It does not allow sufficient range when testing walkie-talkie mode on the nRF5340 Audio development kit

[Paulina Pescador]

I'm currently testing the walkie-talkie mode on this development kit, however, when testing it outdoors it only allows a very short connection distance and disconnects. How can I achieve the 100 meters mentioned in some applications?

[Susheel Nuguru]

Hi, 

The range of the application is based on the protocol you are using, environment in which you are testing and the antennas sensitivity you use on your product. BLE Audio in itself does not improve the range in itself. You cannot get 100 meters distance if you are testing indoors. Even if you are testing outdoors, the range depends on line of sight. This is normal electromagnetic waves behavior at 2.4GHz. 

For higher range, you need to do Coded PHY which is a Bluetooth feature, we have done some tests on 2M Phy but with Coded PHY the throughputs comes down very much that it wont be sensible audio application for you with those distances.

[Paulina Pescador]

Hi, thanks for your help. Do you know of a way to increase the distance?

[Susheel Nuguru]

There is no general formula for it, but if it were me I would focus on 

• prioritize improving your RF side, matched network , better antennas etc.
• check if your application can use increased TX power and/or use one of our Front End Module.
• test at elevated placement, avoiding metal enclosures, minimizing interference in the 2.4 GHz band for example Wifi etc 
• Use coded phy, but we do not have a clear sample to demonstrate how to use Coded Phy with LE Audio yet.