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Answer
The range documented in our manual is the "theoretical" range, based on what is documented for the radio's chipset as achievable. The actual range is impacted by many factors, including but not limited to:
- Protocol used on the radio (For instance see FAQ: What is the difference between the AC4490 and AC4790?)
- Antenna selection
- Antenna Cable selection and length
- Board design
- Height of Antenna Installation
- RF Environment
To improve the range in your intended application we recommend the following:
- Direct address the radios for point-to-point applications. For point-to-multipoint applications, the server (or unit acting as a server in a masterless architecture) must be set to broadcast, but all clients should be set to auto-destination or direct addressed to the server
- Increase the transmit retries (applicable only when the radios are direct addressed or using auto-destination. As range increases, latency will increase, increasing the number of transmit retries will increase the chances of the packet being received. With each increase, test to determine the best setting for the intended application
- Where you are able, increase the height of the antenna placement, and ensure clear line of sight
- On the RM024 or LT1110 radios FEC (Forward Error Correction) can be configured to improve the range. This MUST be configured the same on ALL radios in the system. There are four configurations to choose from, taking into account the impact on throughput when configuring this feature. FEC is enabled by selecting one of the RF Profiles (ONLY available on RM024 and LT1110)
- Selecting a higher RF Baud Rate will provide increased RF bandwidth. However, selecting the lower RF Baud Rate will provide significantly improved range. Selecting fewer hops provides a shorter sync time, whereas more hops will provide better interference and collocated system immunity.