How to find the right Industrial Electrical Antennas AI guide
Written by an AI model from its trained knowledge.
What the AI looks for in Industrial Electrical Antennas
- Frequency band match
- The antenna must be specified for your exact band. Examples are 868 MHz vs 915 MHz LoRa/ISM, 2.4 vs 5 GHz Wi-Fi, specific LTE bands, and GNSS L1. An antenna tuned for the wrong band has high mismatch loss and can cut range severely.
- Connector and gender
- Confirm SMA vs RP-SMA, N-type, U.FL/IPEX, and male vs female before ordering. SMA and RP-SMA look nearly identical but do not mate electrically, which is the most common ordering mistake.
- Gain vs. radiation pattern
- Higher dBi narrows the beam. Use omni for scattered nodes and directional antennas for fixed point-to-point links. A high-gain antenna aimed poorly can perform worse than a modest omni.
- Ground plane requirement
- Check whether the antenna needs a ground plane, such as many quarter-wave whips and patch antennas, or is ground-plane independent, such as dipoles. Ground-plane-dependent antennas detune badly when mounted on plastic or small enclosures.
- Cable loss and environment
- Keep coax runs short or use low-loss cable. For outdoor use, require a stated IP rating and UV-resistant radome. Thin coax can lose more signal at GHz frequencies than the antenna gains, and outdoor antennas fail from water ingress.
- Impedance
- Use 50 ohm for radio and cellular equipment. Mismatched impedance reflects power and degrades range.
Brands that matter
- Taoglas: Wide range of embedded, cellular, GNSS and IoT antennas with good datasheets.
- Laird Connectivity: Established industrial and IoT antenna maker.
- Pulse Electronics: Embedded and external antennas for cellular and ISM bands.
- TE Connectivity: Includes the Linx antenna line popular for ISM and LoRa.
- Molex: Flexible and embedded antennas for compact devices.
- Poynting: Rugged outdoor cellular and multi-band antennas.
- Siretta: Industrial cellular, Wi-Fi and LoRa antennas with clear band specs.
What to avoid
- Tiny whips advertising implausibly high dBi gain
- Antennas with no frequency band or VSWR specification
- Buying RP-SMA when your device has SMA, or the reverse
- Long runs of thin coax at GHz frequencies
Questions
What is the difference between SMA and RP-SMA?
RP-SMA reverses the center pin gender relative to SMA. The threads match but the pins do not connect, so check your device's jack before ordering.