Home

Forums

Stories

Knowledge Base

Business Community > Pharos Wireless Bridges > Why CPE510 range much higher than?

< Pharos Wireless Bridges

Why CPE510 range much higher than?

Why CPE510 range much higher than?

Why CPE510 range much higher than?

23 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

Posts: 4

Helpful: 0

Solutions: 2

Stories: 0

Registered: 2025-02-25

Why CPE510 range much higher than?

23 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

Tags: #Outdoor Wi-Fi Solution

Model: CPE510

Hardware Version:

Firmware Version:

from https://www.tp-link.com/us/business-networking/pharos-cpe/cpe210/ .

When I calculate the receive power (transmit_power + antenna_gain - path_loss + antenna_gain) for 5 km for CPE510 and CPE210 using free-space path loss, I get ~-71 and ~-69 dB, respectively. CPE510 suffers slightly more loss, but covers 15km+ according to the data above.

How can the range be much higher for CPE510? 🤔

I believe it can be related to the transceiver model in CPE510 or more interference at 2.4 GHz. My students and me would be glad to hear an expert opinion on this 🙂.

0

0

#1

2 Accepted Solutions

LV1

11 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

Posts: 4

Helpful: 0

Solutions: 2

Stories: 0

Registered: 2025-02-25

Re:Why CPE510 range much higher than?-Solution

11 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

@Vincent-TP thanks for your fast answer 🙂

* **Beamwidth and Antenna Pattern:**

The CPE510, being designed for longer distances, has a narrower beamwidth (Beam Width: 45° (H-Plane) / 45° (E-Plane)) and a more focused antenna pattern than the CPE210 (Beam Width: 65° (H-Plane) / 40° (E-Plane)) . ...

Shouldn't the beamwidth and antenna pattern already be captured in the antenna gain?

* **Operating Frequency and Environment:**

While you mentioned potential interference at 2.4 GHz, the CPE510 operates in the 5 GHz band, which generally experiences less congestion and interference than the 2.4 GHz band used by the CPE210. Less interference translates to a cleaner signal and a greater effective range, even with slightly higher path loss. Also, 5Ghz band has a better fresnel zone clearance compared to 2.4Ghz.

Two points: (1) less interference (2) fresnel zone. As I understand:

(1) Less interference leads to less noise in the receiver, increasing the final SNR in the receiving end.

(2) Lower frequency leads to a 1.4x larger Fresnel zone (according to r = 17.32 × √(d/4f)). Which increases the probability for obstructions for CPE210.

* **Clear Line of Sight (LOS) Assumption:**

The free-space path loss model assumes a perfect line of sight. In real-world scenarios, obstructions like trees, buildings, and terrain can significantly impact signal propagation. The CPE510, with its higher antenna gain and potentially better signal processing, might be better at overcoming these obstacles.

These aspects are already captured in the antenna gain and Fresnel zone. Moreover, 2.4 GHz can better penetrate obstacles.

Thank you for your insightful answer Vincent. I would still like to know where the numbers 15 and 5 km come from, though if someone has more details 🙂.

Recommended Solution

0

0

#3

LV1

6 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

Posts: 4

Helpful: 0

Solutions: 2

Stories: 0

Registered: 2025-02-25

Re:Why CPE510 range much higher than?-Solution

6 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

I believe I have another argument which speaks for the higher range of 510. If I use the transmit power values on the datasheet instead of the product page, then I get:

Maybe the power transmit values on the product page, 23 and 27 dB, for 510 and 210, are average but the distances are based on the maximum values.

Recommended Solution

0

0

#5

4 Reply

15 hours ago

Posts: 1662

Helpful: 197

Solutions: 670

Stories: 0

Registered: 2024-06-22

Re:Why CPE510 range much higher than?

15 hours ago

Thank you for reaching out to the TP-Link Community and for your insightful question regarding the range difference between the CPE510 and CPE210. We appreciate your interest and the engagement from you and your students.

You're right to point out the apparent contradiction between the calculated free-space path loss and the stated coverage range. While your calculations are a good starting point, several factors contribute to the actual performance and range that aren't fully captured by a simple free-space path loss model.

Here are a few key considerations that likely explain the longer range of the CPE510:

* **Beamwidth and Antenna Pattern:**

The CPE510, being designed for longer distances, has a narrower beamwidth (Beam Width: 45° (H-Plane) / 45° (E-Plane)) and a more focused antenna pattern than the CPE210 (Beam Width: 65° (H-Plane) / 40° (E-Plane)) . This concentrates the transmitted energy in a specific direction, increasing the signal strength at the intended receiver. The CPE210, designed for shorter distances, have a wider beamwidth, spreading the energy over a broader area.

