NON IP Data delivery (NIDD)

In this document we explain the Non-ip feature and how we deliver this 3GPP standard feature. There are 2 options for delivering NON-IP this option we explain here is without the SCEF component.

1. What is NON-IP?

Cellular connectivity has 2 layers of connectivity a management layer (control plane) and data layer (user plane). For services that occasionally transmit reasonably small amounts of data, the utilisation of the Control Plane will optimise the power consumption due to the fact that the amount of signalling required and the “air time” is reduced. Power consumption can be optimised using non-IP, UDP. Non-IP allows for the use of protocols that have been optimised for a specific use. UDP is asynchronous, which reduces the time of the connection, while TCP will keep the connection open until an acknowledgment is received.

2. How does it work?

NONIP will functionally be for the part exactly the same as the UDP data transport. It ises the UDP adapter and you need to select the UDP protocol when registering the device.

2. SIM Provisioning

You can request the provisining of the non-ip apn on your sim card. This can be done 'over the air' and will not require any physical interactions

3. How to use NON-IP

Note: All this information is retrieved from the AT - Commands manual of U-Blox SARA devices which might differ for other modules.

Set up a non-ip PDP context

AT+CGDCONT=0,"NONIP","nonip.iot.t-mobile.nl"
[Resp:]OK

Is the PDP Contexct Active?
AT+CGACT?
[Resp:]+CGACT: 0,1

Do I really not have an IP Address?
AT+CGPADDR=0

[Resp:]+CGPADDR: 0

First set-up data reception URC (Unsollicited result code);

Format
AT+CRTDCP=

Example
AT+CRTDCP=1

Then send a message using this command;
Format
AT+CSODCP=,<cpdata_length>,[,[,<type_of_user_data>]]

Example
AT+CSODCP=1,3,"AA11BB"

Switch on data arrival notifications
AT+CRTDCP=1

Send 4 bytes over CID 0
AT+CSODCP=0,4,"45726963"

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Firmware notice (U-Blox)

We have not been able to verify the working of Non-IP for all hardware types yet. But for the U-Blox SARA N200 & N211 modules we know that an upgrade to firmware version; Modem: 06.57 and Application: A09.06 is needed to resolve the known limitation on the Non-IP data delivery that caused the downlink messaging to work only for the first message.
The firmware version can be viewed with the AT command: ATI9