Vodacom recently opened its Narrowband IoT Laboratory, aimed at commercialising IoT systems using the provider’s NB-IoT network.

The lab provides a test environment for developers and customers to build hardware and test end-point devices on a live NB-IoT network.

Hardware developed inside the laboratory includes Low Power Wide Area (LPWA) devices, which are power-efficient and have a multi-year battery life.

Developers also use a Faraday cage to measure the signal strength capabilities of devices.

Vodacom’s Narrowband IoT laboratory is located at the Vodacom World campus and houses various developers working on IoT devices – including smart water meters, parking devices, and more.

The company said its NB-IoT network is set to launch commercially in major cities across South Africa later this year.

MyBroadband was invited to take a look at the new lab, shown in the photos below.

Faraday Cage

Smart parking and water meter devices

Evaluation kit

IoT laboratory

Now read: Vodacom launches NarrowBand IoT network