I'm trying to decide between different wireless transceivers, where my main requirement is furthest range for a given frequency band.
Is there a way to relate the frequency, data rate, power output, current received/transmitted, etc into a decent estimate for the range these transceivers can work at? I'm new to RF electronics clearly.
For reference, I'm looking at parts like the following:
http://www.digikey.ca/product-search/en/rf-if-and-rfid/rf-transceivers/3539948?k=cc1101
Best Answer
You need to develop a Link Budget for your application. You know how much power the transmitter puts out, and you know how much power the receiver requires. You need to account for all of the losses and gains in between those two points.
Most of the items are readily quantified, except for the free-space path loss, which is highly dependent on the distance, the frequency band and the operating environment (rural/urban, indoor/outdoor, multipath, etc.). There are many different ways to estimate path losses, but they all are very rough approximations. In the end, you have to build it and try it.