SparkFun's Qwiic Cellular Board Uses Blues Wireless' Notecard for a Decade of Free Cellular IoT
Limited partnership offers 500MB for the next decade, all included in the one-time $85 purchase price.
SparkFun has announced a partnership with Blues Wireless on a new SparkX board design, which offers global cellular connectivity for any Qwiic-enabled microcontroller board — but, as with all SparkX products, supplies are limited.
"When we first saw the Notecard from Blues Wireless we were intrigued," SparkFun explains of its latest board design. "Unlike most embedded cellular modems, the price of the Blues Wireless card includes a 10 year subscription and 500MB of data. A global cellular module with a built in SIM card with no monthly fee? That sounds enticing. After all, the last thing we need is a hot water heater monitor with a monthly cell phone bill!"
That intrigue has led to a partnership between the two companies on a board design which partners a Blues Wireless Notecard cellular modem module and Notepad breakout board with a SparkFun-designed carrier board offering USB Type-C and Qwiic connectivity.
The device arrives ready-to-run — once you've added optional antennas — with an on-board SIM connecting to NB-IoT and LTE-M networks in 139 countries — with coverage in an additional 33 countries available by adding a local SIM. For those supported natively, the device offers a decade of connectivity with 500MB of data per month at no additional cost.
There is, however, a catch. The Qwiic Cellular is a SparkX board, the name SparkFun gives to its more experimental designs. While fully functional, buyers can't expect the same level of support as with SparkFun's iconic full-production red boards — and once supplies of the SparkX variety dry up, there's no guarantee it will ever be produced again.
The modem works over I2C via Qwiic, with additional support for serial and USB use. Code examples are provided in C, Python, and JSON to get users started.
The board is now available to buy, while supplies last, on the SparkFun store at $84.95 before volume discounts — though buyers will also need a suitable host device and antennas.