Device Placement and Range: Optimise Allo Coverage

Practical guidance on where to place Allo devices and repeaters for maximum coverage, including range expectations and interference avoidance tips.

Getting the most from the Allo radio mesh starts with good placement. Radio signals travel well in open space but lose strength quickly when they pass through walls, floors, and dense materials. Understanding how the environment affects range helps you position client devices and repeaters so your team stays connected throughout a deployment.

How Radio Range Works

Allo devices communicate over a radio frequency that performs well over moderate distances in open terrain. As a general guide:

• Outdoors, open terrain: client devices can communicate directly over several hundred metres, and a well-placed repeater can extend that to a kilometre or more.
• Indoors or in urban areas: range is significantly shorter due to walls, floors, and interference. Expect tens to a few hundred metres depending on building construction.
• Mixed environments: a repeater placed at a high point indoors or on a rooftop can bridge the gap between indoor and outdoor teams.

These figures are indicative. Actual range depends on the specific environment, antenna position, device height, and local interference sources.

What Affects Range

Many factors influence how far a signal travels. The most significant ones are:

• Height — a device placed higher reaches more devices on the ground around it
• Walls and floors — concrete, brick, metal, and insulated glass all reduce signal
• Buildings and urban density — more structures between devices means more signal loss
• Trees and wet vegetation — especially in wet weather, these absorb radio energy
• Antenna position and orientation — a misaligned or obstructed antenna degrades range noticeably
• Interference sources — nearby electrical equipment, generators, and dense cabling can reduce effective range
• Indoor vs outdoor use — outdoor deployments generally have greater range

Quick Placement Tips

Go as high as possible

Elevation is the single biggest improvement you can make. A device on an upper floor, windowsill, or rooftop reaches far more of the surrounding area than one on a desk at ground level.

Keep the antenna free

Ensure the antenna is pointing upward and is not pressed against a wall, tucked inside a bag, or blocked by metal objects. Even a few centimetres of clearance helps.

Use windows and external walls

Place fixed devices near windows or on the outward-facing side of a building. Signals pass through glass far better than through concrete or brick.

Avoid electrical interference

Keep devices away from large electrical panels, generators, UPS units, and server racks. These emit electromagnetic noise that competes with the radio signal.

Indoor Placement

Indoors, the building structure is the main challenge. Follow these guidelines to get the best signal inside a building:

Good locations:

• Windowsill or near a window on an external wall
• Counter or table on an upper floor
• Corridor along the outside perimeter of the building
• Stairwell landing (for vertical coverage between floors)

Locations to avoid:

• Basements and underground spaces
• Server rooms and electrical cupboards
• Lift shafts and lift lobbies
• Metal cabinets or enclosures
• Rooms dominated by concrete pillars, thick walls, or steel structures
• Directly next to routers, power supplies, or heavy machinery

If you need coverage across multiple floors or a large building footprint, consider deploying a repeater in a central elevated position — such as a top-floor corridor or rooftop access point.

Outdoor Placement

Outdoors, devices generally have much greater range than indoors. Keep these points in mind:

• Position client devices upright with the antenna clear of your body when possible.
• If you are working in a vehicle, place the device near a window rather than under a metal dashboard.
• For long-range links, a repeater mounted at height — on a roof, mast, or elevated platform — can provide line-of-sight coverage over large open areas.
• Protect devices from direct exposure to rain and harsh weather conditions.

Do not leave Allo devices in direct sunlight for extended periods during hot weather. Operating temperature is −10 °C to +40 °C. Avoid placing devices in hot vehicles or on surfaces that get very hot in summer.

Using Repeaters to Bridge Gaps

When two teams or locations are too far apart for direct device-to-device communication, place a repeater at a midpoint — ideally elevated — between them. The repeater receives messages from one side and re-transmits them to the other, effectively doubling the area covered.

For complex deployments, you can chain multiple repeaters to cover a larger area or route around obstacles. Work with your administrator to plan repeater positions before the exercise or deployment begins.

Repeater placement checklist:

• Position at the highest available point in the target area
• Ensure line of sight to the devices or areas it needs to serve
• Connect to a stable power source (mains, power bank, or solar)
• Confirm the mesh indicator shows activity after power-on
• Avoid metal enclosures and heavy electrical equipment nearby

See The Allo Repeater for more on how repeaters work and how to read their status indicators.

Handling and Protection Outdoors

Until a final environmental rating is confirmed by Allo, treat Allo devices as ruggedised electronics that can handle normal field use but should be protected from sustained rain, submersion, mud, and extreme temperatures. The table below summarises the current provisional ratings.

Property	Specification (provisional)
Water resistance	IP40
Dust resistance	IP40
Drop resistance	~1 metre
Operating temperature	−10 °C to +40 °C
Storage temperature	−20 °C to +50 °C

A protective carry case or dry bag is recommended for outdoor deployments.

Troubleshooting Poor Range

If you are experiencing weaker-than-expected range, work through these checks:

1. Check antenna attachment — ensure the antenna is hand-tight on the SMA connector.
2. Improve height and position — move the device to a window, upper floor, or outdoors.
3. Remove obstructions — step away from large metal objects, electrical panels, and dense walls.
4. Check for interference — move the device away from generators, UPS units, or other radio equipment.
5. Add a repeater — if direct range is genuinely insufficient, a repeater is the right solution.

See Poor Range in the Troubleshooting section for a full diagnostic guide.