Our Antenna Filters

A Guide to Our Antenna Specifications

Location

This property describes where the antenna is placed in relation to the device's main body.

  • External: An antenna located on the outside of the device's housing. These are often larger and can provide better signal reception.

  • Internal: An antenna that is contained inside the device's housing, such as in a mobile phone. This provides a cleaner look and protects the antenna from damage.

Mobile Standards

This refers to the generations of cellular network technology that the antenna is compatible with.

  • 5G: The 5th generation, offering the fastest data speeds and lowest delay (latency). It is the newest standard for mobile communication.

  • 4G/LTE: The 4th generation (Long-Term Evolution). It provides fast mobile internet and is still the most common standard in many parts of the world.

  • 3G/2G: Older generations. 3G was the first to allow for decent mobile internet access, while 2G was mainly for voice calls and simple text messages. These are being phased out but are sometimes still used for simple IoT devices.

Satellite Navigation

This specifies if the antenna can receive signals from satellite systems for location tracking.

  • GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System): This is a general term for all satellite navigation systems. An antenna for GNSS can typically use signals from multiple systems like GPS (American), GLONASS (Russian), Galileo (European), and BeiDou (Chinese) for more accurate positioning.

Type

This describes whether a single antenna unit is designed for one or multiple purposes.

  • Combination: A single antenna unit that combines capabilities for multiple technologies, such as 4G, Wi-Fi, and GNSS all in one housing. This saves space and simplifies installation.

  • Single: An antenna designed to work for only one specific technology or frequency band, for example, an antenna just for Wi-Fi.

Technologies

This describes the underlying technical design or operational principle of the antenna.

  • Dipole: A basic and common antenna design that consists of two straight conductive elements, like a "T" shape.

  • MIMO (Multiple-Input, Multiple-Output): This is not a single antenna but a system that uses multiple antennas together to send and receive more data at once. This significantly increases speed and reliability.

  • Monopole: A simple antenna consisting of a single rod-like conductor over a ground surface. A classic car radio antenna is a good example.

  • Multi-Technology: Similar to a "Combination" antenna, this term indicates the antenna is engineered to work across several different wireless technologies.

LPWAN & IoT

This category covers a range of Low-Power Wide-Area Network (LPWAN) technologies used for the "Internet of Things" (IoT). These are designed for devices that send small amounts of data over long distances using very little battery.

  • Cat-Mx, Cat-NBx, Cat-X: These are specific types of 4G/LTE technology (like LTE-M and NB-IoT) that have been optimized for IoT devices.

  • ISM (Industrial, Scientific, and Medical): Specific radio frequency bands that are free to use without a license. Many technologies like LoRa, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth operate in these bands.

  • LoRa: A very popular long-range, low-power wireless technology, great for IoT applications like smart agriculture or city monitoring.

  • LPWA (Low-Power Wide-Area): The general name for the class of technologies designed for long-range, low-battery-use IoT communication.

  • NB-IoT (Narrowband-IoT): A cellular standard designed to connect devices that need to send only small bits of data, like smart utility meters.

  • RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification): A technology that uses radio waves to read information stored on a tag from a distance, used in logistics, retail, and access control.

  • SigFox: Another major LPWAN technology that offers a simple network for connecting low-power IoT devices.

Short-Range Wireless

This covers technologies designed for communication over short distances, like within a single room or building.

  • Bluetooth: Used for connecting devices over short distances, such as wireless headphones, keyboards, or speakers to a phone or computer.

  • ISM: The unlicensed radio bands where many short-range technologies operate, especially the 2.4 GHz band.

  • Wi-Fi: Used for creating a wireless local network to provide high-speed internet access in homes, offices, and public spaces.

  • ZigBee: A low-power technology used mainly in smart home devices like smart lights, thermostats, and sensors to allow them to communicate with each other.

Mounting

This describes how the antenna is physically attached to a surface or device.

  • Adhesive Mount: The antenna is attached using a sticky pad or tape. It's easy to install on surfaces like glass or plastic.

  • Connector Mount: The antenna screws directly onto a matching connector on the device, with no cable in between.

  • Magnetic Mount: The base of the antenna contains a strong magnet, allowing it to be quickly attached to any flat metal surface, like the roof of a car.

  • Screw Mount: A permanent and very secure mount where the antenna is installed by drilling a hole and fastening it with a nut and bolt.

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