This guide provides best practices to help you install the gateways for your Sensedge Go deployment. Following these guidelines will help you find the optimal locations for your gateways, ensuring reliable performance.
Placement Recommendations
Gateway placement is pivotal for providing the strongest, most reliable signal path to all Sensedge Go devices. This is achieved by placing gateways in a central location and minimizing the number of physical obstructions the signal must pass through.
Practical Installation Needs
Before considering signal strength, ensure your chosen location meets the gateway's basic needs:
- Power: The gateway requires a standard power outlet that will not be accidentally turned off or unplugged.
- Network Connection: The gateway needs a stable network connection, typically via an Ethernet port (unless using cellular connectivity).
- Location: IDF/MDF rooms or electrical closets are often the ideal locations for gateway installation, but external locations can be considered if these rooms are in less-than-ideal conditions (ie. office corners).
Signal Obstructions to Avoid
The sub-GHz wireless communication used by the Sensedge Go has a very long range in open air. The primary challenge is not distance, but physical barriers that block the signal. Try to minimize the number of these obstructions between a gateway and your devices:
- Thick, Dense Walls: Concrete and brick walls significantly reduce signal strength.
Pay special attention to:- Elevator shafts
- Fire escape stairwells
- Structural building cores
- Metal Structures: Metal is a major signal blocker.
Be mindful of:- Metal walls and doors
- Large arrays of TV screens or electronics
- Significant metal fixtures or sculptures
Placement Strategies & Examples
The number of gateways you have will determine the best placement strategy. As a general rule, keep these three guidelines in mind:
- Vertical Coverage: 1 gateway covers 3-5 floors (2 above, 2 below)
- Horizontal Coverage: 1 gateway covers approximately 3,000 m² (~30,000 ft²).
- Device Capacity: 1 gateway supports up to 50 devices.
Below are common scenarios and best practices for placement.
Scenario A: Standard Multi-Floor Buildings
For buildings with multiple floors of a standard size (under 3,000 m² per floor), the primary goal is to space your gateways evenly across the vertical span of the project. On each of those chosen floors, the gateway should then be installed in a central location.
- Example 1: 10-Floor Building with 3 Gateways
A good strategy is to place your gateways centrally on Floor 2, Floor 5, and Floor 8. This creates staggered, overlapping coverage zones:- The Gateway on Floor 2 covers Floors 1-4.
- The Gateway on Floor 5 covers Floors 3-7.
- The Gateway on Floor 8 covers Floors 6-10.
Note: Floors 3, 6, and 9 would also work as an alternative.
- Example 2: 6-Floor Building with 2 Gateways
The ideal placement would be one gateway centrally on Floor 2 (to cover 1-3) and the second centrally on Floor 5 (to cover 4-6).
Scenario B: Large Single-Floor Buildings
If a single floor significantly exceeds 3,000 m² (~30,000 ft²), you may need multiple gateways on that same floor, even if it's the only floor in the project scope. The goal is to divide the floor into smaller coverage zones, and then place gateways centrally for each zone.
- Example 1: 5,000 m² (~50,000 ft²) Floor with 2 Gateways
- Divide the floor into two 2,500 m² zones. Place one gateway in the center of the first zone, and the second gateway in the center of the other.
- Example 2: large storage spaces (ie. Warehouses)
- In a warehouse or storage-like scenario, tall metal shelving units can act as signal barriers. Even if the floor area does not require two gateways, these obstructions might.
- Place gateways at a height that provides the clearest possible "line of sight" over or between shelving units. If not possible, consider additional gateways.
Scenario C: Large Multi-Floor Buildings (Combined Strategy)
For large projects that span multiple floors AND have large floor plates, you will need to combine both vertical and horizontal placement strategies.
- Example: 10-Floor Building with 5,000 m² Floors
An optimal strategy would be to use six gateways in total (two per floor) to provide optimal coverage.- Place two gateways on Floor 2: Position one gateway to cover the first 2,500 m² half of the floor and the second gateway to cover the other 2,500 m² half.
- Place two gateways on Floor 5: Distribute the gateways in the same way as on Floor 2.
- Place two gateways on Floor 8: Distribute the gateways in the same way as on Floor 2 (and Floor 5).
Note: Floors 3, 6, and 9 would also work as an alternative.
- This layered approach provides strong horizontal coverage on the large floors while also using vertical reach to cover the floors immediately above and below.
Validating Gateway Placement
Before you lock in the final installation, you can perform a simple on-site signal survey with your devices to test your chosen locations.
- Initial Placement: Install the gateway(s) in your chosen IDF/MDF closet or other locations.
- Power On & Configure: Power on the gateway(s) and ensure they are online/configured.
- Place Your Sensedge Go Devices: Turn on your Sensedge Go devices and take them to the rooms/locations they will be installed in.
- For a signal survey, you can place the devices in their respective rooms on a desk/shelf/etc, as opposed to doing the full wall installation.
- Alternatively, you can do this with a single device in your furthest location - but for the best test results, place all your devices to get a full understanding of all your rooms/locations/signal strengths.
- Check Signal Strength: Using the Kaiterra data platform, observe the signal strength of the device(s). If the signal strength is “weak” or lower, consider moving the gateway (or device) to another location.
Above -90 dBm: Strong signal
-90 to -105 dBm: Medium signal
-105 to -120 dBm: Weak signal
Below -120 dBm: Unstable
Note: After 20 minutes from initial power on, the Sensedge Go may adapt to a weak signal by increasing its radio power. This function may result in a stronger signal.
While a stronger signal is the ideal scenario, having it as a result of an initially weak signal will impact the battery life. To avoid this, try to conduct your signal survey (the steps above) within 20 minutes, and consider the troubleshooting steps below as an alternative solution.
Troubleshooting Poor Signal Strength
If you find that some devices have a weak or unstable connection after placement, here are the steps to take:
- Wait 20+ minutes for the increased radio power: as described in the note above, if a device has a weak signal 20+ minutes after power on, it will try to increase its radio power to strengthen the signal. While not ideal for the battery life, it can result in a “strong enough signal” for the installation, but this should only be considered if none of the other options below are available.
- Optimize device location (if possible): Sometimes, moving a Sensedge Go device just a few feet out from behind a large metal column or other obstruction can significantly improve its signal. If possible, play around with the placement of the device within the room to see if that improves the signal strength.
- Contact us for a review: If adjusting device locations isn't enough, send us your floor plans with the gateway and device locations marked. Our team can review the placement and see if there are opportunities for optimization.
- Consider additional gateways: In rare cases with very challenging building materials or layouts, the solution may be to add another gateway to fill the coverage gap. Please contact us to discuss this option.
For any further assistance, please feel free to reach out to our support team.