Originally published at: How to Get Network Information from a Nordic nRF9160 Cellular Modem - Golioth
Cellular-enabled devices are often deployed into far-flung locations. They are quite likely to be out of reach from physical access once deployed. Having a way to verify the network status for a device is really important to maintaining a fleet. Nordic Semiconductors (makers of the nRF9160) built tools for returning cellular connection info into the nRF Connect SDK, their customized flavor of Zephyr. This week, we needed to retrieve cellular network info for a project. We want to share the joy of how convenient and useful this is for fleet operations. What’s there to know about the nRF9160 Modem? The primary info most people want from a cellular modem is the Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP). This a measure of how strong the signal from the cell tower is, and for battery-powered operations this is crucial. For instance, let’s say you want to perform a firmware update that will download a (relatively) large amount of data. The stronger the RSRP, the more likely that packets will be received quickly and without the need to resend. Better throughput means less radio-on time for a lower power draw. Modem Info returned using a Golioth Remote Procedure Call (RPC) However, this is only one info item and one use example. You may want to know what type of network you’re on, which band you’re using, which bands are available, or gather device specific information like IMEI. This is all possible! Let’s walk through the Nordic Modem Info library together! Using the Nordic Modem Info Library with Zephyr First off, you should be using nRF Connect SDK (NCS), the Nordic flavor of Zephyr. We have a guide for setting up an NCS workspace if…