Coverage and site survey
How to survey a site for LoRa link closure, why a single range figure is not published, and what changes a link after commissioning.
| Document revision | r0.1-draft |
|---|---|
| Status | draft |
| Applies to | LS-WS-1G, LS-WS-2G, LS-WS-3G, LS-RC-16A, LS-RC-25A, LS-DIN-4CH, LS-GW-100, LS-GW-300, LS-SN-TH, LS-SN-MT |
| Regions | global |
| Published | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Review due | Apr 15, 2027 |
| Author | Engineering documentation (owner unassigned) |
| Reviewer | Engineering sign-off pending (reviewer unassigned) |
Range is not a property of a device; it is a property of a link, and a link is decided by band, antenna, mounting and obstruction. This document describes the survey that establishes whether each link closes, and deliberately publishes no single distance figure — a number without its test conditions would be the most misused figure on the site.
Preconditions
- The gateway position and the endpoint positions are decided well enough to survey between them.
- A representative transmitter and receiver of the actual band and enclosure are available. A survey performed with a different band or a bench antenna does not describe the installed link.
- Access to the actual mounting heights and obstructions is available; a survey from the ground floor is not a survey of a first-floor ceiling void.
Survey method
1. Walk the planned link
Measure link quality at each endpoint's intended position, with the actual enclosure fitted and the antenna in its final orientation. Note that an antenna inside a metal panel behaves differently from the same antenna outside it, so the enclosure is part of the measurement.
2. Record the obstruction, not just the distance
For each position record what sits between it and the gateway: masonry, metal cladding, reinforced floor, foliage, water. Two positions at the same distance from the gateway can differ completely in link quality; the record is of the path, not the separation.
3. Test the degraded case
Survey with the gateway at reduced power and with one movable obstruction introduced, so the margin is known rather than assumed. A link that only closes at full power and clear line of sight has no margin for the day a partition is added.
4. Re-survey after mounting
Mount a sample endpoint and repeat the measurement in place. Mounting depth, cable routing and the as-built enclosure can all change a link after a successful pre-installation survey.
Failure modes
- A link that closes on the bench and fails on site: the survey used a different band or a bench antenna; repeat with the installed configuration.
- A link that works until a season changes: foliage or a new obstruction was not recorded; re-survey the path.
- A link that degrades as nodes are added: air-time, not distance, is the constraint; review the reporting interval rather than adding power.
Placeholder — pending engineering sign-off: reference link budgets and the recommended survey margin are not published yet. They are specific to the band, the antenna and the enclosure, and are being measured per SKU.
Limitations
- This document publishes no distance, penetration or margin figure. Any such figure depends on band, antenna, mounting and construction, and must come from a measured survey of the specific site.
- The survey establishes whether a link closes; it does not size the network. Capacity is an air-time question and is documented with the gateway.
What this document does not cover: antenna selection and mounting standards belong to the model pages and the gateway setup document, and the lawful band choice belongs to Radio and electrical routes.