Tag: gain

5G 4G outdoor antennas for all-weather installations

Written by EAD Admin on 13th October 2023. Posted in News.

If you need 5G 4G outdoor antennas for deployments all year round, here are a few quality antennas to consider.

AllDisc 5G – a high gain, low profile dome antenna for permanent mounting. A best-in-class antenna offering 5G and 4G support for mounting on a flat surface (or with an option wall bracket). The AllDisc is fully weatherproof and robust offering superb gain figures across the bands, ideal for sites on the fringes of the network where a tough, discreet antenna is required such as security, CCTV and site applications.

MHO5GFR1 – a fully wideband 5G/4G antenna. This omni is a high-performance omnidirectional antenna series is designed to cover frequencies from 617 – 5925 MHz for broadband access applications. With its integral N Female and N Male connector options at the base, this antenna can be directly mounted on the radio equipment or pole mounted depending on which model you order. This antenna is great for access applications requiring a compact, but consistently performing outdoor omni.

BMLPV5000 – an extremely rugged 5G antenna for mobile applications such as utility vehicles, transportation as well as fixed deployments in harsh environments. This antenna is ground-plane dependent and should be used with either a magnetic or permanent mount terminated in a cable and connector of your choice. Durable to withstand impacts and all the weather can throw at it, this antenna is especially neat for telematics and ITS installations.

VerStack 5G – a high performance MIMO 5G +GNSS antenna ideal for private 5G networks and small cell applications. A design based on vertically stacked 5G and GNSS elements, its ruggedized materials provide maximum durability, and performance for mobile data and video communications.

These 5G 4G outdoor antennas offer unrivaled performance and build quality from world-leading antenna manufacturer PCTEL.

Please feel free to contact us to discuss how to integrate these antennas in your 5G outdoor deployment alongside low loss coaxial cables, surge protectors and mounting accessories.

WFS5 WiFi6 WiFi6E terminal mount antenna

Written by EAD Admin on 2nd October 2022. Posted in 2.4 & 5.8 GHz Antennas.

The WFS5 WiFi6 WiFi6E terminal mount antenna is a higher gain router/modem mount antenna for WiFi applications. Housed in a sleek sheath, the WFS5 antenna offers robust RF performance across the entire frequency range. With omni-directional gain across all bands, this antenna ensures consistent reception and transmission making it ideal for a variery of WiFi applications.

A higher performance model than our WFS3 antenna, the WFS5 offers 3 dBi gain on the lower bands and 4/5 dBi gain on the upper bands whilst only measuring 203.2mm in overall length. The antenna is groundplane independent and does not require mounting on a groundplane to radiate effectively.

The WFS5 WiFi6 WiFi6E is ideal for a range of wireless LAN applications where a terminal-mounted antenna is required.

For a more compact WiFi6 WiFi6E antenna model, check out our WFS3 antenna which offers consistent RF performance in a smaller form factor.

868 915 MHz High Gain Omni-directional antenna now shipping

Written by EAD Admin on 9th July 2020. Posted in News.

The WMO86916 868 915 MHz High Gain outdoor omni-directional antenna is now in stock and shipping. Offering 5.8 dBi gain at both 868 and 915 MHz frequencies, this antenna is compact and robust. Supplied with 5M white low loss cable as standard, the WMO86916 antenna is fitted with a L-bracke for wall-mounting.

Ideal for LoRa, Sigfox and LPWAN deployments, this antenna is suitable for terminals located in areas of weaker signal and on the fringes of the network.

For small volumes, European customers can purchase this antenna from the Connex webshop.

For smaller, more compact antennas, please check out the DMO8684 and the WCO-868-WMB.

LoRa LPWAN IoT Antennas four hot products

Written by EAD Admin on 18th February 2020. Posted in News.

LoRa LPWAN IoT Antennas are a hot topic right now and building out a reliable network based on 868 MHz or 915 MHz requires the deployment of quality antennas and accessories. Here we look at four robust antenna types to facilitate consistent and dependable installation.

High gain outdoor omni-directional antenna

On the edges of the network where signal strength cannot always be depended on, a quality outdoor antenna is often a go to solution. Common requirements for such antennna are be robust with the antenna and bracket built from quality components, offer high gain (5 dBi+) to provide a stable signal, be compact enough to be discreet and offer flexible mounting options. Combining these factors will deliver consistent performance whatever the climate conditions. A fine example of such an antenna is the WMO86916.

