Ren-W Antenna Info - Revision history

Jrd: Fixed capitalization booboo.

2011-12-06T05:14:01Z

Fixed capitalization booboo.

← Older revision		Revision as of 05:14, 6 December 2011
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	== Transmission Power Losses/Gains ==		== Transmission Power Losses/Gains ==
	:The purest environment for the best wireless communication between to devices is where there is a direct line-of-sight distance between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna and there is nothing but air between the two. Trees, houses, cars, bushes, rain, plastic -- anything that is physically between the transmitting and receiving antenna will degrade the performance in some way, and it is impossible to know exactly what the effect will be without trying it. There is no formula that says a tree is worth X amount or a house is worth Y amount, because not all trees or houses are alike. ~~LIkewise~~, it's impossible to know exactly what effect putting the antenna inside a plastic box will have verses using an external antenna on the outside of the box except to say that an antenna outside the box will be more efficient than one inside the box because the plastic will have an effect.		:The purest environment for the best wireless communication between to devices is where there is a direct line-of-sight distance between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna and there is nothing but air between the two. Trees, houses, cars, bushes, rain, plastic -- anything that is physically between the transmitting and receiving antenna will degrade the performance in some way, and it is impossible to know exactly what the effect will be without trying it. There is no formula that says a tree is worth X amount or a house is worth Y amount, because not all trees or houses are alike. Likewise, it's impossible to know exactly what effect putting the antenna inside a plastic box will have verses using an external antenna on the outside of the box except to say that an antenna outside the box will be more efficient than one inside the box because the plastic will have an effect.

	:Another element that can degrade the transmission of a radio wave is the antenna cable between the transmitter (the XBee radio module itself) and its antenna. Both the length and type of cable have an effect on the transmitted power because the cable itself absorbs some of the energy. Obviously, the longer the cable, the more it will absorb. Therefore, one of the main objectives is to keep an antenna cable as short as is practical given the relative locations of the XBee radio module and its antenna. Obviously, the built-in 1" whip antenna gives such good performance because there is virtually no power loss in a cable because there isn't one! But when it comes to external antennas, cable length can become a factor.		:Another element that can degrade the transmission of a radio wave is the antenna cable between the transmitter (the XBee radio module itself) and its antenna. Both the length and type of cable have an effect on the transmitted power because the cable itself absorbs some of the energy. Obviously, the longer the cable, the more it will absorb. Therefore, one of the main objectives is to keep an antenna cable as short as is practical given the relative locations of the XBee radio module and its antenna. Obviously, the built-in 1" whip antenna gives such good performance because there is virtually no power loss in a cable because there isn't one! But when it comes to external antennas, cable length can become a factor.

Dirknerkle: /* Antenna Questions/Answers */

2011-07-17T20:55:06Z

Antenna Questions/Answers

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:55, 17 July 2011
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	'''I'm still confused. Why can't somebody just tell me what to do?'''		'''I'm still confused. Why can't somebody just tell me what to do?'''
	::~~Welcome~~ to DIY. But if you want to cover all the bases, ~~first go to your bank and take out a loan. Then~~ purchase only the XBee Pro modules with the RPSMA connector, then for each of the XBee modules purchase one of the highest-gain wi-fi antennas you can possibly find; purchase some short, medium and long antenna extension cables with appropriate RPSMA connectors on both ends and ~~have at it~~.		::It's not possible to quote a setup that's guaranteed to work; after all, this is DIY! But if you want to cover all the bases, purchase only the XBee Pro modules with the RPSMA connector, then for each of the XBee modules purchase one of the highest-gain wi-fi antennas you can possibly find; purchase some short, medium and long antenna extension cables with appropriate RPSMA connectors on both ends. This will give you the most flexibility with the radios that have the most transmitting power and the most sensitive receivers and your own experimentation of placement of the Ren-W modules and antenna orientation will likely solve the problem.

Ravinglunatic: /* Antenna Questions/Answers */

2011-01-29T04:56:48Z

Antenna Questions/Answers

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:56, 29 January 2011
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	*[http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8102 Ren-W Topic on the DIYC Forums]		*[http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8102 Ren-W Topic on the DIYC Forums]

	~~[[Category:Renard]]~~
	[[Category:Ren-W]]		[[Category:Ren-W]]
			[[Category:DIYC Index]]

Jrd: /* Antenna Questions/Answers */ Added forum link

2010-12-14T02:43:43Z

Antenna Questions/Answers: Added forum link

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:43, 14 December 2010
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	*[[Ren-W Antenna Info]]		*[[Ren-W Antenna Info]]
	*[[Ren-W Controller Heater]]		*[[Ren-W Controller Heater]]
			*[http://doityourselfchristmas.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8102 Ren-W Topic on the DIYC Forums]

