Hi everyone !
I have been working with DWM1000 modules for location tracking applications.
But the range seems to be limiting factor for wide area deployment of this system.
With reliable range of about 40m we need huge number of Anchors to installed at our infrastructure which has an important effect on cost of entire system.
I was thinking to use Directional antenna to increase the range of Anchors.
If someone can help me in understanding whether there will be any significant advantage of using Directional Antenna , that would be helpful.
Also is it possible to interface custom made antenna with DW1000 ?
And lastly from where can I purchase directional antenna compatible with DW1000 ?
As I understand it the transmit power limit is not averaged over all directions but in the direction with the peak power. So if your antenna has 3 dB gain you need to turn the transmit power down by 3 dB.
But you do still gain some range since you also get 3 dB of gain on the receive side. Assuming your antenna is pointing in the correct direction.
Yes you can connect a custom antenna to the DW1000, you do however have to be careful about things like antenna delays. As soon as you have cables or connectors you need to be sure they are on tightly, a loose connector will impact any range measurements.
Also are you sure that your range issues are purely due to signal power?
How far off the ground are you? If your answer is somewhere around 1.25 m then at 40 m range you’re right in the ground fade region for 4 GHz. Raising one or both antennas will probably increase your range.