RockBLOCK Plus 9704 is designed to take the hassle out of integrating Iridium connectivity and GNSS positioning into your hardware. Its marine-grade, IP68 rated enclosure houses a GNSS receiver to interpret the 9704’s native GNSS passthrough, removing the need for additional external antenna domes and streamlining installation. This configuration significantly reduces engineering overhead and helps you bring reliable, field-ready hardware to market faster.
Whether you’re deploying in maritime, environmental monitoring, remote industrial controls, or autonomous systems, RockBLOCK Plus 9704 delivers a proven mechanical and electrical form factor that is straightforward to mount, power, and interface via two RS-232 serial ports.
With its compact footprint, low power draw, and compatibility with Ground Control’s C and Python and Arduino SDKs, this device removes integration friction so you can focus on building your application.
While RockBLOCK Plus 9704 includes a highly sensitive multi-GNSS receiver, it is not a pre-packaged tracking device. Instead, it gives developers raw GNSS data access via serial so you can interpret and use the location data however your application demands. This approach avoids the constraints of a fixed tracking logic, allowing you to contextualize location data alongside other sensors, mission parameters, or business rules.
This also means your solution can evolve over time: apply filters, choose update intervals, or correlate with event-based triggers. Whether you’re building custom telemetry, geofencing alerts, or location-aware analytics, RockBLOCK Plus 9704 gives you the flexibility and control to design it your way. And because it shares its command set and architecture with the RockBLOCK 9704, you can leverage all existing documentation, examples, and tooling, including our robust libraries and Cloudloop Data integration.
Important Note:Â Airtime for RockBLOCK 9704 must be purchased from Ground Control.
- Based on the Iridium Certus® 9704 IMT transceiver for global L-band connectivity
- Utilizes Iridium Messaging Transport (IMT) for higher data rates and message sizes up to 100 KB
- Integrated ublox MAX-M10S GNSS receiver (GPS/SBAS/QZSS , Galileo, Beidou & GLONASS) outputting serial NMEA stream (default 4.11) or UBX protocols
- Rugged IP68‑rated enclosure for harsh environments
- Dual RS232 serial ports for 9704 and GNSS comms (with the ability to set independent baud rates)
- Wide operating temperature range: –40 °C to +85 °C
- Delivers near-instant global coverage, ensuring messages reach any location worldwide within seconds
- Dependable two-way communication, even in isolated or harsh conditions
- Flexible airtime plans: pay-as-you-go or monthly billing, with user-configurable automatic suspension to avoid surprise charges
- Developer-friendly C, Python and Arduino SDKs with sample code; quick to get up and running on any compatible OS
- API-first Cloudloop Data integration for automated data reformatting and seamless ingestion into customer back‑ends
- Dimensions: 137 mm diameter x 40 mm high
- Weight: TBC
- Cable Connections: 8-core 0.25mm2 cable
- Voltage: 7.0 – 30.0V DC
- Power Consumption (Minimum): < 100mW* (9704 & GNSS sleep mode)
- Power Consumption (Idle): ~200mW (continuous GNSS operation, registered with Iridium network, listening, ready to transmit/receive)
- Power Consumption (Transmitting): ~1.6W
- Operating Temperature: -40°C to +85°C
- Ingress Rating: IP68
- Iridium Antenna: Internal patch antenna
- Iridium Transceiver: Iridium Certusâ„¢ 9704 IMT Transceiver
- GNSS Module: ublox MAX-M10S GNSS
- Serial Communication: RS-232
- Certifications: CE, FCC
There are both pre-pay and contract options for RockBLOCK 9704 airtime. Prepay airtime is ideal for pilots and early-stage developments, whereas contract-based airtime is for long-term deployments with steady use. Prepaid airtime can be purchased via Cloudloop.
The below pricing is representative of contract-based pricing. The minimum contract term is 3 months, during which you’ll incur a fee if you terminate the service (this is dictated by the network).
RockBLOCK Plus 9704 is tightly integrated with Cloudloop, our IoT platform that lets you activate plans, suspend services, and adjust billing preferences. You can set alerts for high usage, review invoices, and pool data allowances across multiple devices where supported.
On receipt of your Rock device, you’ll be prompted to register it on Cloudloop using a unique registration code. You can then add airtime.
First time users should head to join.cloudloop.com to get started.
FAQs About RockBLOCK Plus 9704
No, the 9704 module uses a proprietary protocol which Iridium call JSPR (JSON-Based Serial Protocol for REST). It’s a little more complicated than an AT style interface, and requires you to exchange JSON documents with the module. Due to the limited on-board memory, when sending large messages, there are some quite strict timing rules too.
All of this complexity is handled elegantly by our open-source C library, so in practice we don’t expect people to implement the JSPR protocol themselves, and will instead use our library in their projects.
That said, the RockBLOCK Pro and Pro OEM devices do offer a backwards-compatible AT command interface, which mimics the 9602/9603 hardware.
No, the RockBLOCK Plus 9704 does not integrate with the existing RockBLOCK admin dashboard. Instead, it’s managed through Cloudloop – our modern platform that provides all the same functionality and more.
You’ll still be able to activate units, manage delivery groups, and send mobile-terminated (MT) messages manually via the user interface. Cloudloop supports these features across all devices and transport types, offering a more flexible and scalable approach to device management.
No. Although GNSS is integrated, you must implement your own logic to contextualize raw position data.
Would you like to know more?
RockBLOCK Plus 9704 units are shipping from mid-August 2025.
If you’d like to know more, or reserve units, please complete our online form, or email hello@groundcontrol.com, and we’ll be in touch with details and pricing options.