How Far Can an IoT Gateway Reach? A Practical Guide to LoS & Range

Have you ever been on a hill or at the beach, looking out and wondering: how far can I actually see?

Whether we’re deploying LoRaWAN® gateways on open water or deep in urban environments, one question comes up again and again: “How far can an IoT gateway see?”

When we talk about a gateway “seeing” in the world of wireless tech, it really means having a clear path for its signal. We call this a Line-of-Sight (LoS). Imagine a straight, clear road between your gateway (which sends out signals) and your device (which receives them, like a sensor or tracker). That’s line of sight! It sounds simple, but how far that signal can actually travel depends on many things. Knowing this distance before you set up anything can save you a lot of headaches and money.

In our 15+ years of deploying experience IoT network solutions, we’ve learned that knowing this distance before you install anything can save a lot of frustration — and money. We’ll look at the basic ideas, the important things that affect how signals travel, and share real-world examples from the ocean, bustling cities, wide-open fields, and even tricky mountains. Understanding these things from the start will help you set up your IoT network smoothly and efficiently.

What Makes Your LoRaWAN Network Go Far?

1. Antenna Height: The Taller, The Better View!

Think of it like this: the higher you stand on a hill, the more you can see. It’s the same for your LoRa antenna! The height of your gateway and device antennas directly affects how far their radio signals can reach. The higher they are, the fewer things will block the signal, meaning your signal can travel much, much farther. This is especially true over open water or in cities where buildings can get in the way of lower signals.

2. The World Around You: Terrain and Surroundings

The environment where you set up your LoRaWAN network makes a huge difference in how far your signal goes. Things like buildings, hills, thick trees, and even the curve of the Earth can weaken or completely block radio signals. This is where Line-of-Sight (LoS) becomes super important. In cities, with all their buildings, signals often have to bounce around or bend to get where they’re going (we call this non-line-of-sight, or NLoS), which really cuts down the range. But in open fields or over calm water, where there’s nothing much in the way, signals can travel much longer distances.

3. Signal Strength and Quality: The Clearer the Voice, the Farther it’s Heard

How strong and clear your radio signal is directly affects how long distances it can go and still be understood. Signal strength (often measured in something called decibels, or dBm) tells you how powerful the signal is when it arrives. Signal quality, on the other hand, is about how clean and clear the signal is, without a lot of static or interference. A strong, clear signal can push through longer distances and tougher environments, making sure your devices stay connected. Things like your antenna’s boost, how much signal is lost in cables, and how sensitive your receiver is all play a part in the overall strength and quality of your signal.

4. Signal Interference: The Unseen Noise

In our modern wireless world, radio interference is everywhere, especially in crowded areas. Cities are full of all sorts of wireless signals from Wi-Fi, cell phones, and other IoT gadgets, all trying to use the same airwaves. This interference can really mess with LoRaWAN communication, making it hard for your IoT devices to hear each other, leading to lost messages and shorter range. Good network planning, like carefully choosing where to put your gateways, picking the right radio channels, and using smart technology to filter out noise, is key to keeping your network healthy and strong against interference.

5. Frequency Bands: Your Regional Radio Channels

LoRaWAN uses special radio frequency that don’t need a license, called ISM bands. These channels are different depending on where you are in the world. The channel you pick affects how your signal travels:

• Lower Frequencies (like 868 MHz in Europe): These signals are generally better at going through obstacles and can travel farther because they’re less absorbed by the air. But, they can also be busier and more prone to interference because many other devices use them.
• Higher Frequencies (like 915 MHz in North America): These signals might not go as far or through obstacles as easily, but they often have clearer channels with less traffic, which can mean more reliable communication in some situations.

Knowing the rules for your area and how different frequencies behave is super important for getting the best range and performance from your network.

6. Transmit Power Levels: Finding the Balance Between Reach and Battery Life

It makes sense that more power means more range. But there’s a compromise: more power uses more battery, which means your loRa devices won’t last as long. Also, there are rules about how much power you can use to avoid messing with other wireless systems. Modern LoRaWAN systems are smart! They can often adjust their power levels on the fly based on how good the connection is. This clever approach saves battery life while keeping a strong connection, finding that perfect balance between how far your signal goes and how long your devices last.

From Theory to Reality — Factors Affecting Signal Reliability

Knowing how far your outdoor gateway can “see” — is just the first piece of the puzzle. In the real world applications, having a clear view doesn’t always guarantee a clear signal. The signal must still be strong enough when it arrives at the other end, and that’s where the concept of link budget comes in.

Think of the link budget as your network’s fuel tank.

• Every kilometre of travel consumes part of that “fuel” — the signal strength.
• If the tank runs empty before the signal reaches the gateway, the connection fails.

