Hi, I’m tested MDEK1001 develop kit. I was measure max distance work between tag and anchor, it was 33 meter. But it was on clear way. For example if some people come in between tag and anchor max distance decrease to 10-15 meter.
Is any way to increase max work distance for MDEK1001?
Or if I try use DWM1000 with my own microcontrolles and firmware?
You can increase range the following ways:
Decawave already uses the highest power it can and be compliant with the regulations, so this approach will violate regulations.
Using longer preambles and slower bit rates will improve range. This reduces battery life and decreases air time capacity.
Use a better antenna. This will improve transmission uniformity (which increases power in most directions), and it does improve reception sensitivity as well. This does require building your own board and doing your own regulatory approval.
Adding an LNA (low noise amplifier) improves reception sensitivity which roughly doubles range. This also requires building your own board.
Using short preamble (64) and fastest bit rate (6.81 Mbs), we achieve about 100-150 meters range between nodes using our own module with our custom antenna and LNA circuit. This is done without violating regulatory power limits. It takes considerable effort to fine tune a design to achieve this result.
Note that the UWB signal does not go through people. If the signal is still getting between nodes with a person in the way, it is because it bounced off something in the environment. What that is, and how well it bounces radio waves, will determine your occluded reception distance. The quality of the distance measurement will be poor since it won’t be measuring the direct path.
Mike Ciholas, President, Ciholas, Inc
3700 Bell Road, Newburgh, IN 47630 USA
mikec@ciholas.com
+1 812 962 9408
Thank you for you reply Mike.
How I can change TX_POWER and change RF parameters? Can I do it in DRTLS.apk via smatrphone? Or PANS? I can’t find this settings in this software.
About your range result 100-150 meters, is you use DWM1000 module or MDEK1001? Or your own design’s module?
I read that DWM1000 module’s range 300 meters. Do you tested it? It’s real?
This requires changing the code. Exactly how depends on the exact code you are using. Doing so will invalidate the regulatory approvals the module has.
Our own module. You can’t get those distances from a DWM1001 at the speeds we go, which are minimum preamble length and maximum bit rate.
With an excessively long preamble, with an excessively slow bit rate, with an excessively high transmit power that greatly exceeds regulatory limits, and with the antennas at both ends aimed precisely at their maximum gain lobes, then maybe on every alternate Tuesday the DWM1000 might do that.
But I doubt it even then.
You can’t build a system expecting a practical and legal 300 meter range from a DWM module.
Mike Ciholas, President, Ciholas, Inc
3700 Bell Road, Newburgh, IN 47630 USA
mikec@ciholas.com
+1 812 962 9408