1. What a sanitation fleet connects
A smart waste bin covers fill-level monitoring, collection dispatch, and sorting guidance. Bin status and location go up over 4G or NB-IoT. Ultrasonic and infrared sensors measure how full the bin is. Bins with a screen need content pushed down to them. SimtoLink provides 4G and NB-IoT for sanitation companies, with a shared data pool, a dedicated APN, and an API into the sanitation platform.
2. Bins and the link each one needs
Monitoring, collection, and sorting do not need the same power budget or the same response time:
Fill-level monitoring and alerts
Ultrasonic and infrared sensors report fill level over NB-IoT for collection alerts, route changes, and exception alarms.
Collection dispatch and routes
Bins report location and status over 4G for smarter dispatch, vehicle assignment, and a collection record.
Sorting guidance and points
Sorting bins report each drop over 4G for points rewards, sorting statistics, and spotting misuse.
Compaction and odor control
Compactor bins take remote commands over 4G for compaction, deodorant spray, and fault diagnosis.
3. What street bins need from the network
- Street coverage: Bins sit on streets and in residential compounds, with no wired network. NB-IoT covers widely and penetrates well. 4G fits higher-data gear such as screens and compactors.
- Fill level: Ultrasonic and infrared sensors report how full the bin is, for collection alerts and route changes. Infrequent reports belong on NB-IoT.
- Collection dispatch: Location and status feed assignment, vehicle dispatch, and the collection record. Many bins reporting at once still need a stable link.
- Sorting and points: Drop data from sorting bins feeds points rewards and misuse detection. Screen bins also need advertising content pushed down.
- Platform link: Connect the sanitation platform for multi-area management, statistics, and a closed API loop.
4. NB-IoT or 4G
Power and bandwidth differ by bin type. Weigh both before you order cards. The table is a starting point:
| Use case | Recommended radio | What matters |
|---|---|---|
| Fill-level detection, location | NB-IoT | Infrequent reports, low power, low cost |
| Screen advertising bins | 4G | Content push, video playback |
| Compactor stations, sorting bins | 4G | Drop data, remote control |
5. How much data a bin uses
About 10–50MB a month per device, mostly status reports. NB-IoT fits the low-power bins. Pool by area and keep 20%–30% spare.
6. Security and compliance
The security level is medium. You need TLS/SSL, a dedicated APN, and an IP allowlist. SimtoLink handles real-name registration as part of the service.
7. Cards SimtoLink would issue
For smart waste bins, use NB-IoT IoT SIM cards for fill-level detection and location, or 4G IoT SIM cards for screen advertising bins and compactor stations. Infrequent fill reports belong on NB-IoT. Screen bins need content pushed to them. You get 99.9% network availability, a shared data pool, and an API into the sanitation platform.
8. Putting bins on the network
Steps:
Pick the card by site type, prove coverage on the street, set the APN and an allowlist, and alert at 80% of the plan. SimtoLink can take a sanitation fleet from the first bins through city rollout. Ask for a plan written around the routes.