The Advanced Gateway offers a very large communication range in open-field conditions. In real-world office environments, however, the effective range is influenced by factors such as reinforced concrete walls, elevator shafts, glass partitions, isolation materials, and other equipment that may interfere with the wireless signal.

For optimal performance, sensors should have a direct line of sight to the Advanced Gateway whenever possible. Under these conditions, a coverage area of approximately 100 × 100 meters can typically be achieved, making it a suitable working range for most office environments.

Advanced Gateway Deployment examples

In the following examples, you will find recommended Advanced Gateway deployment scenarios for floors with obstacles such as elevator shafts. The examples demonstrate optimal gateway placement for both single-floor and multi-floor environments to ensure reliable sensor coverage and minimize the impact of structural barriers.

Advanced Gateway Placement Around Central Elevator Shaft

This is an example of deployment using two Advanced Gateways to provide complete coverage of all office areas around a centrally located elevator shaft.

In this example, two Advanced Gateways are strategically positioned on opposite sides of the floor to ensure reliable wireless coverage throughout the office. This placement minimizes the impact of the elevator shaft and other structural obstacles, providing stable communication with sensors in all surrounding areas.

Single floor:

Advanced Gateway Placement Across Multiple Floors

This is an example of deployment of Advanced Gateways for multi-floor coverage with a centrally located elevator shaft.

In this example, Advanced Gateways are installed on alternating floors to provide reliable wireless coverage throughout the building. By positioning the gateways on opposite sides of the elevator shaft, each gateway helps compensate for the coverage limitations caused by the shaft and other structural obstacles.

Each Advanced Gateway provides coverage for:

• Its own floor, primarily on the same side of the elevator shaft where it is installed.

• The floor directly below.

• The floor directly above.

This overlapping coverage ensures that areas with reduced signal strength ("blind spots") from one gateway are covered by a neighboring gateway, resulting in reliable communication across multiple floors.

First floor	Second floor

Consider Obstacles and Signal Attenuation (dB Loss)

When planning the installation of an Advanced Gateway, it is important to consider physical obstacles that can significantly reduce the wireless signal strength.

Reinforced concrete is one of the most challenging materials for radio communication. It combines dense concrete, which absorbs radio energy, with a steel reinforcement grid (rebar), which reflects and scatters sub-GHz radio signals such as the 868 MHz frequency used by Elsys sensors.

A typical reinforced concrete wall can introduce approximately 15–25 dB of signal attenuation, depending on its thickness and construction.

Impact on Communication Range

In indoor environments, radio signals weaken as they pass through obstacles. As a general rule of thumb, every 10–12 dB of additional signal loss can reduce the effective communication range by approximately 50%.

For example, if the open indoor coverage is approximately 100 meters:

• After 10 dB of attenuation, the effective range is reduced to approximately 50 meters.

• After 20 dB of attenuation, the effective range is reduced to approximately 25 meters.

When planning a deployment, always account for structural elements such as reinforced concrete walls, elevator shafts, stairwells, and other large obstacles. If necessary, install additional Advanced Gateways to ensure reliable coverage throughout the building.