Enter radio and antenna values
Use transmit power and antenna gains for the link direction and equipment class being tested.Set the receive threshold
Enter receiver sensitivity or another minimum receive-power threshold associated with the desired service quality.Reserve design margin
Include fade and implementation margin so the estimated edge is not planned exactly at the receive threshold.Describe propagation
Set reference loss at 1 meter and a path-loss exponent suited to the frequency and environment.Use radius as a screening estimate
Compare scenarios, but validate site layout with building materials, terrain, antenna patterns, and measurements before deployment.
Private 5G Coverage Radius Calculator
The Private 5G Coverage Radius Calculator estimates a nominal radio range from a configurable link budget and a log-distance path-loss model. It calculates the maximum path loss allowed by transmit power, antenna gains, receiver sensitivity, and fade margin, then converts that budget into distance using a reference path loss at one meter and an environmental path-loss exponent.
This approach is helpful for comparing indoor, campus, warehouse, yard, or industrial coverage assumptions before a detailed RF design is available. Private 5G environments can contain metal structures, machinery, walls, racks, elevation changes, moving equipment, and interference that make coverage highly irregular. Frequency, antenna pattern, uplink power, device form factor, and service-quality threshold also matter. Use the radius as a scenario-screening value and validate deployment geometry with appropriate propagation tools and on-site measurements.
Private 5G link-budget inputs
dBm
dBi
dBi
dBm
dB
dB
n
Result
—
estimated coverage radius
Maximum allowable path loss—
Radius in kilometers—
Idealized circular area—
Maximum path loss = Tx power + Tx antenna gain + Rx antenna gain − Rx sensitivity − Fade marginRadius (m) = 10^((Maximum path loss − Reference loss at 1 m) ÷ (10 × Path-loss exponent))Idealized area = π × Radius²
Where:
- Tx power — radio transmit power in dBm
- Antenna gains — transmit and receive gains in dBi
- Rx sensitivity — minimum modeled received power in dBm
- Fade margin — reserved budget in dB
- Reference loss — path loss at 1 meter in dB
- Path-loss exponent — dimensionless environmental propagation parameter
Assumptions: Coverage is represented as a circular area with a single-slope log-distance path-loss model. The model does not account for specific walls, racks, terrain, antenna azimuth, beamforming, interference, or handover overlap.
What the result means
The main result is the estimated radial distance at which the simplified link budget reaches the entered receive threshold after the design margin.
For private 5G, model both uplink and downlink if device transmit power or receive performance differs from the base-station side; the smaller radius can become the practical limit.
Given:
- Tx power: 30 dBm
- Tx gain: 6 dBi
- Rx gain: 0 dBi
- Receiver sensitivity: −98 dBm
- Fade margin: 18 dB
- Reference loss at 1 m: 42 dB
- Path-loss exponent: 3.2
Calculation:
Maximum path loss = 30 + 6 + 0 − (−98) − 18 = 116 dB
Radius = 10^((116 − 42) ÷ (10 × 3.2))
Radius = 10^2.3125 ≈ 205.4 m
Result: about 205.4 m radius
Interpretation: The simplified model suggests a nominal radius of roughly 0.205 km, corresponding to an idealized circular area of about 0.133 km² before real-site obstructions are considered.
Why can private 5G coverage be difficult to represent with one radius?
Industrial and campus sites contain obstacles and antenna geometries that create irregular coverage. A radius is useful for comparison, but detailed design should use site-specific propagation and measurements.
What receive threshold should I use?
Use a threshold tied to the service, device, and radio design you are evaluating. Receiver sensitivity alone may not represent the SINR or quality needed for a target throughput.
How does increasing fade margin affect the radius?
A larger margin reduces the path loss available for distance, so the estimated radius becomes smaller. That is the intended tradeoff for a more conservative design.
Why is the idealized area only a rough indicator?
The area assumes a perfect circle with uniform propagation. Real cells are shaped by obstacles, antenna patterns, frequency, terrain, and interference.
Should I model handhelds, cameras, and industrial modems separately?
Yes when their antenna gains, transmit powers, receiver performance, mounting positions, or service thresholds differ. The most restrictive device class can drive coverage requirements.