Posts made by nzbaxterman

@skywatch said in Big metal barn radio interference???:

@nzbaxterman As @mfalkvidd has said this is not an ideal situation.

You need to place the antennas outside where they can 'see' each other. A pre-made length of coax and a small fixing will be required. Try to think of ways to keep the coax cable run as short as possible as this will be a big help with the low power levels we generally use.

If you can put the whole radio module outside in a weather proof box then that would be another option.

Thanks @skywatch I'll experiment some more with different radios and antennas outside the barn. It's a bit frustrating because the barn has sensors in it, and I plan to have several sensors in opposite directions outside the barn. There's the pump shed 15m outside in one direction and a water tank on a hill 200m in the other direction.

I think I'm going to need sensors, acting as repeaters, on all 4 corners attached to the outside of the barn!

Hello
First post to the forum, but I've been using MySensors (with NRF24L01) for a few months now.

I'm having range problems between a sensor and a gateway. They're only 15m apart, with no obstructions, but they're both attached to metal/tin sheds. The sensor is on the side of a 2m high x 3m wide metal pump shed and the gateway is inside a 7m high 18m barn (like a giant aircraft hanger!).

I've tried various antennas on the NRF modules. Have also tried putting the gateway in a window, so there's only glass between it and the sensor.

All I can think is the giant metal barn is somehow reflecting the signal? If I put the gateway and sensor inside the barn, 15m apart, they work fine!

Any experience or ideas with sensors and gateways in giant metal sheds?