Max sensors distance

This article explains the Sigrow ecosystem and what you need to know to ensure proper connectivity between your sensors and central station.

First let's go over what is in each Sigrow kit:

Central station - this is the gateway of your kit. It receives the data readings from your sensors and pushes it to the cloud. Whether this is done over ethernet connection or over mobile data depends on the model of your central station.
Sensors - While we refer to them as sensors, our products are actually a conglomeration of several different sensors in one. Depending on the model, our sensors measure several light, air, and soil variables. The sensors automatically take measurements at their set timesample so there is no need for activation or pairing, only charging if the battery is low. The data readings are wirelessly communicated to the central station via LoRa radio.
Sigrow Web app - You have access to the data readings via Sigrow Web App. Your login credentials are shared in your order shipping email.

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The key thing to note in this ecosystem is that the sensors and central station must be within range of each other for messages to be received and visualized in the app.

What is this range?

We generally recommend to place your sensors within 500m of your central station. Depending on your environment, this range may vary. Outdoors in an open field you may have a range of a few kilometers and indoors where there are several metal walls and doors between the central station and the sensors, the range will be reduced.

Why such a difference?

Communications between the sensors and central station are done via LoRA radio. This means that the signals can run into interference thus reducing the distance they are able to successfully communicate. Much like Wifi in your home, interference can be caused by many different obstacles including walls, doors, and metal objects. When the signals bounce or are absorbed by these different materials, the power of the signal is reduced. This means the messages between the sensor and central station may have trouble reaching each other and you may experience data loss. The best way to ensure your sensors and central station can communicate is to place them within direct line of sight of each other.

To help reduce this, we always recommend placing your central station within direct line of sight to your sensors, in a high position, and away from metal objects.

If you are experiencing trouble, please contact us at support@sigrow.com

For consultation, we may request a schematic and photos of your location and current sensors and central station location. With this information we can recommend the best placement and decide if external antennas or extra centrals could be required.