Addressing Sensors Outside of LoRa Coverage – Help Center

During the planning stage in the Silvanet Site Management tool, you might notice a warning when you create your Deployment: some sensors are placed outside the estimated coverage area of your gateways. This is an important step in ensuring the reliability of your Silvanet network.

Why This Happens

The Planning Tool simulates LoRaWAN coverage based on your terrain, topography and gateway placement. When a sensor is marked as outside the coverage area, it means the tool has calculated that the sensor may not reliably connect to a nearby gateway.

What You Can Do

1. Adjust Sensor Placement

Reposition the sensor within the blue coverage zone shown on the planning map. The tool updates coverage estimates in real time, so you’ll see whether the new placement is acceptable.

2. Add a Mesh Gateway

If sensors need to remain in low-coverage zones (due to risk profile or site structure), consider adding a Mesh Gateway. Mesh Gateways extend the reach of Border Gateways, creating a relay network that can cover complex or remote terrain.

3. Adjust Border Gateway Placement

Sometimes shifting your Border Gateway slightly can enhance the overall coverage. The Planning Tool will recalculate coverage areas automatically, allowing you to test options.

4. Balance Density and Coverage

Reevaluate whether all sensors are critical in that specific area. You may achieve better performance by redistributing sensors within areas of known coverage, while still maintaining density guidelines.

Best Practices

Use the Automated Plan Connectivity and let the Planning Tool find you the best possible gateway placement.
Always verify the estimated detection time using the Fire Protection Layer to ensure fire events can still be detected quickly. See more detailed article: What is the Fire Protection Map Layer and How Does It Inform Priority Area Planning?
If uncertain, plan to validate the area during site scouting or physical deployment, real-world topography and vegetation may slightly differ from the digital model.

Conclusion

Sensors placed outside of the coverage area may compromise network reliability, but the Planning Tool gives you everything needed to fix it before entering the field. With smart adjustments or additional infrastructure, you can build a robust and responsive Silvanet network that fits your forest’s unique layout.