The proverb “A place for everything, everything in its place” could be an unofficial mantra when it comes to gateway placement best practices. IoT deployments require seamless collaboration between many components, with gateways acting as central hubs. The gateways receive data from numerous end devices and forward it to a network server for processing and routing to the application layer where it can be visualized to extract actionable insights. With that said, IoT devices – and the applications they enable – are only as good as the gateways they’re communicating with, making consistent and unimpeded connectivity critical for success.
The Fundamentals of Gateway Placement
Gateway placement is fundamental in an IoT deployment in three key ways:
- Network Reliability: Strategic gateway placement ensures reliable communication between IoT devices and gateways by maximizing coverage, minimizing dead zones, avoiding interference, and providing redundancy to mitigate single points of failure.
- Network Efficiency: True network efficiency can be achieved when gateways are strategically placed - reducing the total number of gateways needed for coverage. This in turn lowers costs and simplifies network management. Additionally, by minimizing the distance and obstacles between devices and gateways, devices can transmit data more efficiently, using less power and extending battery life.
- Network Scalability: Strategically planning the initial placement of gateways to accommodate future growth ensures the network can seamlessly scale to support new use cases, additional devices, and increased payloads without the need for significant overhauls or additional infrastructure.
Setting the Stage for Success
Deploying an IoT network – including device provisioning, onboarding, installation, and, in this case, gateway placement – is no simple task. For large-scale, enterprise deployments, professional deployment services teams can help streamline and optimize the process, bringing the resources and insights needed to avoid common pitfalls, follow best practices, and successfully navigate a myriad of variables along the way. Based on the expertise of MachineQ’s experienced deployment services technicians, the following gateway placement guidelines offer a comprehensive roadmap for success.
Blueprints for Navigating Gateway Placement
Step 1: Define Network Requirements
- Identify IoT use cases and their specific requirements: Different IoT applications have different requirements. For example, some solutions have more tolerance for latency, like an environmental monitoring solution that periodically reports on ambient temperature and humidity conditions. Other applications, like a staff safety solution, are time-sensitive, mission critical, and need utmost network reliability. Based on your unique use case(s) and business needs, assess the tolerance for latency and other unique characteristics to plan your network and any redundancy needs accordingly.
- Confirm backhaul requirements: Consider the deployment environment when identifying backhaul requirements. For example, cellular backhaul will require strong LTE coverage, whereas ethernet backhaul will require access to switch and network ports.
- Determine the required coverage area: The required coverage area will vary significantly depending on the use case. Since staff safety solutions, commonly used in hotels, employ mobile devices worn by employees while they’re moving around properties, careful consideration should be given to ensure all areas of the property have coverage. This may include coverage both indoors and outdoors, as well as in remote areas such as basements or underground parking garages. In contrast, ensuring coverage for use cases like temperature monitoring often requires less extensive coverage, as devices are typically stationary and confined to specific locations, like refrigerators and freezers in a commercial kitchen.
- Consider the density of devices needed to support your applications: As device density increases, so does the number of gateways needed to ensure reliable connectivity. In high-density environments, gateway redundancy becomes crucial. Increasing the density of gateways helps mitigate interference, prevent network disruptions, and ensures all devices have strong, reliable connections.
- Consider future coverage needs: Think beyond your present circumstances and anticipate broader coverage requirements as you expand and introduce new use cases moving forward. Planning for future coverage needs from the outset can save you the time and hassle of repositioning gateways later to accommodate additional use cases and/or increased network traffic.
Step 2: Conduct a Site Survey
- Assess the physical environment to identify any potential obstructions: Before deploying gateways, conduct a comprehensive site survey or virtual survey to cultivate a thorough understanding of the deployment environment. As part of the site survey, procure floor plans for the deployment area so you can mark them up with desired coverage areas, distances between areas, available mounting locations, network preferences, power access, and other relevant details. For indoor deployments, consider how the building type (e.g., residential, industrial, commercial) and building materials (e.g. steel, concrete, wood, brick, glass) will impact signal strength. Concrete and metal, for example, can cause significant attenuation. The building’s dimensional shape, size, and number of floors will also inform the number of gateways and placement strategy required for optimal coverage. For outdoor deployments, identify environmental conditions that may interfere with signal penetration, such as trees, buildings, and terrain. To augment the physical site survey, LoRaWAN and cellular coverage testers can be used to test and validate signal strength across the deployment area.
