Link Budget Calculator
Calculate a radio link budget to determine whether a wireless link will close by summing gains and subtracting losses.
Received Power
-63.0 dBm
Received Power vs Transmit Power
How a Link Budget Works
A link budget adds up all gains and subtracts all losses between transmitter and receiver to find the received power.
Formula
P_rx = P_tx + G_tx + G_rx - L_path - L_misc
Link Margin = P_rx - Receiver Sensitivity
A positive link margin means the link will work. Engineers typically design for 10-20 dB of margin to account for fading and environmental variation.
Example Calculation
30 dBm transmitter, 15 dBi antennas on each end, 120 dB path loss, 3 dB misc losses, receiver sensitivity -90 dBm.
- 01Received power: 30 + 15 + 15 - 120 - 3 = -63 dBm
- 02Link margin: -63 - (-90) = 27 dB
- 03Link is viable with 27 dB margin
Frequently Asked Questions
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