Seeed Studio Opens Crowdfunding for the Compact, Long-Range SenseCAP T1000 LoRaWAN Tracker

Seeed Studio has launched a crowdfunding campaign for a credit card-sized indoor and outdoor tracker, offering global operation and LoRaWAN connectivity — allowing it to operate in areas where cellular connectivity is unavailable: the SenseCAP T1000.

"We are excited to introduce our SenseCAP T1000 to developers and system integrators who want a seamless indoor and outdoor tracking solution that enable asset visibility anywhere in the world. Cellular [technologies] like 2G, 3G, 4G have been mainstream connectivity solution[s] for asset tracking worldwide," says Seeed Studio's Joey Jiang in support of the launch. "However, in regions where cellular [networks] are not available, LoRaWAN has proven an excellent solution for its long range transmission and low power consumption."

Designed in a compact credit card-size form factor, the SenseCAP T1000 launches in four variants. The T1000-A and T1000-B include a multi-constellation Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver good for GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou, and QZSS, with the -A variant also adding an integrated three-axis accelerometer, a light sensor, and a temperature sensor. The T1000-C and T1000-D, meanwhile, rely on access to Semtech's LoRa Cloud platform for precise positioning — and, again, the -C model comes with the temperature, light, and accelerometer sensors.

All models include an "SOS" button for immediate location transmission, a built-in 700mAh battery good for a claimed four-month operational period based on hourly position uploads, an integrated LED and buzzer, a LoRaWAN v1.0.4 Class A backhaul, and both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity — which can be used, the company adds, for indoor positioning.

The tracker's plastic housing is IP65 rated for water and dust protection, with a magnetic charging connector on the back, and uses an integrated antenna with a claimed 2-8km (around 1.2-5 mile) range depending on the specifications of the LoRa gateway at the other end.

The SenseCAP T1000 includes three operation modes, Seeed has confirmed: "standby," which only sends a "heartbeat" signal to the uplink; "periodic," which sends location information at configurable intervals; and "event," which sends alerts based on sensor readings and is, for obvious reasons, only available on the models with integrated sensors.

All models include internal storage for over 1,000 location records in the event of the LoRaWAN connection being interrupted, with stored data automatically uploaded when the connection is restored.

Seed Studio's crowdfunding campaign for the tracker is now live on Kickstarter, with physical rewards starting at $22 for a Wio 1110-based tracker development kit or $28 as a launch-day discount for a T1000 proper, including three months SenseCAP access. All hardware is expected to be delivered in October this year, the company has confirmed.