Wall-mount omni-directional antenna

Some external LoRA LPWAN IoT antennas are required because the antenna cannot, for one reason or another, be mounted directly onto the radio. For reasons of signal coverage, location of radio/terminal below ground or in a shielded area, willful damage or simply practicality, wall-mounted omni-directional antennas are often used. For most applications they need to be compact, discreet and cost-effective while offering robust RF performance. They also need to be easy to install in order to keep installation costs/time to minimum. Two excellent choices of such antennas are the Wall-Blade and the WCO-868-WMB. Both are very compact, easy to install and offer accomplished RF performance.

Low profile permanent mount puck antenna

Antennas are often required to mount directly onto a terminal or enclosure. Mostly permanently mounted by a threaded boss through which the cable is fed, they offer a secure and effective way to facilitate 868 MHz and 915 MHz communications. Such antennas need to be very compact with a durable radome, be of a material to withstand inclement weather, possess a durable mounting stud and offer reliable RF performance. Many of the small pucks, smaller means that they less likely to draw attention to themselves, are groundplane dependent i.e. they have to be mounted onto a metal surface. One such antenna is the Button 868 915 MHz antenna. This antenna is compact as it gets without compromising on RF performance.

Terminal/Radio-mounted dipole antenna

In cases where the antenna does not need to be mounted away from the radio or terminal, a dipole antenna can offer reliable RF performance when directly connected via a coaxial connector. This type of antenna is not the smallest, you can find small 1/4 wave antennas that are much more discreet, but they typically offer robust RF capabilities. Especially where no groundplane is available, for example if the terminal has a non-metal enclosure, the dipole style antenna can offer RF advantages over rival terminal antennas. In addition, do verify the build quality of such antenna so that you can be assured that it is built to last as inferior antennas can be very easily damaged thereby demanding costly engineer revisits. A good example of a quality dipole antenna is the BKR915 and the BKR868.

Aside from the antennas, it is wise to make sure that if you are running coaxial extension cables you use quality cables to minimise cable losses. At 868 MHz and 915 MHz for cable runs up to 10M, you could typically use RF195 type cable. From 10-20M it would be worth considering RF240. And for longer RF400 cable installations. Using inferior coaxial cable will negate the benefits of use quality antennas as signal losses across the inferior cables will be experienced.

Some of the antennas mentioned can be purchased via the Connex webshop.

SMP MIMO 4G LTE Directional Panel Antenna

Written by EAD Admin on 23rd August 2019. Posted in 5G/4G/Cellular Antennas.

The SMP 4G MIMO antenna is a dual element 4G LTE directional panel antenna. It is designed for wall or pole mount and continuous outdoor use. Offering a gain of 5 dBi on the low band and 8 dBi on the higher bands, the SMP enables MIMO connectivity in areas of weaker network signal.

The SMP MIMO antenna can be supplied with either 2 x 30cm cables and bundled with extension cables or it can be supplied with two 5M white low loss cables as standard. With the supplied brackets, the SMP 4G MIMO antenna can be quickly and easily wall or pole mounted.

The 2 x 5M low loss cable version can be purchased via the Connex website here.

AllDisc high performance 5G/LTE dome antenna

Written by EAD Admin on 23rd August 2019. Posted in 5G/4G/Cellular Antennas.

The AllDisc high performance 5G/LTE dome antenna from Smarteq is designed for discreet deployments where antenna performance must not be compromised. Covering LTE bands from 698 MHz to 2690 and the 3400-3800 MHz 5G bands, the AllDisc antenna offers unrivalled peak gain when mounted onto a groundplane and exceptional performance when mounted onto a non-conducting surface. On a groundplane in the lower bands, peak gain is 4.5 dBi and is also 4.5 dBi- 5 dBi in the 1710-2170 MHz bands. At 2500 MHz to 2690 MHz, the peak gain is 3.5 dBi. At 3400-3800 MHz the peak gain is 7 dBi.

Available as permanent-mounted antenna with a threaded boss and locking nut underneath, the AllDisc as standard has a 2.5M cable and SMA-Male connector (part number 710266). When mounted correctly, the antenna is IP class IP6K9K and designed for continuous outdoor use.

