Range seems rather short using S110 at 4dbm

[Abderrezak Mekkaoui]

Using ble_app_hrs running on a PCA10004 (nRF6310 motherboard + PCA10004 which uses a PCB antenna), the achieved range at +4dbm (<10m) seems to be short. Master Control Panel (from Nordic) is being used to dialog with the board under test. The test is being performed indoors ( a typical US house with drywall walls). Any hints? Does this seem to be the ultimate performance one can get from this module? Thanks.

[Håkon Alseth]

As Beat says, you have to make sure that the PCA10000 is not "covered up", meaning that it's connected through a USB hub (or another USB port on the other side) or similar so that the antenna can radiate freely without having the laptop/PC blocking too much.

The output power cannot be set with the MCP firmware, it's hardcoded to +0 dBm.

Best regards Håkon

[Abderrezak Mekkaoui]

Thanks Hakon. The PCA10000 in connected to a hub, >20cm from the PC and is is as clear as a "final" product can be. My follow up questions are: Does Nordic recommends (or not) any range extenders (like the TI2592)? Does Nordic have any plans to increase the TX output power in future versions or their BLE SOCs? What is the best (non bulky) antenna Nordic recommends to help increase the range? For my would be application covering an entire "typical" house is a make or break issue. Appreciate the help.