Published -GeneralInsights- 7 Min. reading time

Nihao China - m2m Germany visits IoT partner on site

m2m Germany visits IoT partner in China

A visit to our IoT partners in China was long overdue, but the coronavirus pandemic thwarted our plans in 2020/2021. This year, Marius Nickolai (CEO) and our Product Manager Florian Keile took the opportunity to visit several partners on site to talk about cooperation and possible process optimizations as well as to take new ideas back to Germany.

After all, where better to do this than in the country whose digital economy is one of the largest in the world. And it was worth it! And not just because of the extraordinary hospitality we received.

First destination of the trip: Shenzhen

The two-week trip started in Hong Kong, which, with over seven million inhabitants on 1,106 square kilometers, is considered an important economic and high-tech location on the south coast of China. After a short breather, the trip continued to Shenzhen to visit Fibocom Wireless and RAKwireless.

Visit to Fibocom

Fibocom is a leading global provider of wireless communication modules and solutions. Fibocom's product portfolio ranges from cellular modules (5G/4G/3G/2G/LPWA) to modules for the automotive industry and GNSS modules. On the road to digital transformation, Fibocom focuses on industries such as mobile broadband, smart retail, vehicle-to-everything (V2X), robotics, smart energy, IIoT, smart cities, smart agriculture, smart home and telemedicine.

As both the Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI) continue to grow in importance, current market trends are increasingly focused on improving quality of life, increasing productivity and efficiency as well as predictive maintenance. Current forecasts assume that the proportion of AI-supported IoT projects will increase from the current 10% to around 47% by 2027.

Product highlights include the SC171 module, which is one of the premium wireless solutions for high-end AIoT end devices. In addition, the Mobile Breakthrough Award 2024 recently recognized the 5G RedCap module FG132 as "Embedded Wireless Solution of the Year", which impressively confirms Fibocom's outstanding role in this market segment.

  • Keira Xie from Fibocom with Marius Nickolai, Managing Director of m2m Germany, in the Fibocom showroom

  • Two robotic lawnmowers equipped with the latest Fibocom mobile radio modules

  • Fibocom modules in the showroom

What does RAKwireless do?

At a time when LoRaWAN was still in its infancy in Germany, m2m Germany made its first contacts with RAKwireless. Since then, the company has continued to develop and is now considered a leading provider in the global IoT world.

In addition to various sensors, RAKwireless also offers LoRaWAN gateways with full support for the LoRaWAN stack (V1.0.3). This allows LPWAN networks to be set up flexibly, both for indoor and outdoor applications. Various power supply solutions and several connectivity options are also available. The company also offers various antenna types. Some devices also have an integrated cavity filter to minimize out-of-band interference, as well as built-in lightning protection to increase the longevity of the systems.

In addition, RAKwireless provides software that significantly simplifies the use of the gateways. The product portfolio is rounded off by a variety of solutions for in-house product development. During our visit, we were also introduced to some new product innovations, giving us a comprehensive impression of the company's strategic direction.

Picture right: Hydroponics with sensors from RAKwireless

Onward journey to Xiamen

After Shenzhen, we made our way to Xiamen to visit Milesight IoT, UNI450, Bivocom and Netvox Technology. The electronics and telecommunications industry plays a key role in the local economy in this port city, which is separated from Taiwan by a strait. Not least thanks to government subsidies awarded under the "Made in China 2025" program, this location is continuously developing. In addition, Xiamen is very popular with many domestic tourists due to its attractive coastal location.

A visit to Milesight IoT

The partnership between Milesight IoT and m2m Germany has been characterized by positive results and steady growth from the very beginning. Over the years, initial cooperation has developed into a resilient collaboration based on mutual initiatives and efforts. As a special surprise during the visit, m2m Germany received the "Most Valuable Partner" award for the second time in a row in 2024.

The visit began with a tour of the factory, during which we were able to follow the entire production chain of the devices in detail - from the assembly of the circuit boards to assembly and testing through to packaging. We were also given an insight into camera production, which takes place at a different location. This is also where the test center is located, where various product tests are carried out, such as temperature and humidity tests in specialized climate chambers, vibration tests, thermal shock tests, xenon aging tests, IP6x protection class tests and salt spray tests.

Milesight has an extensive product portfolio with extremely low failure rates. Product warranties of up to three years are given as standard. The product design complies with the data protection requirements of the European Union (GDPR/DSGVO) and the so-called WELL Building standard. The company itself is ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified, while its products are CE, FCC, LoRaWAN®, RoHS and RCM certified.

Last but not least, business ethics and social responsibility are important components of corporate policy. Whether it is environmental protection, the promotion of equality, appropriate working conditions or an open business ecosystem - as a globally active technology group, the company is committed to acting responsibly and is guided by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

During our visit, we were able to see for ourselves that these values are not only documented on paper, but are also put into practice. We at m2m Germany are sure that many of our professional customers also appreciate this.

  • Florian Keile accepts the award as "Most valuable Partner 2024"

  • State-of-the-art SMT production line at Milesight IoT

  • Various test stands on the roof of the Milesight building

On site at UNI450

UNI450 is considered the world's leading provider of 450 MHz wireless solutions, which are widely used in industrial routers, smart grid devices and security and monitoring equipment. m2m Germany is an authorized distributor of UNI450 and the first point of contact for customers dealing with fail-safe communication for critical infrastructures. The UNI450 research and development team has extensive experience in 410 and 450 MHz design and works closely with 450connect, a Germany-wide network of more than 70 energy and water supply companies. This cooperation constantly results in future-proof solutions that meet the high demands of the market.

  • With Managing Director Redd Khoo and Brainy Cai in front of UNI450's Head Quarter

  • Test stand at UNI450 for radio tests

What does Bivocom do?

Bivocom is a professional solution provider of industrial wireless transmission terminals for IoT (Internet-of-Things) and M2M (Machine-to-Machine) gateways. Bivocom offers high-quality 4G/3G/2G radio modems, DTU, gateway, router, Android IPC and LoRa gateways.

Their products are often used for smart grid, smart city, oil and gas, irrigation, intelligent transportation, sales kiosks, mining, weather stations and industrial automation.

Nevertheless, this manufacturer is probably largely unknown on the German market, even though it is used in many OEM products. The high-quality and cost-effective solutions are characterized by their high configurability and programmability.

Further cooperation will initially be project-related in order to gain further experience. Project partners are being sought.

  • f.l.t.r. Ian Zeng, Marius Nickolai, Florian Keile, Catherine Zhang 

  • View from the 28th floor of the building at Bivocom

A visit to Netvox Technology

With Netvox we were invited by the company's Managing Director Kent Shen to visit the production facility during his visit to the m2m Germany headquarters this year. The total area of the production facility in Xiamen is 15,600 square meters.

Netvox was founded in 1995 as a purely Taiwanese company based in the Xiamen Torch High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, China. More than 90% of the company's products are exported. A rapidly increasing proportion is sold via the retail trade.

Initially, the development of products and applications in connection with the Internet of Things was based on ZigBee as a wireless transmission protocol. In the meantime, a not inconsiderable proportion of the products are produced and distributed worldwide on the basis of LoRaWAN. The LoRaWAN product portfolio consists of almost 400 different devices, some with an innovative range of functions.

One of these innovative devices is the R603, which functions as a wireless alarm indicator with customized voice announcements. It is equipped with programmable RGB light and 16 MB capacity for 10 audio announcements. Events can thus be personalized by setting different light colors and alarm sounds or voice prompts.

A further deepening of the partnership cannot be ruled out.

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