How to Transmit Sensor Data Between Arduinos Over Long Distances with Minimal Power Consumption?
I would like to send values from an Arduino to another one (one value every 10 minutes). I have a distance of 80-100m outdoors with trees between the Arduinos. The transmitter should consume as little power as possible because it will be on battery, while the receiver will be on mains power.
What solution do you suggest? I don’t know the maximum distance (WiFi, radio, Bluetooth, IR…).
Thanks
Solution:Jump to solution
Another option is Bluetooth with Coded PHY support. This extends the range of bluetooth and is likely the lowest cost and power. LoRa is a good option as well, but your receiver has to function as a gateway. LoRa will have the best range, but BT coded PHY should meet or exceed your range needs as well. As always with wireless range, I would do some field testing with existing product or dev kits before finalizing your design. Also, antenna design/performance is always a large factor with any...
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You can use a simple Lora Device if you are not sure of the distance. It acts as a radio transmitter and covers a large area
hi camila , recommend using LoRa (Long Range) technology, for long-range, low-power wireless communication , you'll need a LoRa transceiver module compatible with Arduino, such as the RFM95W or SX1276/77/78/79 module
Solution
Another option is Bluetooth with Coded PHY support. This extends the range of bluetooth and is likely the lowest cost and power. LoRa is a good option as well, but your receiver has to function as a gateway. LoRa will have the best range, but BT coded PHY should meet or exceed your range needs as well. As always with wireless range, I would do some field testing with existing product or dev kits before finalizing your design. Also, antenna design/performance is always a large factor with any wireless design.
Okk thank you Mike I’m curious, 🧐 have you encountered any specific challenges or drawbacks when compared to LoRa? I’m always interested in learning from others.
Each technology has its own "best fit" applications. LoRaWAN is effectively a network so has a number of networking related functions that wouldn't be necessary for point to point communications, which means the receiver is actually a "gateway" so has more hardware and software involved. You can also just use the physical layer, "LoRa" without using the LoRaWAN network stack, but that becomes a more proprietary solution. Bluetooth with the coded PHY feature is likely the easiest integration and lowest hardware costs for your point to point needs. At 2.4GHz, it will be more affected by the trees in your signal path than LoRa will. It should still have enough margin tomeet your range needs - but good to test that in the field first!