Latest GPS+LTE with no PSM or eDRX

[JMLT]

Hi,

For nRF9160, configured for GPS plus LTE: What version of nRF Connect SDK supports GPS+LTE in eDRX mode? Also, are there any plans to provide modem support for GPS+LTE for situations where neither PSM nor eDRX mode is supported by the network provider (without the firmware needing to configure modem for LTE only, then disconnect, then configure modem for GPS only, then switch back to LTE only)?

Thanks

[Heidi-Irene Harvey Sollie]

Hi!

What version of nRF Connect SDK supports GPS+LTE in eDRX mode?

This functionality is actually implemented in the modem FW. It looks like this has been supported since MFW v1.1.0, so you can use NCS v.1.1.0 and up. We recommend using the latest version of NCS and MFW.

I don't know of any plans to support GPS+LTE without PSM or eDRX, but I will double-check and get back to you, just to be sure.

Best regards,

Heidi

[Heidi-Irene Harvey Sollie]

I received an answer with regard to your second question.

In scenarios where eDRX and PSM are not available, the GPS can be configured to have prioritized access to the radio resources. This is currently supported in NCS by using the priority member in the gps_config struct that's used when starting the GPS (nrf/include/drivers/gps.h#L148).

An example of its use can be found in the A-GPS sample in NCS (see nrf/samples/nrf9160/agps/src/main.c#L59)

When the flag is set, the modem will provide longer time windows to the GNSS engine where it can access the radio without interruptions. This should increase the likelihood of getting a fix without PSM and eDRX.