I am testing the lora serial kit against a similar system to determine which one i want to use in my final product. Both systems have warnings to keep the radios several feet apart. Is this warning only for the pair of radios talking to each other or should this distance be maintained for all similar systems? In other words, are their potential issues with two separate systems being in close proximity?
The warning to keep LoRa radios several feet apart typically applies to the pair of radios communicating with each other. This distance is advised to prevent interference between the two radios.
It’s just good radio implementation practice to keep transmitters and receivers, of all kinds, separate from each other, to the extent you can.
The reason is that a receiver can get overwhelmed with undesired signals and a nearby transmitter is one of the primary ways this sort of noise is introduced. All else equal, radiated power rolls off quickly with distance so maintaining a few feet of separation can make a big difference. By analogy, we instinctively turn our heads away and block the opposite ear when trying to take a telephone call in a noisy environment. These don’t increase the audio from the phone or change the characteristics of the ear pressed to the speaker but does make it all work better.
Research RF overload and desense.
The separation also prevents the antennas from touching which can potentially cause some damage.