1. Figuring Out Line-of-Sight: The Horizon Math

The distance your radio signal can travel before the Earth’s curve gets in the way mostly depends on how high your sending and receiving antennas are. For practical purposes, here’s a simple way to estimate the distance to the horizon (in kilometers) from a certain height (in meters):

Where D is the distance to the horizon in kilometers and h is the height of the antenna in meters.

To find the total Line-of-Sight between two antennas, you just add up the individual horizon distances for each antenna:

Example:

• Gateway antenna: 35 m above sea level
• Device antenna: 1 m above sea level

This gives us that, before the Earth’s curve hides the device, you have a theoretical clear range test results of about 24.7 km. This shows a super important rule in wireless setups: The higher your antenna, the farther your signal can travel!

Here’s the most important rule we share with customers: The higher the antenna, the farther it can transmit the data.

Important! In free space, radio waves follow the inverse-square law: if you double the distance between transmitter and receiver, the received signal power drops to one-quarter of its original value—meaning you lose 75% of the signal just by doubling the range.

2. Understanding Signal Loss

Even in perfect, open conditions, signals always get weaker over distance. This weakening is measured by the Free Space Path Loss (FSPL). For example, if you’re using 868 MHz and your signal travels 24.7 km, you’ll lose about 119 dB of signal strength. This 119 dB is the amount of signal “fuel” used just to cover that distance.

3. Compare to the Link Budget

For a typical LoRaWAN setup using a Spreading Factor (SF) of 12, the total link budget (the most signal loss the system can handle) is around 150 dB. By comparing the calculated FSPL to this link budget, we can see how much signal strength you have left over:

• Link budget: 150 dB
• FSPL: 119 dB
• Remaining margin: 31 dB

That remaining margin is your safety buffer. It’s a super important reserve that makes sure your communication stays strong even when things aren’t perfect in the real world. It’s the difference between a solid connection and a dropped signal!

4. Potential Range in Ideal Conditions

In a perfect, open environment, every extra 6 dB of signal you have can roughly double your communication range. With a big 31 dB to spare, your signal could potentially reach an amazing 70–75 km (about 43-47 miles) over calm, open water! And get this: sometimes, because of how radio waves bend in the atmosphere (called atmospheric refraction), signals can even go beyond what your eyes can see, making the effective range even longer in certain situations.

5. Designing with Margin in Mind

While all these calculations are great starting points, the real world is rarely perfect. Things like bad weather (rain, fog, humidity), unexpected interference, and changes in the environment can quickly eat into your signal strength. That’s why experienced network planners always suggest adding a fade margin of 10–20 dB to their designs. This extra bit of signal strength is like a deliberate reserve, making sure your connections stay steady and reliable even when unexpected problems pop up. It’s a crucial buffer against signals getting weaker.

Pro Tip: Never design your network to work right at the limit. Leaving a “spare tank” of 10–20 dB means your devices keep talking even when the weather turns bad or there’s extra interference.

Gateway LoRaWAN Range in Real-Life Conditions

Over many years of setting up LoRaWAN systems, we’ve carefully figured out and tested how far signals can go in all sorts of places. This table shows some common situations, giving you a practical idea of how far your gateway can reach in the real world:

Environment	Gateway Height	Device Height	Max Line-of-Sight	Notes
1. Sea – Ship to Buoy	35 m	1 m	~24.7 km	Matches our sea trials in calm conditions
2. Sea – Tall Ship to Tall Ship	15 m	15 m	~27.6 km	Works well in clear weather
3. Coastal Tower to Buoy	30 m	2 m	~24.6 km	Reliable for environmental monitoring
4. Open Fields – Tower to Ground Sensor	20 m	1 m	~20.3 km	Can be longer with high-gain antennas
5. Mountains – Cliff to Village	100 m	5 m	~43.7 km	Only works if terrain in between is clear
6. Cities – Rooftop to Street-Level Sensor	30 m	1.5 m	~22 km LoS	Real range often less due to buildings

How to Estimate Your Gateway’s Range

• Measure the gateway antenna height.
• Measure the device antenna height.
• Look up each height in a horizon distance table.
• Add the two distances for your maximum LoS in perfect conditions.

We keep a quick chart handy:

Antenna Height	Horizon Distance
1 m	3.57 km
5 m	7.98 km
20 m	15.98 km
50 m	15.98 km
100 m	35.7 km

Why Real Range is Often Shorter?

Even with perfect line-of-sight, real-world range is affected by:

• Weather – rain, fog, and high humidity can reduce signal strength.
• Obstacles – even small ones like trees can matter.
• Radio interference – other devices on the same frequency can block signals.
• Sea state – waves can temporarily block a low antenna.