This antenna is ideal for kiosks, wireless security and CCTV systems as well as vehicle applications where an antenna with best in class performance is required.

For more information and quotations, please contact us. For a smaller 4G antenna, check out the SmartDisc.

868 MHz LoRa antennas – a selection guide

Written by EAD Admin on 20th September 2018. Posted in News.

868 MHz LoRa antennas are becoming a hot topic in our markets. Using the licence-free ISM frequency bands, LoRa is a long range, but low power wireless technology that is increasingly being used for IoT technology. By wirelessly enabling devices and terminals to operate using LoRa technology, applications can be developed for control and monitoring without the need to use mobile cellular networks such as GSM, 3G or LTE. All of the LoRA enabled nodes will need an antenna of some description and here we look at some options to help enable your 868 MHz IoT environment.

There are many choices of 868 MHz LoRa antennas, but we’ll focus on internal, terminal mount and outdoor omni antennas to cover requirements for remote devices and hub/concentrator applications.

In areas of low signal or for concentrator applications where a higher gain antenna is required, an outdoor omni antenna is often a good choice. Especially if you can select an antenna with good gain figures, the nature of an omni-directional antenna in radiating in a 360 degree pattern allows communication with other devices and hubs in every direction. These outdoor antennas can be wall or pole mounted and can be supplied with various levels of gain depending on the antenna size – see the DMO8684 for a 4.3 dBi gain in a compact package or the WMO86916 for a 5.8 dBi gain version which is a bit larger.

For external mount antennas where the following terminal antennas cannot be deployed, sometime a compact wall-mount antenna offers a useful alternative. Perhaps the radio is housed in a metal enclosure or a cabinet and a terminal antenna will not fit directly onto it. An antenna like the Wall-Blade which has a small footprint might well solve the problem.

For terminal mount antennas i.e. antennas that mount directly onto the device or terminal, typically you can go with a small stub antenna like the WS868 and the MW868 or a dipole style antenna similar to the BKR868 or HWD868. The stub antennas are smaller, however usually offer lower performance than the longer whip or dipole antennas. The selection of the terminal antenna depends on the environment in terms of space available and the desired performance. Captive mount terminal antennas are also possible where the antenna is locked in placed with a nut so it cannot be removed and the antenna is connected via an integrated coaxial cable and connector – for an example see the W868-FLY.

For internal mount antennas, a simple solution is a groundplane independent PCB such as the IoTa or Morava antenna. These antenna mount inside a non-metal enclosure or terminal housing with a minimum of 15mm clearance from any metal components or surfaces and can provide a discreet way of enabling 868 MHz communications without the need for external antennas.

Hopefully the above information has given you some food for thought about possible LoRa antenna solutions and offered some suggestions on how to enable antenna solutions with your application. For customers not using 868 MHz, for example in the USA or New Zealand, many of the above antennas can be re-tuned for 915 MHz if required or have 915 MHz options.

For customers in Europe, the some of these antennas including the WMO86916, DMO8684 and IoTA can be purchased via the Connex webshop. For other questions, requests and quotes for 868 MHz LoRa antennas, please feel free to contact us.

DMO8684 – 868 MHz dual mount omni antenna

Written by EAD Admin on 21st May 2018. Posted in 169 / 433 / 868 / 915 Antennas.

The DMO8684 (DMO – Dual Mount Omni) has been designed for continuous outside use and can be either pole or wall-mount using the same innovative bracket. Ideal for remote sites using ISM band frequencies including IoT networks using LoRa and Sigfox, this new 868 MHz dual mount omni antenna is a flexible solution enabling fast and clean installations.

With 4.3 dBi peak gain, the DMO8684 offers exceptional performance in a fibreglass sheath that measures approximately 500mm in length. Terminated in a N-Female connector, this outdoor 868 MHz omni antenna can be used with a variety of jumper cable types to tailor cable lengths and connectors to each individual application. It can be used with cables such as BWL195, RF240 and RF400.

The zinc plated mounting bracket supplied with the DMO8684 antenna allows for mast/pole mount and can be reversed and used for wall-mounting

An alternative 868 MHz 5 dBi Omni with 5M cable is also available – WMO8685.