We are starting a new wearable device design which will be worn by the user on the chest. We are looking forward to use NRF5340/NRF52840 based modules. The final design is expected to be in a circular form factor of 36mm diameter (PCB around 33mm diameter). We have previously used NRF52840/NRF52832 modules from ublox and Fanstel in some of the prototypes we have made.
Some of the designs we have made previously suffer from body shadowing effects and we experience connectivity issues when the device is attached onto the body. For the new design, we are looking at ways to overcome this issue to a certain level.
It would be great if you can help us in identifying the best module for our wearable application which can help us in overcoming the problem and clarifying the following doubts we have.
- Can body shadowing effect be overcome to an extent using proper module selection?
- Do we need to take care of something else in the design phase?
- We had previously performed an RSSI comparison study by changing TX power level from 0 to 8dbm. Running the application at higher TX power will increase our overall current consumption.Will increasing TX power help in overcoming this issue?
- For our application, which is the best antenna option chip , PCB, uFL, PA and LNA or custom RF antenna design
- Which is better: NRF5340 based modules or NRF52840 based modules for overcoming this issue?
- For BLE alone applications, is NRF5340 the best option?
