To increase/decrease the communication range of sensors in a wireless sensor network simulation using NetSim, you can vary the following parameters:

Transmission power (in dBm) of the wireless nodes.

Receiver sensitivity (in dBm) of the wireless nodes.

Carrier frequency (in GHz) of the wireless nodes.

Modulation and coding scheme used for wireless transmission.

The default range in NetSim is calculated based on the transmission power, receiver sensitivity, carrier frequency, and the environment parameters like propagation model and attenuation factors. The exact formula used to calculate the default range depends on the specific wireless technology being simulated.

To modify the GUI grid size (environment) in proportion to the communication range, you need to adjust the parameters of the propagation model used in the simulation. Specifically, you can modify the path loss exponent, shadowing, and fading parameters to match the desired communication range. A higher path loss exponent will result in a faster decay of signal strength with distance, while a lower exponent will result in a slower decay and longer communication range. Shadowing and fading parameters can also affect the communication range by introducing random variations in the received signal strength.

The simplest option is to use the "range based" pathloss here.

In this mode, the propagation loss depends only on the distance (range) between the transmitter and receiver. There is a single Range attribute that determines the path loss. This is not a real-world loss model but a theoretical model useful for experimentation.

Receivers at or within Range meters see a 0 dB path loss. Hence received power equals transmit power. Receivers beyond Range see a 1000 dB path loss. Hence received power will be close to -1000 dBm i.e., zero in linear units.

This can be configured by right-clicking on the ad-hoc link going to properties and setting the path loss model to range based

See https://tetcos.com/help/v13.3/Technology-Libraries/Propagation-Models.html#range_based to understand the working of this model.

Range = Transmission Power - Receiver Sensitivity

To modify the GUI grid size in proportion to the communication range, you can use the "Environment Settings" option in NetSim.

The following document has detailed calculations on the communication range and the carrier sense range of wireless sensors https://www.tetcos.com/pdf/Performance-analysis-of-802-15-4-based-WSNs-with-NetSim.pdf

Hello,

You can look through the comprehensive documentation provided by NetSim support. It explains the different nuances involved in obtaining the radio communication range or transmission range.

Here is the link:

https://support.tetcos.com/support/solutions/articles/14000081149-configuring-the-radio-communication-range-of-wireless-nodes-and-sensors-in-netsim

Thanks,

Anthony

Here is a video that explains how to configure the radio communication range of devices in NetSim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Bt760_wy1w