That’s why we always recommend planning for less than the calculated maximum — and leaving a fade margin in your link budget.

Discover the lessons shaping the future of IoT – read the full article “From 30 Years of IoT Lessons to LoRaWAN®: The Technology That Delivers Scale, Low Cost, and Reliability“

Real-World Applications — Safer Seas with TEKTELIC ORCA

Line-of-sight and signal strength aren’t just numbers on paper — they directly impact safety, efficiency, and environmental protection.
A perfect example comes from the Adriatic Sea, where TEKTELIC’s ORCA Industrial Asset Trackers are helping keep maritime traffic safe.

In this busy part of the ocean, knowing the exact position of navigation buoys is super important. These buoys help guide ships safely, mark shipping lanes, and warn them about dangers. If a buoy moves out of place or gets damaged, it can put ships, their cargo, and even people’s lives at risk.

To solve this big problem, ORCA trackers were deployed on buoys across the region.
With a real-time, 24/7 monitoring platform, maritime authorities can:

• Pinpoint the exact outdoor positioning of every buoy.
• Detect movement or displacement instantly.
• Receive condition updates for proactive maintenance.

Why the ORCA is Ideal for This Deployment

The TEKTELIC ORCA is built for demanding, high-value asset tracking, making it perfect for offshore use:

• High-precision GPS tracking — reliable location data even in challenging environments.
• Rugged IP67 enclosure — fully protected against water, salt spray, and dust.
• Long battery life — multi-year operation without frequent servicing, reducing maintenance trips.
• Industrial-grade design — easy to mount on buoys, vessels, or other marine assets.
• LoRaWAN® connectivity — long-range, low-power communication ideal for remote maritime areas.
• Configurable reporting — adjust location update intervals for optimized battery and data usage.

This means:

• Optimized shipping routes — reducing fuel costs and travel times.
• Faster emergency response — acting immediately if a buoy is out of place.
• Enhanced safety for vessels and marine life — fewer accidents and environmental risks.

In open-water projects like this, truly understanding how far your gateway can reach isn’t just a bonus—it’s absolutely necessary. By putting gateways high enough and correctly figuring out their Line-of-Sight, you make sure every buoy tracker stays connected, even in bad weather or at the very edge of the coverage area.

Practical Deployment Tips From Proven IoT Experts

Getting good network coverage starts with good planning. Before installing a gateway or activating sensors, plan your setup carefully. Making small adjustments now can prevent big problems later. Here are some valuable tips we’ve learned from two decades of working in the field:

1. Increase antenna height for more range. Even a few extra metres can noticeably extend coverage.
2. Survey the environment before installation. Before you install anything, take a good look at the environment. Find out if there are any obstacles, hills, or sources of interference. A clear, straight path between your gateway and devices will always give you the best results.
3. Start with calculated line-of-sight, then verify in the field. Use your calculated Line-of-Sight (LoS) as a starting point, but always test it with real-world measurements. How signals travel can be affected by small environmental things that our math models don’t always catch. Adjust your setup based on what you find in your tests.
4. Adapt to the environment. A network setup that works perfectly out at sea might need big changes to work in a crowded city or a rugged mountain area. Always adjust your approach to fit the unique features of each place.

Whether your gateway is on a vessel, a farm structure, or a city rooftop, knowing its true coverage range is key to a reliable IoT network. By confirming line-of-sight and checking your link budget, you can avoid blind spots and keep critical data flowing without interruptions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the LoRaWAN (and LoRa) Line-of-Sight operating range?

The LoRaWAN line-of-sight operating range can vary depending on the environment and any obstructions present. In ideal conditions, LoRaWAN can reach up to several kilometers, sometimes even over 10 kilometers. However, factors like buildings, trees, and other obstacles can reduce this range significantly.

What is the real range of LoRa?

The real range of LoRa technology can be influenced by various factors such as the frequency used, transmit power, antenna gain, and environmental conditions. Generally, in urban environments, LoRa can reach a few kilometers, while in rural areas with fewer obstacles, the range can extend up to tens of kilometers.

What Characteristics of LoRaWAN Gateways Do You Need to know?

When considering LoRaWAN gateways, it’s essential to understand their coverage area, transmit power, sensitivity, and antenna options. The coverage area indicates how far the gateway can reach devices, while transmit power and sensitivity affect the signal strength and reception quality. Additionally, having the right antenna options can optimize the gateway’s performance for specific use cases and environments. So far the gateway can reach devices, while transmit power and sensitivity affect the signal strength and reception quality. Additionally, having the right antenna options can optimize the gateway’s performance for specific use cases and environments.