Wireless Connectivity
Controlant wireless devices have up to 300m range in open air. The communication frequency channels are placed around 860MHz for Europe. But that doesn't tell the whole story. Many things in the environment effects the wireless communication and reduces the distributed signal strength.
Open Air
The range in open air depends on various factors, including:
- Frequency used (Wavelength)
- Weather condition, moisture, tides etc.
- Type of antenna (Gain)
- Orientation of the antenna
- Cable and connectors
- Other transmitted devices on same wavelength
- Frequency reflection and other types of frequency interference.
Indoor Use
Wireless range is significantly affected by occlusion of objects. The range of wireless devices indoor depends on various factors, including:
- The building materials used in walls and ceilings.
- Objects which occlude the straight path of the signal. A metal grid can occlude the signal if the metal mesh size is the same as the transmitted wave length
- Proper assembly and selection of antennas.
- Gain of antennas at the communication frequency.
- Moving traffic such as forklifts, machinery and people
- Stored goods, especially a water rich products such as fruits and liquids.
In the chapter 1.3.4 Device installation, further guidelines can be found regarding device installation in a challenging environments
Mounting Orientation
All Controlant equipment can be mounted in any orientation. However, mounting the device according to recommendations may have positive effects on wireless communication range. The default quarter- and half-wave antennas which the Controlant devices come equipped with by-default get the most gain if they are parallel.
Table 1: Shows the different orientation of loggers and transceivers and how good each setup is in terms of signal quality.
Environmental factors
Various environmental factors can affect on the communication range of the wireless system. Below is a description of a few issues which can arise when using wireless communication in different environments
Indoor use
Indoor use can reduce the signal strength. If the path between a transceiver and a wireless logger is closed off by walls, the signal strength might be reduced. Signal strength reduction varies, depending on the building material and thickness of walls.
The general rule is that the thicker the wall the greater reduction in signal strength. Table 2 shows the relative reduction in signal strength for different building materials. The setup is shown in picture 1.
Picture 1: Indoor use of wireless transceiver and wireless logger.
Wall material | Relative Signal Reduction |
Metallic (Aluminum, iron etc.) | Maximum reduction |
| Concrete with iron binding | Very High reduction |
Concrete | High reduction |
Gypsum | Average reduction |
Plastic/Wood | Low reduction |
Table 2: Relative reduction in signal strength for different building materials.
Various factors can add to range issues, such as radiation from electronic equipment, other occluding objects, high humidity etc.
While installing the Controlant system, these factors should be taken into account when choosing the optimal location for a transceiver. Controlant offers various accessories to get a better signal quality for the system, including; antennas with different characteristics, antenna extension cables and mounts. By using the accessories, users can place antennas in optimal locations for better signal quality. Various factors can add to range issues, such as radiation from electronic equipment, other occluding objects, high humidity etc.