While developers and engineers devote significant attention to selecting modules with the correct form factor, power consumption, connectivity performance, and cost for their use cases, antenna selection is often overlooked and left to the end of the development process. This can cause significant issues as even well-chosen modules suffer performance degradation because of sub-optimal antenna selection. Ideally, the antenna should be considered in conjunction with the module to ensure smooth integration, eliminate unstable connectivity, and avoid reduced range in the final product.

Addressing these issues later in the development process can cause delay as more complex engineering is needed to overcome challenges. In addition, certification can fail with incorrect antennas and costs can rise as redesign work is required. Antenna selection is integral to the overall performance of the device and lack of consideration can lead to limited performance even if all other components and design factors have been optimized. Developers should therefore give in-depth consideration to their antenna selection, making early decisions on fundamentals.

The foundational decisions include the requirements of the application – how much data needs to be transmitted, how sensitive is the application to latency, and where and how will the product be used. Next come the basic criteria – how much space is available in the device, will the antenna be embedded or external, how robust does the antenna need to be, what power constraints exist, and what regulations need to be complied with.

Detailed decision-making

In addition to these broad topics, antenna specifics also need to be considered in detail. RF interface options such as integrated antennas, micro-coax connectors, and RF pins need to be considered, with the implications on real world performance of each understood. Don’t forget that antenna selection decisions here fundamentally impact not only device performance but also the device’s compliance with operator and regulator requirements.

A recent Quectel Masterclass titled ‘How to choose the right antenna for your wireless module’ provides an indispensable guide to making the right antenna decisions. The Masterclass, which can be viewed here, focuses on helping engineers designing connected products to make informed decisions early on in the process. It explains practical integration topics such as ground plane requirements, enclosure effects, placement, and tuning and assesses the impact of enclosure materials, ground planes, cable routing, and antenna placement on overall performance.

Presented by Brandon Oakes, the Director of Sales for Short Range and GNSS, North America, at Quectel, and Victor Pinazo, the Senior Sales Manager for EMEA, at Quectel, the Masterclass covers how issues including output power, antenna gain, cable losses, and antenna placement can have impacts on overall device performance. It also details ways to mitigate these with the right antenna selection, making the optimal trade-offs, and navigating form factor constraints.

For developers and engineers looking to gain a greater understanding of antenna testing and validation for IoT use cases, another Quectel Masterclass, ‘How to master IoT antenna testing and validation’, provides detail on how best to achieve regulatory compliance with certifications standards. The Masterclass shares how standards, such as CE, FCC, and PTCRB can be addressed and warns against putting off validation until late in the process. Key antenna testing and validation methods are detailed across multiple wireless technologies.

This Masterclass, presented again by Victor Pinazo, alongside Dusan Ristic, a Field Application Engineer, presents insights into GNSS, NTN, and Wi-Fi antenna validation alongside cellular antenna validation and active testing information. The Masterclass also introduces Quectel’s comprehensive suite of antenna services.

By paying close attention to antenna selection early in the design process, engineers can avoid layout mistakes, balance wireless performance with mechanical and regulatory performance, and comply with regulations. The result of proper, early attention followed by precise selection of optimal antennas is reduced risk, faster time to market, and improved RF performance. Can you afford not to make antenna selection a priority for your next device?