	[[Category:Renard]]		[[Category:Renard]]
	[[Category:Ren-W]]		[[Category:Ren-W]]

Dirknerkle: /* An Example of What NOT to Do */

2010-12-02T04:30:27Z

An Example of What NOT to Do

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:30, 2 December 2010
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	::The receiving Ren-W (also a Rev-6 board) was attached to a Ren64 and inside a CG-2000 case, sitting on the ground behind bushes in front of the house, about 75 feet away (straight line). The XBPro radio inside had the 1" mini-whip antenna, and it was aligned vertically to match the transmitter.		::The receiving Ren-W (also a Rev-6 board) was attached to a Ren64 and inside a CG-2000 case, sitting on the ground behind bushes in front of the house, about 75 feet away (straight line). The XBPro radio inside had the 1" mini-whip antenna, and it was aligned vertically to match the transmitter.

	::The photo of the front of the house has notations of where the transmitter and receiver were. The second photo is an overhead drawing of what the radio wave had to go through to get to the receiver. As it turns out, I was trying to transmit through 4 layers of aluminum siding, 6 walls, through a reinforced concrete front step, through electrical interference caused by at least two of the wreaths on the front of the house and two trees in the entryway, and of course the lights around the windows. Also, consider that the bushes the receiving Ren-W was under were also covered with net lights. I was asking the XBee radios to do the impossible.		::The photo of the front of the house has notations of where the transmitter and receiver were. The second photo is an overhead drawing of what the radio wave had to go through to get to the receiver. As it turns out, I was trying to transmit through 4 layers of aluminum siding, 6 walls, through a reinforced concrete front step, through electrical interference caused by at least two of the wreaths on the front of the house and two trees in the entryway, and of course the lights around the windows. Also, consider that the bushes the receiving Ren-W/Ren64 was under were also covered with net lights. I was asking the XBee radios to do the impossible.

Dirknerkle: /* An Example of What NOT to Do */

2010-12-02T04:29:29Z

An Example of What NOT to Do

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:29, 2 December 2010
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	::The transmitter is located inside the garage against the back wall of a cabinet. It's a Rev-6 Ren-W board with an XBPro - SMA version, with an 11" (9db gain) wi-fi whip antenna, pointed vertically. The house has aluminum siding on all outside walls so I thought maybe the 9db gain whip antenna would overcome the attenuation from the aluminum siding.		::The transmitter is located inside the garage against the back wall of a cabinet. It's a Rev-6 Ren-W board with an XBPro - SMA version, with an 11" (9db gain) wi-fi whip antenna, pointed vertically. The house has aluminum siding on all outside walls so I thought maybe the 9db gain whip antenna would overcome the attenuation from the aluminum siding.

	::The receiving Ren-W (also a Rev-6 board) was attached to a Ren64 and inside a CG-2000 case, sitting on the ground behind bushes ~~on the~~ front of the house, about 75 feet away (straight line). The XBPro radio inside had the 1" mini-whip antenna, and it was aligned vertically to match the transmitter.		::The receiving Ren-W (also a Rev-6 board) was attached to a Ren64 and inside a CG-2000 case, sitting on the ground behind bushes in front of the house, about 75 feet away (straight line). The XBPro radio inside had the 1" mini-whip antenna, and it was aligned vertically to match the transmitter.

	::The photo of the front of the house has notations of where the transmitter and receiver were. The second photo is an overhead drawing of what the radio wave had to go through to get to the receiver. As it turns out, I was trying to transmit through 4 layers of aluminum siding, 6 walls, through a reinforced concrete front step, through electrical interference caused by at least two of the wreaths on the front of the house and two trees in the entryway, and of course the lights around the windows. Also, consider that the bushes the receiving Ren-W was under were also covered with net lights. I was asking the XBee radios to do the impossible.		::The photo of the front of the house has notations of where the transmitter and receiver were. The second photo is an overhead drawing of what the radio wave had to go through to get to the receiver. As it turns out, I was trying to transmit through 4 layers of aluminum siding, 6 walls, through a reinforced concrete front step, through electrical interference caused by at least two of the wreaths on the front of the house and two trees in the entryway, and of course the lights around the windows. Also, consider that the bushes the receiving Ren-W was under were also covered with net lights. I was asking the XBee radios to do the impossible.

