NRF52832 outdoor range.

[tilitililili]

Hello!

I've got a couple of NRF52832 based modules - Holyiot-17095-nRF52832. These modules are presented in the list of supported - https://www.nordicsemi.com/Software-and-tools/3rd-Party/3rd-party-modules. So seems there should be no problems with them.

I've tested outdoor range and I've got near 15m line of sight (no obstacles on the way). There is Holyiot module on one side and phone with nRF Connect App on the other side.

The software I use is the ble_app_uart example with softdevice s132. I also changed the Tx power:

res = sd_ble_gap_tx_power_set(BLE_GAP_TX_POWER_ROLE_ADV, m_advertising.adv_handle, 4);

Is it normal that the range is 15m or should it be higher?

Thanks in advance!

[Simonr]

Hi

I think you should be able to get more than 15m of range from your nRF52832 module, but there is a plethora of reasons you might be seeing a lower range than expected.

First of all, how is the module mounted on the board you are using? According to the HolyIoT datasheet, the radio performance will vary depending on where on the PCB the module is mounted (see picture below).

Next, what kind of phone were you using during these tests? You can try disabling WiFi and 4G on your phone to reduce any possible interference on the phone side to maximize range. What kind of weather was it during the tests? In rain, for example, the range will decrease due to the water interfering with radio signals.

Best regards,

Simon

[tilitililili]

Hello! Thank you for the answer!

Here is the module placement on my board:

I also tried the same test for standalone Holyiot module, without mounting on the board, just connected the power supply with wires. The results are exactly the same.

I tried:

1. Huawei Nova 3 and

2. Honor 20 Pro

I've made tests at two different locations (two days), the weather was clear in both cases. And again the results were exactly the same (not more than 1m difference).

And the same with Wi-Fi and 4G turned off - seems that it has no influence at all.

[Simonr]

Thank you for the update. This placement seems okay to me (might be even better to put in the corner of your design. Can you provide some more details on your software application? Is your application based on any of our SDK examples, and if so, which one? Are you establishing a connection between the phone and the board, or is the board just advertising as a beacon?

Best regards,

Simon

[tilitililili]

I'm using ble_app_uart_pca10040_s132 example from Nordic examples package nRF5_SDK_15.3.0_59ac345. I only added this in main():

// ........
services_init();
advertising_init();

// Added command    
res = sd_ble_gap_tx_power_set(BLE_GAP_TX_POWER_ROLE_ADV, m_advertising.adv_handle, 4);

conn_params_init();
// ........

I also tried enabling/disabling DCDC converter, but it didn't have any effect on performance.

[Simonr]

Hi

Okay, then the software should not be an issue. And I don't see any issues in how the module is placed either. I think you should contact HolyIoT and ask what the expected range would be for this module. It seems like the antenna may be too close to the other components on the board due to the small form factor, which may reduce the radio's performance.

Best regards,

Simon