In what countries does the Konekt Global SIM get coverage?
Here is the full list for the Global plan we are offering as part of the campaign. Additional countries available upon request: Albania Algeria Argentina Armenia Aruba Australia Austria Azerbaijan Bangladesh Belgium Bermuda Brazil Bulgaria Canada Chile China Colombia Cote de Ivoire Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Dominican Republic DR Congo Ecuador El Salvador Estonia Faeroe Islands Finland France Germany Ghana Greece Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Hong Kong Hungary Iceland India Indonesia Ireland Israel Italy Jamaica Japan Kazakstan Laos Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macau Malaysia Malta Mexico Netherlands Netherlands Antilles New Zealand Nicaragua Nigeria Norway Pakistan Panama Peru Poland Portugal Republic of Korea Romania Russian Federation Rwanda Saudi Arabia Singapore Slovakia Slovenia South Africa Spain Suriname Sweden Switzerland Tanzania Thailand Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom United States Uruguay Uzbekistan Venezuela Last updated: Thu, Mar 26 2015 4:43 am EDT
Will it be certified?
The Dash will be FCC/CE/IC certified. We will also be pursuing PTCRB certification to reduce or eliminate the need for any further certification of your final products using the Dash. We are still researching PTCRB so our certification plans are not yet finalized, but our goal is to make it easy to build a product with the Dash without extra regulatory headaches or costs. Last updated: Thu, Mar 26 2015 4:35 am EDT
Does your SIM get both 2G and 3G coverage?
They sure do! Last updated: Fri, Mar 27 2015 1:54 pm EDT
Why didn’t you include a 2G only model?
AT&T is discontinuing their 2G network in the US. The final shutdown will occur in January 2017, but they shutting down swaths of coverage area on a rolling basis until that date (they won’t just flip a switch on Jan 2017). This will make 2G costs very expensive in the US (since T-mobile will now be the only option) and it is likely that 2G will continue to go out of favor around the world. This why the Konekt Dash is designed to support both 2G and 3G. Last updated: Thu, Mar 26 2015 4:43 am EDT
How can I power the Dash / Dash Pro
The Dash / Dash Pro can work in the following modes: 1) USB connected and a Battery Connected (Draws ~500 mA, charges battery) 2) USB disconnected and a Battery Connected (All power is coming from the battery) 3) USB 2A Cable is connected and a tiny jumper is installed (All power is coming from the USB) 4) Power comes in externally via the VBATT pin between 3.3V and 5V(Accessible via all the shields) 5) Power comes in externally via the VIN pin which is the same net as the USB In (5V@2A) Current draw will vary on cellular usage, but will have a worst case draw of very short peaks around 1.8A. Most cellular modes work with far less current draw). If you’re interested in the current draw of the U-Blox Components, the following system integration manuals talk all about the needs of the cellular modem) http://www.u-blox.com/images/downloads/Product_Docs/LISA-U-series_SystemIntegrationManual_(UBX-13001118).pdf http://www.u-blox.com/images/downloads/Product_Docs/SARA-G3-U2SysIntegrManual(UBX-13000995).pdf Last updated: Fri, Mar 27 2015 8:21 pm EDT
How long does the battery last?
There are many factors that affect battery life :). The biggest one is cellular connection. There is a huge variance depending on how you are connecting and how far you are from the tower. We’re still working on all of our optimizations for sleeping/waking up, but here are our best calculations for a dash that isn’t connected to any peripherals. (Assuming 2000 mAh battery) 1 Message / Day = 16-25 Days of Battery Life 1 Messages / Hour = 16-25 Days of Battery Life 10 Messages / Hour = 15-25 Days of Battery Life 100 Messages / Hour = 9-25 Days of Battery Life 1000 Messages / Hour = 2-22 Days of Battery Life If you are connecting a GPS unit to the device (i.e. vehicle tracker), that will lower the battery life. Depending on how often you are polling and whether you are keeping the GPS unit “hot” (i.e. turned on in a low power mode to overcome the startup time), you could run a GPS tracker for a few days. Keep in mind that you can substitute a larger battery. You can easily get a battery with 5x capacity (10,000 mAh). Last updated: Thu, Mar 26 2015 2:49 pm EDT
In what countries will the Dash and Dash Pro work?
The Dash will ship in 3 versions depending on your country: U-blox Sara U260 (North America) U-blox Sara U270 (Europe/Asia) U-blox Sara U280 (Japan) The Dash-Pro uses U-blox Lisa U200 which works worldwide! Last updated: Thu, Mar 26 2015 5:44 pm EDT
Why is shipping so expensive and what is meant by VAT included?
We’ve designed the Dash with a global first mindset, but it turns out that shipping things around the global can be quite expensive! Many Kickstarter campaigns try to get around expensive shipping and customs duties by classifying products as “gifts” and using unreliable shippers. This can lead to lead to lost packages, customs issues, and delayed deliveries; which no one wants. We’re using reliable shippers like USPS, FedEx, DHL, and a global network of warehouses to make sure everybody gets their rewards. We’re also pre-paying Value-Added Taxes (VAT) so you won’t have to pay anything extra or deal with annoying customs agents to receive your rewards! Last updated: Mon, Mar 30 2015 3:25 pm EDT
Can I use my own SIM in the Konekt Dash?
Of course you can. We’ve gone through lengths to try to get the best pricing possible for you, but if you’d like to use your own SIM you’re more than welcome to do so! Last updated: Fri, Mar 27 2015 1:54 pm EDT
Doesn’t this project looks sort of familiar?
Glad you asked! We were pleasantly enjoying the thrills of development when their Kickstarter launched. Luckily, as it turns out, competition is really good for the end user. It means we both have to work harder and come up with better features and user experience. Our hats are off to the Spark team. The Dash and Dash Pro both offer integrated battery management and battery connector. The Dash/Pro is mobile-first without any other add-ons. The Dash Pro offers more security for just a little bit more price than the Dash. The Dash Pro offers up two power supplies (5V / 3.3V). The Dash Pro works worldwide and can move between regions. The Data Plan is much more competitively priced. Spark is just entering the MVNO space, whereas this isn’t Konekt’s first day at the rodeo. The other big feature is that we upped our game to push out solutions that you can use today. The Pi/Beaglebone/Arduino solutions will work out of the box and don’t require any hardware development. Plus, we have done a ton of development upfront so we can get this to you in AUGUST! Last updated: Mon, Mar 30 2015 2:32 pm EDT
Will your SIMs work with the Spark Electron or other 3rd Party Hardware
You bet! We’ll be developing supporting libraries and getting started instructions for a wide range of hardware. Last updated: Mon, Apr 6 2015 12:14 pm EDT
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