LPWAN Coverage Calculator

LoRa/Sigfox range from gateway height and environment.

TX power (dBm)

TX antenna gain (dBi)

RX sensitivity (dBm)

RX antenna gain (dBi)

Frequency (MHz)

Fade margin (dB)

Environment loss (dB/km)

Gateway height (m)

Tab to move between fields

Link budget (dB)

156

Free-space range (km)548.25

Effective range (km)7.46

Range w/ height (km)10.38

Coverage area (km²)338.46

Height gain (dB)17.4

How to Use This Calculator

Enter TX power (dBm) and TX antenna gain (dBi) for your node hardware.
Set gateway receiver sensitivity (dBm) and gateway antenna gain (dBi).
Enter operating frequency in MHz (EU=868, US=915) and fade margin in dB.
Set environment attenuation (dB/km) for your terrain (rural=0-2, urban=5-10).
Review Link budget (dB), Effective range (km), and Coverage area (km²) to plan gateway placement.

How the result changes with RX sensitivity (dBm)

TX power (dBm): Transmitter output power. LoRa EU: 14 dBm, US: 20-30 dBm, Sigfox: 14 dBm.
TX antenna gain (dBi): Node antenna gain. Small whip: 0-2 dBi, PCB antenna: -1 to 1 dBi.
RX sensitivity (dBm): Gateway receiver sensitivity. LoRa SF12: -137 dBm, SF7: -123 dBm, Sigfox: -142 dBm.
RX antenna gain (dBi): Gateway antenna gain. Omnidirectional: 3-6 dBi, directional: 8-15 dBi.
Frequency (MHz): Operating frequency. EU: 868 MHz, US: 915 MHz, Sigfox: 868/902 MHz.
Fade margin (dB): Safety margin for fading/interference. 10 dB typical, 15-20 dB for high reliability.
Environment loss (dB/km): Extra attenuation per km. Rural: 0-2, suburban: 3-5, urban: 5-10, dense urban: 10-20.
Gateway height (m): Gateway antenna height above ground. Rooftop: 10-20 m, tower: 30-60 m.

Link budget (dB): Total available link budget before path loss.
Free-space range (km): Theoretical max range in free space (no obstructions).
Effective range (km): Range with environment attenuation, at ground level.
Range w/ height (km): Effective range including gateway height advantage.
Coverage area (km²): Circular coverage area at the computed range.
Height gain (dB): Additional link margin from elevated gateway antenna.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
TX power (dBm) = 14, TX antenna gain (dBi) = 2, RX sensitivity (dBm) = -137, RX antenna gain (dBi) = 3 = 8 input(s) provided
Calculate Link budget
Link budget = txPowerDbm + txAntennaGainDbi + rxAntennaGainDbi - rxSensitivityDbm
156 = 156
Calculate Free-space range
Free-space range = pow(10, (availablePathLossDb - freqTerm) / 20)
548.25 = 548.25
Calculate Effective range
Effective range = (lo + hi) / 2
7.46 = 7.46