“Many of our customers are finding that a Bluetooth wireless connection can transmit up to 1km.”
The point is this: A wireless module is a very important part of any wireless solution, but its main function is to convert signals from PLCs and IOs into radio waves. Antennas are used for the transmission. In many wireless solutions on the market, the antennas are built-in or supplied as part of the wireless module. We separate our DATAEAGLE devices from the antennas. Why is that?
The antennas are selected based on the two most important factors: the transmission beam angle and the antenna gain. You can either choose a directional antenna for transmission in only one direction or an omnidirectional antenna for 360° transmission and have different transmission aperture angles. However, how far the antenna transmits depends on the antenna gain in conjunction with the beam angle.
The antenna gain, simply put, is the ability of the antenna to convert the input power into radio waves in a certain direction. So if an antenna has a high gain, it should be able to transmit signals over long distances.
When selecting an antenna, we need to understand that both factors are important.
A narrow beam angle combined with a high gain means long distance transmission.
Example – directional antenna Art. No.: 11111 – Schildknecht AG – Radio data transmission systems
A large beam angle in conjunction with a low gain means transmission over short distances.
Example – omnidirectional antenna Art. No.: 11126 – Schildknecht AG – Datenfunksysteme
The distances given in the illustration are based on our experience and may vary depending on the installation environment.
We have transmitted Bluetooth signals over 1 km for PROFIsafe applications using a high gain, small aperture angle antenna such as the 11111 antenna.
