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PointPerfect Flex getting started

Updated

Introduction

Reach the mass market with your precise positioning solutions using PointPerfect Flex. Precise, reliable, and easy to use. PointPerfect Flex is a PPP-RTK GNSS augmentation data service that delivers centimeter-level accuracy in seconds. With 99.9% uptime availability via both internet and L-band satellite, you can rely on PointPerfect Flex for mission-critical applications.  

Benefits

To use PointPerfect Flex you will need a high-precision GNSS receiver, a multi-band antenna, and to be within our PointPerfect Flex service coverage area.  PointPerfect Flex L-band has additional receiver and antenna requirements as described in the PointPerfect Flex L-band Configuration guide.

Supported u-blox GNSS products

PointPerfect Flex is pre-integrated and ready to use with the u-blox high precision GNSS products. To learn more about the u-blox high-precision GNSS products that support PointPerfect Flex view our product selector page.  Here you can filter the products for each service by choosing the Services drop down and selecting the required service.  Non-native SPARTN receivers can be supported by PointPerfect Flex RTCM over NTRIP.

Note: The NEO-F9P does not use PointPerfect Flex GPS L5 corrections by default, so it will generally stay in RTK-Float mode with degraded accuracy.  A special configuration needs to be sent to the receiver before it will accept/force the GPS L5 signals and corrections usage. The following application note, explains both the changes required to enable GPS L5 corrections plus highlights the warnings for some applications,  UBX-21038688 

Antenna requirements

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Do's & Don'ts: Best Practices and Common Pitfalls  

Do's 

Don'ts 

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Sign-up for our u-blox service platform

u-blox Thingstream is a service delivery platform providing a management console that you can use to enable and manage the entire suite of u-blox services. PointPerfect Flex is a service under our IoT Location Services and your Location Things (the logical representation of your location device in the Thingstream platform.)   

Sign-up is quick & easy plus also free.  Just go to the  Thingstream portal and register with your company information. 

Note: If you already have a Thingstream domain for one or more of our other services (for example, AssistNow, CloudLocate, MQTT Anywhere etc.) you do not need to register again. 

Create a PointPerfect Flex Thing

For an overview of how to create a new Thing that represents the device in the system see the Creating a Thing page.

Device Provisioning

Once you have created and activated a PointPerfect Flex Thing in the platform, you are able to connect your device and receive corrections.  This is also known as "Provisioning".    

Note: Dynamic Keys apply to both L-band and IP plans when you use Continental corrections.  

NTRIP - Collect Delivery Credentials

To provision a device using NTRIP, simply expand the NTRIP Credentials section and collect the information for your client.  Have these credentials available when you connect with your NTRIP client.   

Note: If you do not see the NTRIP Credentials section we recommend deactivating & re-activating your Thing. The NTRIP Credentials section is included for both SPARTN/RTCM over NTRIP Things, though the actual credentials required for each will differ. 

Using u-blox Products: u-center and F9 receivers

Firmware Version:

Our F9 receivers require a firmware version of at least 1.3x to support our PointPerfect Flex service.  Check your firmware version with a query of the UBX-MON-VER message on your F9 device using u-center. If necessary, obtain the latest firmware from the u-blox product page of your F9x under Documentation & resources section and update it using u-center. [2] 

Dynamic Models:

u-blox receivers offer dynamic platform models to optimize navigation for various application environments. These settings are adjustable without a reset, enhancing measurement interpretation for improved accuracy. Using an unsuitable model may degrade performance and position accuracy. See the relative Integration Manual links below for more information.  

F9P - 3.1.8.1 Platform settings: F9P Integration Manual 

F9R - 3.2.2 HPS dynamic platform models: F9R Integration Manual 

F9K 3.1.9.1 Platform settings: F9K Integration Manual 

Download u-center to Evaluate your PointPerfect Flex Solution

u-center is the software provided by u-blox for easy installation and configuration of high precision GNSS modules such as the F9.  You can download the latest version of u-center from the u-center page.   Please also check the PointPerfect Flex u-center guide for more details.

Customize Your PointPerfect Flex Correction Delivery

Choose how you receive PointPerfect Flex corrections on your GNSS receiver, based on preferred delivery protocol, correction format, and distribution method.

  • Setup and Configuration

    For details and requirements, see:

Zero Touch Provisioning 

If you have a large fleet of devices, we offer Zero Touch Provisioning (ZTP) to simplify the provisioning process of many devices with pre-defined settings.  This will reduce your time and other related costs of per-device provisioning.  Learn more about the PointPerfect Flex ZTP solution here. 

Python sample script: PointPerfect Flex NTRIP Client 

If you are interested in evaluating PointPerfect Flex with an NTRIP Client built-in your host application, we have a PointPerfect Flex NTRIP Client sample python script available in the PointPerfect Flex Downloads page on the Thingstream Portal to help you get started.

Still need help?

If you need more help or have any questions, please send an email to services-support@u-blox.com.

Reference Documentation

[1] ZED-F9P Integration manual, UBX-18010802
[2] u-center User guide, UBX-13005250
[3] u-blox F9P HPG 1.32 Interface description, UBX-22008968
[4] C099-F9P application board User guide, UBX- 18063024
[5] EVK-F9P-01 evaluation kit User guide, UBX-22038408 
[6] Thingstream Knowledge Base – Services Support
[7] u-blox information on positioning and location technologies - What is NTRIP
[8] NEO-D9S Integration manual, UBX-19026111

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