line of site ble range test

[pavan]

Hello All,

We are working with one of the customer, where he is asking for range 200 meters between 2 nrf52Dk(nrf52832) and he want us to prove the same using two development kits. so my query is

1. Weather 200mtrs of line of site range is possible ?
2. if yes with which programs i need check?

Please advise. Thanks in Advance Pavan

[Jørn]

Hello Pavan

In theory it is possible. Using the -96 dB sensitivity of the receiver, and +4dBm transmit power, and ignoring all sources of loss you will have 13.933 dB headroom at 200 meters. This means as long as you keep the sum of all additional losses (mismatch and losses in electronics, noise, multipath fading etc.), below approximately 14 dB it should be possible. This can however be difficult to achieve, especially in urban, or indoor, areas where there are many reflective surfaces and noise sources.

To achieve better range you can consider using the nRF52840 for its 8dBm output power, this leads to 17.933 dB headroom at 200 meters for 1Mb/s PHY, or if your transfer rate requirements are low you can use the long range PHY to further increase your range.

If you need to stick with the nRF52832 you can try using more directive antennas, or an additional RF front-end to further increase your range. If you do not need Bluetooth low energy specifically you can find a different protocol which does not automatically discard packets based on CRC fail, and then use coding schemes such as forward error correction to improve your reception.

You can assess the radio performance in your physical environment with the Direct test mode. With it you can do a measurement of your packet error rate when used in the environment where your product will be used, and see if it performs satisfactory or not.

Best regards

Jørn Frøysa