Dirknerkle: /* An Example of What NOT to Do */

2010-12-02T04:28:04Z

An Example of What NOT to Do

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:28, 2 December 2010
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	== An Example of What NOT to Do ==		== An Example of What NOT to Do ==

	:Here's an example of my own attempts to make something work that couldn't possibly work. The sympton was a remote controller with a Ren-W that was behaving quite erratically and rarely in sync with the rest of the lights. Sometimes it wouldn't fire any channels at all. This Ren-W/Ren64 controlled the lights on the entire left front side of the house (4 windows, 1 wreath, 1 tree, and sets of net lights on bushes) so when it was misbehaving, it was pretty obvious, and really ugly to watch.		:Here's an example of my own attempts to make something work that couldn't possibly work. The sympton was a remote Ren64 controller with a Ren-W that was behaving quite erratically and rarely in sync with the rest of the lights. Sometimes it wouldn't fire any channels at all. This Ren-W/Ren64 controlled the lights on the entire left front side of the house (4 windows, 1 wreath, 1 tree, and sets of net lights on bushes) so when it was misbehaving, it was pretty obvious, and really ugly to watch.

	::The transmitter is located inside the garage against the back wall of a cabinet. It's a Rev-6 Ren-W board with an XBPro - SMA version, with an 11" (9db gain) wi-fi whip antenna, pointed vertically. The house has aluminum siding on all outside walls so I thought maybe the 9db gain whip antenna would overcome the attenuation from the aluminum siding.		::The transmitter is located inside the garage against the back wall of a cabinet. It's a Rev-6 Ren-W board with an XBPro - SMA version, with an 11" (9db gain) wi-fi whip antenna, pointed vertically. The house has aluminum siding on all outside walls so I thought maybe the 9db gain whip antenna would overcome the attenuation from the aluminum siding.

Dirknerkle: /* Let's Be Practical */

2010-12-02T04:27:37Z

Let's Be Practical

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:27, 2 December 2010
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	:'''Still more good news:''' All XBee modules have the same pin connections so that regular and pro versions can easily be swapped-out provided that (1) you've used the plug-in headers and have not soldered-in your XBees and (2) the radios to be swapped have the same antenna type. If you use the Ren-Ws in global broadcast mode, remember that the addressing is in the Renard controller and not in the XBee itself for all channels controlled from the same COM port. Therefore, the XBees modules are interchangeable for all controllers on the same COM port and if you move a display to a far corner of your yard, you can easily swap out a regular XBee with an XBee Pro when more distance is needed. Obviously it gets a lot easier if all of your XBee modules are identical, but if you're careful with where you place them in your display, you can save money by mixing and matching regular with pro models.		:'''Still more good news:''' All XBee modules have the same pin connections so that regular and pro versions can easily be swapped-out provided that (1) you've used the plug-in headers and have not soldered-in your XBees and (2) the radios to be swapped have the same antenna type. If you use the Ren-Ws in global broadcast mode, remember that the addressing is in the Renard controller and not in the XBee itself for all channels controlled from the same COM port. Therefore, the XBees modules are interchangeable for all controllers on the same COM port and if you move a display to a far corner of your yard, you can easily swap out a regular XBee with an XBee Pro when more distance is needed. Obviously it gets a lot easier if all of your XBee modules are identical, but if you're careful with where you place them in your display, you can save money by mixing and matching regular with pro models.

	:'''Important concept to know:''' XBee radios perform best when they can "see" each other in open air -- that nothing whatsoever lies between the transmitting XBee and the receiving XBee. The more objects, or the thicker or denser the objects between the radios (such as a roof, tree, metal siding or even an automobile parked in the driveway), the more difficult it will be for them to communicate with each other. This results in misfired lights or if severe enough, total failure. An example of what NOT to do is provided below.		:'''Important concept to know:''' XBee radios perform best when they can "see" each other in open air -- that nothing whatsoever lies between the transmitting XBee and the receiving XBee. The more objects, or the thicker or denser the objects between the radios (such as a roof, tree, metal siding or even an automobile parked in the driveway), the more difficult it will be for them to communicate with each other. This usually results in misfired lights or if severe enough, total failure. Some obstructions can usually be tolerated, and it is certainly possible for XBee radios mounted inside a house to communicate with others outside the house, but you'll have to do some of your own testing to know for sure. An example of what NOT to do is provided below.