* **Operating Frequency and Environment:**

While you mentioned potential interference at 2.4 GHz, the CPE510 operates in the 5 GHz band, which generally experiences less congestion and interference than the 2.4 GHz band used by the CPE210. Less interference translates to a cleaner signal and a greater effective range, even with slightly higher path loss. Also, 5Ghz band has a better fresnel zone clearance compared to 2.4Ghz.

* **Clear Line of Sight (LOS) Assumption:**

The free-space path loss model assumes a perfect line of sight. In real-world scenarios, obstructions like trees, buildings, and terrain can significantly impact signal propagation. The CPE510, with its higher antenna gain and potentially better signal processing, might be better at overcoming these obstacles.

Wish you a happy life and smooth network usage! >Get the Latest Omada SDN Controller Releases Here< >Experience the Latest Omada EAP Firmware<

2

2

#2

LV1

11 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

Posts: 4

Helpful: 0

Solutions: 2

Stories: 0

Registered: 2025-02-25

Re:Why CPE510 range much higher than?-Solution

11 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

@Vincent-TP thanks for your fast answer 🙂

* **Beamwidth and Antenna Pattern:**

The CPE510, being designed for longer distances, has a narrower beamwidth (Beam Width: 45° (H-Plane) / 45° (E-Plane)) and a more focused antenna pattern than the CPE210 (Beam Width: 65° (H-Plane) / 40° (E-Plane)) . ...

Shouldn't the beamwidth and antenna pattern already be captured in the antenna gain?

* **Operating Frequency and Environment:**

While you mentioned potential interference at 2.4 GHz, the CPE510 operates in the 5 GHz band, which generally experiences less congestion and interference than the 2.4 GHz band used by the CPE210. Less interference translates to a cleaner signal and a greater effective range, even with slightly higher path loss. Also, 5Ghz band has a better fresnel zone clearance compared to 2.4Ghz.

Two points: (1) less interference (2) fresnel zone. As I understand:

(1) Less interference leads to less noise in the receiver, increasing the final SNR in the receiving end.

(2) Lower frequency leads to a 1.4x larger Fresnel zone (according to r = 17.32 × √(d/4f)). Which increases the probability for obstructions for CPE210.

* **Clear Line of Sight (LOS) Assumption:**

The free-space path loss model assumes a perfect line of sight. In real-world scenarios, obstructions like trees, buildings, and terrain can significantly impact signal propagation. The CPE510, with its higher antenna gain and potentially better signal processing, might be better at overcoming these obstacles.

These aspects are already captured in the antenna gain and Fresnel zone. Moreover, 2.4 GHz can better penetrate obstacles.

Thank you for your insightful answer Vincent. I would still like to know where the numbers 15 and 5 km come from, though if someone has more details 🙂.

Recommended Solution

0

0

#3

LV1

6 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

Posts: 4

Helpful: 0

Solutions: 2

Stories: 0

Registered: 2025-02-25

Re:Why CPE510 range much higher than?

6 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

I found a datasheet with more details available on this site: https://www.tp-link.com/us/support/download/cpe510/

https://static.tp-link.com/upload/product-overview/2023/202308/20230828/CPE%20series-Datasheet.pdf

Here are two excerpts:

The antenna patterns on the left are already captured in the antenna gains. The difference should arise from the return losses. At least the return loss for the average vertical polarization for CPE510 seems about 5 dB less than the CPE210. Maybe this is another reason for the +10km range.

The data sheet also contains maximum transmit power:

The maximum transmit power data contradicts the transmit powers shown in my first screenshot. Moreover, here is another screenshot from the product page:

So we have two transmit powers, for CPE210: 27 dBm, 25 dBm. Maybe the values are just approximate values 😕.

0

0

#4

LV1

6 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

Posts: 4

Helpful: 0

Solutions: 2

Stories: 0

Registered: 2025-02-25

Re:Why CPE510 range much higher than?-Solution

6 hours ago - last edited 6 hours ago

I believe I have another argument which speaks for the higher range of 510. If I use the transmit power values on the datasheet instead of the product page, then I get:

Maybe the power transmit values on the product page, 23 and 27 dB, for 510 and 210, are average but the distances are based on the maximum values.

Recommended Solution

0

0

#5