No matter if you are just curious or critical or just want to experiment, at some point almost everyone comes to the point where they want to sound out the limits and possibilities of LoRaWAN - very practical; far away from specifications and data sheets.
Nobody will want to do without a range test. But range tests are not equal to range tests. To ensure clarity in project communication, we used a model that distinguishes between 3 different types of test:
- User-based range tests
- Coverage test
- Device based connection test
1. user-based range test
The user-based range test describes the most basic test scenario to describe a radio signal at a selected point at a selected time. It provides the rough coverage of a radio network if there are enough measurement points.
Procedure for setting up a user-based range test:
Gateways
- Option A: One or more gateways were installed in the test area.
- Option B: An existing network is used for the test (e.g. a community network like TTN's)
Devices
- Option A: You already have a device for field tests (such as Adeunis Field Tester) and have registered it on the network.
- Option B: You have built yourself a test device that can give you information about the reception quality
- Recommendation: Activate the confirmed data up (CDU) option for the sensor. The network server then confirms incoming messages. This allows you to test the bidirectional communication of a LoRaWAN.
Test procedure
- One or more users move with the test devices in the planned network area.
- Every LoRa device is configured to send data packets regularly in short intervals.
- Users use devices with GPS, but also devices without GPS.
Analysis & Results
- The main goal is to get a picture of the radio quality in the field itself. The results are only roughly recorded, if at all, or used for a specific test.
- For a first overview
2. coverage test
The coverage test is intended to generate data with which you can create a coverage heatmap of the area of your wireless network. The data collection is mainly done in outdoor areas with a GPS based LoRaWAN device.
Gateways
- Option A: One or more gateways were installed in the test area.
- Option B: An existing network is used for the test (e.g. a community network like TTN's)
Devices
- Option A: You already have a device for field tests (such as Adeunis Field Tester) and have registered it on the network.
- Option B: You have built yourself a test device that can give you information about the reception quality
- Recommendation: Activate the option confirmed data up (CDU) on the LNS. This enables the network server to confirm incoming messages. This allows you to test the bidirectional communication of a LoRaWAN.
Test procedure
- Every LoRa device is configured to send data packets regularly in short intervals.
- Option A: Users use devices with GPS, but also devices without GPS.
- Option B: One or more devices are installed on a vehicle (bicycle, car, tram) that moves along a predefined route.
Analysis & Results
- The test results must be persisted/stored.
- This way they can be further processed in a mapping application (e.g. Google Maps, Google Earth, Carto, Worldmap panel etc.).
The coverage test could also be seen as an extension of the user-based coverage test (see above). The main differences are the quantity and the detail of the evaluation.
3. device based connection test
If you plan to install a device at a certain location, you are mainly interested in the coverage or radio quality of this area under all circumstances and with all kinds of influences (e.g. weather, moving objects like cars, other RF influences, seasonal influences like vegetation etc.).
Gateways
- Option A: One or more gateways were installed in the test area.
- Option B: An existing network is used for the test (e.g. a community network like TTN's)
Devices
- Option A: ready-to-use test device (such as Adeunis Field Tester) is registered in the network.
- Option B: You have built yourself a test device that can give you information about the reception quality
- Recommendation: We recommend a device with a powerful battery for several days with a short transmission interval.
Test procedure
- Every LoRa device is configured to send data regularly at the shortest possible intervals.
- The device is set up on (or near) a specific installation site and can transmit over a long period of time.
Analysis & Results
- The test results must be saved and exported for analysis (e.g. packet loss, min-max-avg RSSI, RF quality influences, etc.)
Further Information
The following two articles are recommended for those who want to go even deeper into the subject of range and penetration of radio networks:
It goes into more detail about the physical properties of wireless networks and concrete examples.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us at any time.
