An LTE Raspberry Pi HAT aimed toward growing IoT functions simply hit its funding purpose on Kickstarter (opens in new tab). Often known as the PiTalk, the HAT is suitable with all fashions of Raspberry Pi (opens in new tab) besides Compute Modules and Picos, from the tiny Zero (opens in new tab) to the potent Raspberry Pi 4 Mannequin B (opens in new tab).
The creation of London-based embedded methods engineer Ravinder Singh, the HAT permits you to place your Pi out of vary of Wi-Fi (although you’ll nonetheless want some method to energy it). Constructed round a Quectel EG25-G Cat 4 module, able to 150Mbps down and 50Mbps up, and backward suitable with earlier community sorts, it additionally helps international positioning (GPS, GLONASS, BeiDou/Compass, Galileo and QZSS).
Whereas it may very well be used to construct your personal smartphone, because it helps voice calls and SMS messages, the HAT-wearing Pi (opens in new tab) will also be configured as a Wi-Fi hotspot, video streaming gadget or to easily surf the online. It additionally has potential makes use of in digital signage, permitting the add of recent content material to an indication with out requiring a Wi-Fi community or bodily entry. Variations of the HAT that may solely discuss to a 2G community are additionally obtainable.
Singh can also be growing a USB 4G dongle for Home windows and Linux methods that connects through USB. All his 4G merchandise require nano-SIM playing cards and get their energy from a USB port – a Kind-C port within the case of the HAT, and the host Kind-A port for the dongle. Numerous bundles can be found, together with some that include Raspberry Pi boards, the HAT, numerous cables, and combos of the HAT and dongle. LCD screens, a battery-powered UPS, relay connections and a PoE HAT are additionally obtainable.
Full particulars, together with pinouts, might be discovered on the Kickstarter web page. The product ships worldwide and may start supply in February 2023. The Kickstarter marketing campaign runs for an additional 29 days on the time of writing.
Keep in mind that crowdfunding a venture isn’t a assure of receiving a completed product. Backing a crowdfunded venture is akin to an funding; you consider within the venture and wish it to succeed. You aren’t buying a retail product.