I am using a Raspberry Pi 3B+ along with a Dragino PG1302 HAT module. The setup includes the Base OS and a Docker image for the network server. As a newcomer to LoRa, I connected the gateway’s antenna to the PCIE card as shown in this picture:
The gateway is being used with several devices: a Rak7201 4-button remote, a TTGO T3 module, and a Heltec LoRa module. Unfortunately, the range of the LoRa network is severely limited. I can barely achieve a range of 50 meters. When the device is located next to the gateway, the RSSI is -49 and the SNR is 14.5. However, when I move it to the next room, the RSSI drops to -77, and the SNR is 13.75. When I go outside and walk approximately 50 meters away, the devices are no longer able to connect.
In the base OS, I used the gateway-config utility and set the shield type to the Dragino module. Despite this, the range is far below my expectations. I believed that the module should easily provide a range of several hundred meters.
Is there something I am missing or any additional steps I should take to improve the range of my LoRa network?