At Astrocast, we aim to provide our users, customers, and the IoT community with all the resources to integrate Satellite IoT into existing or new IoT devices. A consequence of this effort is our Astrocast Docs website and the continuous updates to our customer portal. To make things easier for IoT makers, this blog will walk you through the latest user platform updates and point you to the right place to find all the resources you need to integrate Astrocast into your solution. 

Astrocast Docs is an online documentation library containing technical information on using Astrocast’s products & services, such as Quickstart guides, datasheets, Serial commands definition, and examples of codes on Git for various micro-controllers (Arduino, MicroPython, STM32, etc…). Astrocast Docs aims to enable engineers to carry out their prototyping and develop autonomously and efficiently their own IoT projects with a single source of information and minimal external support.

To provide the latest information that our users frequently search for, we continually update Astrocast Docs. here are some of the most searched capabilities:

Thanks to our technology partnerships with IoT connectivity platforms like Soracom and hardware distributors like Mouser Electronics, Astrocast’s satellite connectivity modules can be directly bought from a third party. When you do so, it is necessary to register the devices purchased on the Astrocast Portal to access our satellite network. The new “Register Devices” page on Astrocast Docs provides a step-by-step guide to successfully registering your device in the portal. 

This page was created to respond to one of our users’ most frequently asked questions: in which countries is the Astrocast service available today? The “Coverage and Market Access” page on Astrocast Docs is continuously updated, as and when new countries open up to Astrocast’s commercial operations. 

It is possible to visualise on Astrocast Docs the 3D models of the Astronode S and Astronode S+ modules with Altium Viewer. The Astronode S+ even comes with full PCB schematics and BOM (Bill Of Materials), and STEP files are also available for download. 

Satellites are constantly moving around the globe, and they are not always available over your location for your device to communicate. However, there are certain periods of time during the day, when the satellite passes over your location, and it is in an optimal position to establish contact with your device. These windows of contact opportunities are called satellite passes. 

For existing Astrocast users, our Astrocast Portal now has a new revamped “Satellite Passes” page, that allows our users to view the satellite pass opportunities over any preferred location on the globe.

To access this feature, login Astrocast Portal with your credentials and simply type in the name of the location, zip code, or geo-coordinates in the search bar to access the upcoming satellite passes.

For more information about the Astrocast Satellite IoT solution, you can also check the following resources: 

❓ Astrocast FAQs 
📚 Astrocast Docs 
💡 Astrocast GitHub 
🔗 Astrocast API 
📺 Astrocast 101, a series of videos to help you connect your IoT solution to the Astrocast IoT network and guide you through the Astrocast suite of products and services. Watch the playlist on our YouTube channel. 

To take your IoT strategy further, discover Astrocast’s flexible SatIoT service by joining the Astropreneur Programs today.