NRF52840 long range test

RE: NRF52840 long range test

Simonr — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 12:50:03 GMT

Please check out this tweaked version of the ble_app_att_mtu_throughput example which is edited to advertise using Coded PHY. Please use that as a template to set up your project to advertise using Coded PHY.

devzone.nordicsemi.com/.../ble_5F00_app_5F00_att_5F00_mtu_5F00_throughput.zip

Best regards,

Simon

RE: NRF52840 long range test

Turbo J — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 10:30:36 GMT

That testing site uses the open water surface as a reflector.

Otherwise you would need a really high antenna(-pole) in order to keep the fresnel zone free of obstructions:

RE: NRF52840 long range test

mitchb — Thu, 16 Apr 2020 08:49:23 GMT

Hi Simonr,

Thanks for getting back to me.

That link doesn't link to any example projects. There's some videos and reports of long range but nothing with code changes (Unless I missed it).

I've tried the demo here: nRF5SDK160098a08e2\examples\ble_central_and_peripheral\experimental\ble_app_att_mtu_throughput\

but when I start the example and type for following:

- config phy coded

- run

I get a warning "Wrong board setup". So I'm not sure where to go from here. Any suggestions on how to use the demo? There is no readme or instructions in the example directory.

Also there seems to be a bug in the advertising setup here:

nRF5SDK160098a08e2\components\ble\ble_advertising\ble_advertising.c:ble_advertising_init

It forces the Phy to BLE_GAP_PHY_1MBPS regardless of config however ble_advertising_start seems to handle the coded phy correctly if it had been setup in ble_advertising_init

Any pointers would be great!

RE: NRF52840 long range test

Simonr — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 06:40:02 GMT

I'm sorry about the delayed reply, but we're working on the backlog after the Easter holiday in Norway.

What terrains have you been testing your setup in? There might have been a lot of factors causing the range to be below 500m. I suggest checking out this novelbits blog post, which explains Coded PHY very well and also links to multiple long-range demos. I suggest you check these out to see if you have missed something.

Best regards,

Simon

RE: NRF52840 long range test

mitchb — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:21:48 GMT

Hey Turbo are you referring to normal BLE4 or BLE5 with the coded phy? Nordic is quoting a achievable range of 1300m with the same equipment.

https://devzone.nordicsemi.com/nordic/nordic-blog/b/blog/posts/testing-long-range-coded-phy-with-nordic-solution-it-simply-works-922075585

RE: NRF52840 long range test

Turbo J — Mon, 13 Apr 2020 07:13:23 GMT

[quote userid="89499" url="~/f/nordic-q-a/60121/nrf52840-long-range-test"] I believe I've set everything up correctly and cannot achieve more than 300-400 meters before the connection drops out (300m after it had rained a lot and 400m on a clear blue sky day).[/quote]

That is close to the theoretical limits for 2.4 GHz free air trasmissions.

Without dish type reflectors you won't get much more than that. And since these raise the power (ERP) above regulatory limits, will require a special license to operate even on ISM frequencies.