Motion, Cadence, and Geography: The Real Drivers of Network Choice
In the asset tracking world, debates often start with the radio. NB‑IoT and LTE‑M each promise better coverage, lower power or cheaper hardware. In practice, the network label matters less than how your assets behave. The question isn’t “Which spec sheet is better?” It’s “How often does the device wake, how far does it travel and where does it live?”
Start with three simple questions
- Motion — Is your equipment mostly stationary, parked in a yard or warehouse, or does it move across regions?
- Cadence — How often do you actually need location updates? Are you happy with daily check‑ins, or do operations require hourly or event‑based messages?
- Geography — Where will this device operate? Deep indoors, around large metal containers and racks, along cross‑border trade routes or through dense urban canyons?
Answering those questions quickly narrows the options. For an example of a long‑life asset tracker built for multi‑year deployment, see the GPT12‑X case study (/gpt12-x-long-standby-asset-tracker/).
When NB‑IoT makes sense
NB‑IoT excels in low‑bandwidth scenarios where the device stays put and messages are small. Returnable pallets or containers sitting in a warehouse for days only need an occasional “I’m here” update or an exception alert. NB‑IoT’s lower bandwidth and longer signal reach mean better penetration inside buildings and lower subscription costs. What you trade away is mobility; there is no seamless handover between cells. If your assets rarely move, that limitation doesn’t matter.
Where LTE‑M fits better
LTE‑M is more tolerant of movement. It can hand off between base stations, offers lower latency and can handle more frequent reporting. Fleet trailers, rental equipment and mobile assets that cross operators’ regions benefit from LTE‑M’s roaming support. The radio itself doesn’t use significantly more power; the real battery cost comes from how often the device wakes and transmits. For engineering guidance on designing firmware states and power budgets, read our Engineer’s Playbook (/designing-low-power-cellular-trackers-playbook/).
Battery life is about behavior, not just modems
Teams often ask which network “uses less battery.” The honest answer is that battery life is determined by the duty cycle: how long the device sleeps, how much data you send when it wakes and how you handle retries in marginal coverage. Waking every few minutes for a full report will drain any cell modem; compressing and summarizing data into event‑driven messages can extend life by months. For more operational tips, explore our asset tracking playbooks (/asset-tracker-playbooks/).
Deployment geography matters
Two identical devices can perform differently on opposite sides of the world. Indoor warehouses, open yards, rural routes and cross‑border corridors each shape your retry costs and coverage holes. Write down the routes your assets follow. Mark the worst indoor zone and the toughest border handoff. Decide where you accept “last known location” versus “near real‑time updates.” That exercise will tell you more than a datasheet.
A practical checklist
- Is it stationary or mobile?
- How often will it wake?
- Can you compress messages to what matters?
- What’s the worst coverage point on the route?
- Do you need quick recovery or just presence proof?
If your assets have mixed profiles—some idle for months, others constantly in motion—consider dual‑mode devices. LTE‑M plus NB‑IoT can cover different geographies, but dual‑mode doesn’t eliminate the need for disciplined power management.
Closing thought
Selecting NB‑IoT or LTE‑M is less about the radio and more about how your assets behave and where they live. Define motion, cadence and geography up front, and the technology choice becomes straightforward. With the right design, both networks can deliver multi‑year tracking that stands up in the field.