etc, there is incentive to go for the branded one. Those are not perfect either. – Szundi Dec 01 '19 at 18:03