Range/Distance of the nrf24l01+ chipset?

[Pradeep Chl]

What is the distance that a nRF24L01+ correspond to for 0db, -6db, -12db, -18db output powers.? I mean what will be range of the chip for these output powers.?

Thanks,

[Øyvind Karlsen]

Hi,

Range; the range for a radio system is obtained from a formula called Friis transmission equation, this equation depends largely on the frequency(higher frequency means lower range) and the link budget(difference between transmitted power and radio sensitivity minus added noise). The different link budgets(best case scenarios), without added noise are:

nRF24L01+

• 0dBm output - 94dBm
• -6dBm output - 88dBm
• -12dBm output - 82dBm

nRF51

• 4dBm output - 94 dBm

nRF52

• 4dBm output - 100dBm

Typically the nRF51 will see ranges between 10-30m depending on how well its RF parts are matched and in what scenarios it is being used. A link budget change of 6dB will increase the theoretical range by a factor of 2, however this is without considering the added losses of the increased range.

This suggests that if you need the extra range, you would go for the nRF52 chip. For an example on how to use Friis formula, see this post for some range calculations for the nRF905. Additionally you will have to consider power consumtion, the newer chip will generally have the lowest power consumption, this is the case here as well with the nRF52.

Hopefully this answers your question. Best regards,

Øyvind

[Pradeep Chl]

Okey, thank you for the answer. It is very technical, Can I get the values for ideal conditions.?