Deploying a digital control unit with cellular and GNSS connectivity

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ConnectM manufactures Digital Control Units (DCU), a flagship product that merges vehicle control, telematics, and in-vehicle display into one compact platform. Acting as the vehicle’s digital brain, it connects two and three-wheelers and light commercial vehicles to the cloud, mobile apps, and dashboards, giving drivers, fleet managers, and OEMs tailored control and visibility.

ConnectM needed a solution with 2G and 4G cellular and GNSS connectivity, integrated into a compact PCB (145x82mm) with minimal ground clearance to fit a Vehicle Control Unit, Telematics, and Instrument Cluster in one device.

It was also crucial to achieve a reliable GPS performance that could latch in 30 seconds or less at cold-start, even with nearby material layers like casing, display, and other telematics, to ensure accurate navigation, a smooth user experience, and a cost-effective solution for the highly price-sensitive Indian market.

Ignion´s solution included:

• RUN mXTEND™ antenna booster (NN02-224, dimensions: 12.0 x 3.0 x 2.4 mm) for the cellular bands in India (824-960 MHz & 1710-2690 MHz).
• DUO mXTEND™ antenna booster (NN03-320, dimensions: 7.0 x 3.0 x 2.0 mm) for the GNSS (1560-1610 MHz) requirements.
• Engineering support including:
  • Guidance on antenna booster placement, clearance area and matching network topology for tailored tuning.
  • Cellular verification of the total radiated power (TRP) ensuring meeting the network operator certification targets.
  • GNSS: recommendations on the Low Noise Amplifier (LNA).
  • Guidance on expected total efficiency.
  • Design file review (Gerber file) before prototype run.

Reliable connectivity was achieved despite the different internal layers — including Telematics, which often poses a challenge — and the plastic cover, which is crucial for the device to transmit and receive data to and from the app and software of the ConnectM overall solution.

The compact, patent-pending DCU, which combines three devices that were previously sold separately, now provides ConnectM a strong market advantage with the help of Ignion’s flexible antenna boosters that are so small, they can be easily integrated into any device.

The device´s competitive pricing may be partly attributed to the more cost-optimized options presented by Ignion that successfully met the bandwidth and GNSS signal reception requirements.

New business opportunities have been opened in other markets where the device is already being tested. Ignion´s flexible Virtual Antenna® technology also future-proofs the device design making it ready for updates and upgrades.