Enhancing IoT Applications with Versatile, Compact Antennas

Choosing the right antenna can be crucial to the success of an Internet of Things (IoT) wireless application. Selecting an antenna that provides high performance and the flexibility to support different networks can enhance the commercial appeal of electronic applications.

Product designers may view antennas as a passive component, but as they incorporate new features to exploit IoT ecosystems, they are increasingly integral to the success of electronic applications. Particularly with Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications, antennas that support multiple wireless networks can provide critical redundancy, resilience, and coverage optimization.

In addition to supporting Wi-Fi applications, there is a growing need to incorporate cellular antennas that provide the critical features needed to ensure IoT success. Spectral efficiency is essential for countering the interference created by the growth of wireless traffic. Power efficiency to prolong battery life is another key requirement. Many IoT applications must operate in harsh environments, such as outdoor charging stations, where robust antennas are needed to withstand severe weather conditions or vandalism.

Highly efficient antennas are needed to ensure signal performance is not significantly affected by physical construction materials such as concrete or metal. Clean, free-of-interference transmission is increasingly critical to avoid interference and signal noise as wireless services compete for access. Growing demand for industrial 5G applications will spur designers to incorporate micro cells and small cells to overcome the inability of 5G to penetrate windows and walls.

Different networks excel in specific areas, so product designers utilizing more efficient antennas can achieve broader coverage, whether indoors or outdoors, to meet the needs of customers. Just as important, product designers can future-proof their applications with the adaptability that multi-network support offers.

Multi-network support can enable vendors and customers to standardize on one type of antenna to deliver connectivity in disparate environments, rather than managing the complexity of multi-antenna inventory. It also allows for combining different types of connectivity to balance network loads and distribute data traffic across multiple pathways to prevent congestion and optimize performance by selecting the best network option for a given task. Customers can opt for the most cost-effective network based on data requirements, avoiding cellular data when Wi-Fi is sufficient.

Meeting the needs of challenging environments

Wireless connectivity is often mission-critical in a broad range of environments that present numerous challenges to product designers.

Smart factories, for example, require reliable communication between factory equipment, sensors, and central management systems, often in harsh industrial environments. In large warehouses, where Wi-Fi and cellular networks coexist, multi-network antennas can ensure seamless connectivity for inventory tracking and logistics management.

High-performance antennas make it possible to deploy sensors in remote locations to harvest data from weather stations, air quality monitors, and to track assets or implement smart building applications. In agriculture, they can provide critical information on soil moisture, crop health, and operation of irrigation systems.

Other emerging applications include electric vehicle charging stations that need to communicate with backend systems no matter the weather; digital signage that provides real-time displays and announcements; secure storage solutions that require real-time monitoring and access control; and mobile ticketing and passenger information systems.

Each IoT application has unique demands and product designers must adapt to specific use cases, along with environment and communication requirements. IoT devices operate across various frequency bands that can impact performance; also, the limited space for devices can make it challenging to integrate antennas without compromising other components.

Some of the factors to consider in choosing the right antenna for an IoT application include performance, size, cost, and compatibility. These could easily lead designers to integrate different antennas to meet the needs of their customers, creating complex support and supply chain issues.

Multiple network protocols

Low power, wide area network (LPWAN) protocols such as narrow band IoT (NB-IoT) support low data rates, and require low power consumption, high gain, and high efficiency to maintain stable connectivity over long distances. Applications typically require omnidirectional antennas providing a wide radiation pattern spanning large areas.

Short-range Wi-Fi protocols, conversely, support high data rates but require low gain and high efficiency to save power and avoid interference with other devices. Antennas should provide a narrow radiation pattern to focus the signal.

The cellular IoT protocol LTE CAT-1 offers moderate data rates and moderate-range cellular connectivity for IoT applications. Bandwidth reception ranges from 1.4 MHz to 20 MHz, and the protocol supports peak downlink rates up to 10 Mbit/s and peak uplink rates to 5 Mbit/s. Applications can take advantage of full duplex and low power demand.

LTE CAT-M1 strives for a balance between the data rate and power efficiency. They require very low power demand with antennas supporting 1.4 MHz bandwidth and peak downlink and uplink rates of 1 Mbit/s. Applications can take advantage of full or half duplex capability.

The CAT-4 LTE protocol enables significantly higher data rates and lower latency for more demanding IoT applications, including real-time applications. The protocol provides full duplex with downlink rates up to 150 Mbit/s and uplink to 50 Mbit/s.

Versatile antennas

TE Connectivity (TE) offers the VersAnte family of multi-port IoT antennas in a compact form factor that can deliver combinations of 4G/5G cellular, Wi-Fi, and Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) coverage. With the ability to integrate different communication protocols into a single antenna, engineers can simplify their designs.

Unlike some antennas that require a specific ground plane for optimal performance, these antennas are ground plane independent, and can be mounted on either metallic or non-metallic surfaces, allowing designers to place them in locations that optimize signal reception. The radomes are paintable using commonly available, non-metallic spray paints.

TE's VersAnte antennas provide 360° omnidirectional coverage, reducing the need for retransmissions due to weak signals that can result in power drain. They balance gain with power consumption, optimizing overall performance.

These compact antennas are suitable for space-constrained applications where they can fit seamlessly into tight spaces, such as small IoT endpoints, digital displays, and EV charging stations. The antennas are ruggedized to provide reliable performance in challenging conditions, making them less prone to damage from vandalism or environmental factors.

The VersAnte L000321-01 (Figure 1) is a 3-port, low-profile, puck-shaped antenna. It provides 4G/5G cellular, Wi-Fi, and GNSS coverage to meet the needs of a range of applications, from IoT endpoints to smart terminals to digital signage. With a height of 1.024 in. (26.00 mm) and a diameter of 3.55 in. (90.2 mm), it provides high performance in a very small footprint.

Figure 1: The VersAnte cellular puck L000321-01 antenna. (Image source: TE Connectivity)

TE also offers the 2-port L000322-01 and 3-port L000322-02 dome antennas (Figure 2), each with two 4G/5G cellular ports and an optional GNSS port. Each variant measures 5.90 x 1.77 x 1.97 in. (150 x 1.77 x 1.97 mm).

Figure 2: The form factor of the VersAnte L000322-01 and L000322-02 antennas. (Image source: TE Connectivity)

Conclusion

The growing demand for new wireless applications provides opportunities for designers who can integrate multiple communications technologies into their products. The VersAnte antennas from TE Connectivity are versatile and rugged, and support multiple wireless technologies in a compact and low-profile design. Their ability to operate on both metallic and non-metallic surfaces, combined with an IP67 and IP69K rating, makes them highly suited to a broad range of IoT applications in both indoor and outdoor environments that require reliable and high-performance connectivity.