- Consider power and backhaul requirements: When selecting gateway placement, one practical consideration is ensuring access to a power source. You should also consider backhaul requirements, such as proximity to ethernet ports or reliable cellular coverage.
Step 3: Determine Gateway Requirements
- Calculate the number of gateways needed: The number of gateways needed will depend on the use case (consider both current and future needs), coverage area, device density, and device reporting frequency. While there isn’t an exact formula for calculating the number of gateways, a safe rule of thumb for MachineQ’s Area 8c indoor gateway is one gateway per 42k square feet. MachineQ's Field 16c outdoor gateway, on the other hand, can typically cover around 500k square feet in a medium-density environment, though this range can vary significantly based on factors like terrain and obstructions.
- Plan for redundancy: Establishing consistent and unimpeded connectivity is critical and can be achieved via gateway redundancy, which is a network configuration strategy that involves placing multiple gateways within a defined area to avoid single points of failure – increasing reliability and device performance. This minimizes downtime and promotes continuity by establishing multiple routes where data “traffic” can essentially flow. If a gateway goes offline due to power loss or disconnection, other gateways in range will continue relaying the message, ensuring continuous, uninterrupted data transmission to the desired end location.
- Consider the transmission power of the gateway: Gateways with higher transmission power can cover larger areas and offer better signal penetration, which is particularly advantageous in environments with obstacles, such as dense walls, or other structures that can interfere with signal strength. Proper planning and optimization of transmission power can enhance the overall efficiency and reliability of the IoT network.
- Determine antenna type and position: Determine if the gateway has an internal antenna, as well as if an external antenna should be used to maximize coverage. For example, MachineQ’s Area 8c indoor gateway has an internal antenna that’s horizontally-optimized (known as polarization) for communication with sensors when the gateway is placed flat on a table or similar surface. When mounting the Area 8c gateway on a wall or other vertical surface, the external antenna should be used to achieve the best reception pattern. For the widest horizontal coverage, the antenna should be positioned perpendicular to the ground, while positioning it parallel to the ground will provide the longest vertical coverage.
Step 4: Plan Gateway Placement
- Choose elevated positions with a clear line of sight: To minimize signal obstructions and maximize line of sight, gateways should be placed in elevated locations – such as on walls or ceilings for indoor deployments, or rooftops, towers or high poles for outdoor deployments. The results of your site survey will help inform optimal gateway placement.
- Optimize the distance between devices and gateways: The distance between the sensors and gateways factor into the correct placement. Ensuring all devices are in close proximity to multiple gateways helps mitigate packet loss and delays, ensuring reliable data transmission. Make sure to maintain an optimal distance (not too close or too far), which is essential for reliable, uninterrupted communication between units. Should they be too far from one another, the signal could potentially weaken. Conversely, if they’re too close to one another, interference may occur, causing disruptions. As a general rule of thumb, sensors should be installed at least 15 to 20 feet away from the gateway.
- Navigate accessibility and security requirements: When possible, place gateways in locations that are easily accessible to network personnel for troubleshooting and maintenance. At the same time, to prevent theft, tampering, or accidental disconnection, especially in public spaces with high traffic, ensure they’re securely positioned. For indoor deployments, IDF closets are ideal locations as they’re typically distributed throughout a facility, providing optimal building coverage and centralized management. They also offer convenient and reliable access to power sources and ethernet ports, allowing for simple installation without requiring additional cabling.
Step 5: Test, Monitor, & Optimize the Network
- Conduct field tests to validate network design: After deploying the gateways, field testing is a critical step to ensure network reliability. This involves taking sensors into the actual deployment environment to test and measure key performance indicators such as signal strength, coverage, and data throughput.
- Regular Testing and Adjustment: After the initial deployment, make sure to continuously monitor network performance and be prepared to fine-tune, adjust, and alter gateway positions as needed. This is especially important as you increase the number of devices and expand use cases. In the event you need additional support, contact your deployment services team to obtain the best possible guidance.
Strategic gateway placement is fundamental for successful IoT deployments, ensuring reliable communication, efficiency, and coverage. Properly placed gateways maximize performance, minimize interference, reduce downtime, and support future network expansion initiatives. To streamline your network deployment and management, consider partnering with qualified, experienced deployment services professionals for optimal results and to maximize the value of your investment from the onset and throughout the lifetime of the solution.
Paving the Way for IoT Innovation at MachineQ
If you’re looking for true reliability and performance in your IoT networks, contact MachineQ to learn how our deployment services team can help you transform your challenges into powerful opportunities.