	== An Example of What NOT to Do ==		== An Example of What NOT to Do ==

Dirknerkle: /* Let's Be Practical */

2010-12-02T04:23:45Z

Let's Be Practical

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:23, 2 December 2010
Line 37:		Line 37:
	:'''Still more good news:''' All XBee modules have the same pin connections so that regular and pro versions can easily be swapped-out provided that (1) you've used the plug-in headers and have not soldered-in your XBees and (2) the radios to be swapped have the same antenna type. If you use the Ren-Ws in global broadcast mode, remember that the addressing is in the Renard controller and not in the XBee itself for all channels controlled from the same COM port. Therefore, the XBees modules are interchangeable for all controllers on the same COM port and if you move a display to a far corner of your yard, you can easily swap out a regular XBee with an XBee Pro when more distance is needed. Obviously it gets a lot easier if all of your XBee modules are identical, but if you're careful with where you place them in your display, you can save money by mixing and matching regular with pro models.		:'''Still more good news:''' All XBee modules have the same pin connections so that regular and pro versions can easily be swapped-out provided that (1) you've used the plug-in headers and have not soldered-in your XBees and (2) the radios to be swapped have the same antenna type. If you use the Ren-Ws in global broadcast mode, remember that the addressing is in the Renard controller and not in the XBee itself for all channels controlled from the same COM port. Therefore, the XBees modules are interchangeable for all controllers on the same COM port and if you move a display to a far corner of your yard, you can easily swap out a regular XBee with an XBee Pro when more distance is needed. Obviously it gets a lot easier if all of your XBee modules are identical, but if you're careful with where you place them in your display, you can save money by mixing and matching regular with pro models.

	:'''Important concept to know:''' XBee radios perform best when they can "see" each other in open air -- that nothing whatsoever lies between the transmitting XBee and the receiving XBee. The more objects, or the thicker or denser the objects between the ~~two~~ (such as a roof, tree, metal siding or even an automobile parked in the driveway), the more difficult it will be for ~~the two radios~~ to communicate with each other. An example of what NOT to do is provided below.		:'''Important concept to know:''' XBee radios perform best when they can "see" each other in open air -- that nothing whatsoever lies between the transmitting XBee and the receiving XBee. The more objects, or the thicker or denser the objects between the radios (such as a roof, tree, metal siding or even an automobile parked in the driveway), the more difficult it will be for them to communicate with each other. This results in misfired lights or if severe enough, total failure. An example of what NOT to do is provided below.

	== An Example of What NOT to Do ==		== An Example of What NOT to Do ==

Dirknerkle: /* Let's Be Practical */

2010-12-02T04:21:38Z

Let's Be Practical

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:21, 2 December 2010
Line 37:		Line 37:
	:'''Still more good news:''' All XBee modules have the same pin connections so that regular and pro versions can easily be swapped-out provided that (1) you've used the plug-in headers and have not soldered-in your XBees and (2) the radios to be swapped have the same antenna type. If you use the Ren-Ws in global broadcast mode, remember that the addressing is in the Renard controller and not in the XBee itself for all channels controlled from the same COM port. Therefore, the XBees modules are interchangeable for all controllers on the same COM port and if you move a display to a far corner of your yard, you can easily swap out a regular XBee with an XBee Pro when more distance is needed. Obviously it gets a lot easier if all of your XBee modules are identical, but if you're careful with where you place them in your display, you can save money by mixing and matching regular with pro models.		:'''Still more good news:''' All XBee modules have the same pin connections so that regular and pro versions can easily be swapped-out provided that (1) you've used the plug-in headers and have not soldered-in your XBees and (2) the radios to be swapped have the same antenna type. If you use the Ren-Ws in global broadcast mode, remember that the addressing is in the Renard controller and not in the XBee itself for all channels controlled from the same COM port. Therefore, the XBees modules are interchangeable for all controllers on the same COM port and if you move a display to a far corner of your yard, you can easily swap out a regular XBee with an XBee Pro when more distance is needed. Obviously it gets a lot easier if all of your XBee modules are identical, but if you're careful with where you place them in your display, you can save money by mixing and matching regular with pro models.

	:'''Important concept to know:''' XBee radios perform best when they can "see" each other in open air -- that nothing whatsoever lies between the transmitting XBee and the receiving XBee. The more objects, ~~and~~ the thicker or denser the objects (such as a roof, tree, metal siding or even an automobile parked in the driveway), the more difficult it will be for the two radios to communicate with each other. An example of what NOT to do is provided below.		:'''Important concept to know:''' XBee radios perform best when they can "see" each other in open air -- that nothing whatsoever lies between the transmitting XBee and the receiving XBee. The more objects, or the thicker or denser the objects between the two (such as a roof, tree, metal siding or even an automobile parked in the driveway), the more difficult it will be for the two radios to communicate with each other. An example of what NOT to do is provided below.

	== An Example of What NOT to Do ==		== An Example of What NOT to Do ==