Non-optimized wireless solutions damage brands, customer satisfaction, and profits…see for yourself:
Below are online customer review snippets for well-known wireless door camera products and connected garage door openers:
"Instructions seemed simple enough. However, the central hub device would not find any WiFi connections at all. I live in an urban center and there are usually 10+ connections available from within my garage. The device would not find any of them."
"I had to buy a WiFi booster to allow it to maintain contact with main router. I have a WiFi device in my shed which is further away and didn’t need a booster."
"Poor product, Poor performance for some of the basic functions. Poor battery life. Not really functional – disconnects regularly."
"Make sure you have a good WiFi signal in your garage. If you have a weak signal, you WILL have problems with the device going offline and the door not responding. The WiFi signal is your responsibility to check and correct if improvement is needed (Relocate your WiFi router closer to the garage or use a WiFi extender)"
"Very difficult setup and unreliable
Very difficult setup and unreliable operation. Needs an extremely good WiFi connection to all devices, if you change your WiFi equipment you are in a world of difficulty and pain to get it working again IMO"
"Got this to try to make the garage up-to-date with house and all the smart products...it loses connection often and did not bring ease or solve any of the garage entry access we were looking for. Definitely will return or sell and opt for an entirely different brand/option."
Issues like the above, whether for consumer or commercial systems, impact businesses negatively in many ways:
- Increased installation costs
- Higher service/support expenses
- Larger system costs
- Dissatisfied customers
- Poor product reviews
- Damage to a brand and reputation
- Business distractions
- Reduced ROI and profits
For improved wireless performance and network results, CEL recommends looking carefully at the following:
| Review, Understand, Verify | Comments |
|---|---|
| Radio Noise Immunity | Noise of the host board reduces effectiveness of the module |
| Receiver Sensitivity | Antenna mismatch degrades the realized Rx sensitivity |
| Tx power | Compare module Pout vs. IC maximum achievable Pout |
| FCC Compliance vs. Datasheet | FCC spec compliance may require module to operate at reduced Tx power |
| Antenna Radiation Pattern | Directional? Only a narrow area of the sphere achieves reasonable Tx power |
| Module Antenna Efficiency | Radiated Tx power vs. Conducted Tx power |
| Module Placement on Host Board | Module radiated power when on Host board vs. Eval board |
| TRP Testing of Final Product | See above |
| iPerf Testing of System | Validate real world performance as good as expected based on lab data |