Estimate the equivalent radius covered by a group of redundant network sites. The model begins with the nominal circular area of one site, reduces it for overlap and terrain efficiency, and combines the effective area of all sites into one equivalent circle. It is a planning comparison—not a radio-propagation or geographic information system—and is most useful for testing site-count and overlap assumptions.
The equivalent radius is the radius of a single circle with the same estimated effective area. It does not mean the actual network boundary is circular or that every point has redundant signal.
Overlap is treated as an average area deduction, not a geometric union of mapped cells. For deployment decisions, verify coverage with propagation maps, terrain data, and field measurements.
Three sites with a 10 km nominal radius, 25% average overlap, and 80% efficiency produce about 565.49 km² of effective area. That equals a single-circle radius of 13.42 km.
No. It converts total effective area into an easy-to-compare circle and does not describe the actual outer boundary.
Area already served by another site does not add new geographic footprint, although it may improve redundancy.
No. Point-level redundancy requires mapped signal footprints and failure analysis.
It discounts ideal circular coverage for obstacles, irregular placement, terrain, and other area losses.
This simplified model assumes they do. For unequal sites, calculate their areas separately in a mapping or engineering model.
| Variable | Meaning | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| r | Nominal site radius | km |
| N | Number of sites | count |
| o | Average duplicate overlap | % |
| e | Terrain/layout efficiency | % |