Easing the challenge of RF design (Part 2 of 2)

Although the availability of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components and reference designs has made wireless system design a little easier, the engineer still needs to acquire some fundamental knowledge about the parameters that influence a wireless link's performance.

This article looks at issues of communication reliability: how parameters such as sensitivity, output power, adjacent channel selectivity and operating frequency influence system performance. It also looks at critical issue is range, as the designer has to ensure that the radio can operate over its stated range in a number of different operating environments.

The article is presented in two parts, as pdf files (no registration required):

• Part 1: Fundamentals of a wireless link, calculating antenna size, multipath interference, and the importance of Packet Error Rate, click here.
• Part 2: Key parameters, avoiding interference, and interpreting the datasheet, click here.

About the Author
Jay Tyzzer is a senior applications engineer with Nordic Semiconductor, based on the US West Coast.

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