RangeAnt, a specialist in wideband antennas for embedded applications, announces the MAX family of compact, 700 MHz to 3000 MHz antennas. MAX antennas are designed primarily for cellular, IoT and GNSS applications. They feature a market-leading, free-space efficiency of between 80 and 90%, and a VSWR below 2:1 across the operating bands.
The high efficiency of the antennas delivers greater range for the available transmitter power, and improved receiver performance. Alternatively, where reducing energy consumption is a priority, such as in IoT applications, lower transmitter power can be used for a given link range. MAX antennas are suitable for use with Bluetooth, Zigbee, Sub-GHz, LPWAN (LoRa, Sigfox, Weightless), Wi-Fi, and cellular (2G, 3G, 4G/LTE and NB-IoT) wireless protocols, and GPS/GNSS reception.
They enable wireless module manufacturers and OEMs to build products for global markets while minimizing their design effort and inventory by only using one type of antenna. Full performance is achieved without the use of a separate ground plane, allowing unprecedented design freedom for mechanical and electrical engineers. The antenna can be integrated into a product without taking a ground plane into consideration and without compromising wireless reliability or signal quality.
RangeAnt MAX antennas feature a patent-pending, double-sided board design where the conductor patterns are different on each side of the board. The omnidirectional antennas function as a monopole up to 1,600 MHz and a dipole above this frequency. They are designed for a 50 Ohm match in free space but when packaged within a wireless module or system, maintaining optimum efficiency may sometimes require additional matching components.
The antenna board includes pads for installing surface mount matching components, if needed. RangeAnt offers guidance on suitable matching networks and matching services for specific applications.
Hans-Erik Backram, RangeAnt’s CEO, said, “Our research indicates that MAX antennas offer over 20% better performance compared with the nearest wideband antenna alternatives. This gives system designers greater flexibility in optimizing the trade-off between operating range, data rates, and power consumption for their wireless links. For the first time, they can optimize their designs while working with a single antenna, whatever the desired frequency band or wireless protocol.”
RangeAnt MAX antennas are now available from stock at Digi-Key Electronics.
