Antennas are a key part of the RF chip. They are particularly important when choosing the best antenna for LoRa devices (such as LoRa nodes and LoRaWAN gateways) that transmit and receive data in the RF band.
The antenna’s performance occupies a particularly important position in LoRa IoT. In practical applications, it is only known that LoRa antenna A has better performance and longer range than LoRa antenna B. It is unclear what causes LoRa antenna A to work better than LoRa antenna B; thus, there is no direction to choose from the application.
In the introduction of the LoRa antenna in this paper, the basic performance of the antenna is affected by the following parameters: impedance, VSWR, gain, frequency, frequency bandwidth, and other parameters; what do these antenna parameters represent, and how do choose the best antenna for LoRa & LoRaWAN? The following is a brief introduction to a few different parameters.
Impedance
The input impedance of an antenna is the ratio of the input voltage to the input current at the feed side of the antenna. As most of the current market standards have an impedance value of 50Ω, this use is based on convention and custom.
VSWR
It is the reciprocal of the traveling wave coefficient and has a value between 1 and infinity. A VSWR of 1 indicates a perfect match. The VSWR of commercially available antennas is generally <1.5.
Gain
Antenna gain is used to measure the ability of the antenna to send and receive signals in a particular direction, it is one of the most important parameters for choosing a base station antenna. The higher the antenna gain, the better.
Frequency band
How do I choose the type of the best antenna for LoRa?
Once the Lora antenna parameters have been determined, we need to select the antenna type.
It can be understood that there are different antenna types on the market, such as the Lora spring antenna, Lora fiberglass antenna, Lora magnetic antenna, Lora rubber duck antenna, flexible PCB/PCB Lora antenna, etc. When choosing an antenna, it is important not to the form itself but to the parameters of the antenna and the site environment.
For example, the built-in antenna, subject to the size, generally with spring antenna, PCB antenna, and FPC antenna. Of course, the antenna needs to be re-matched according to the structure and material of the housing.
And in the outdoor gateway, it is recommended to use a glass fiber Lora antenna; Generally, indoor nodes use a magnetic mount antenna, or a rubber duck antenna is suitable.
For the best antenna for LoRa nodes, LoRa nodes generally pick spring antennas as most projects require a small structure for LoRa nodes in actual projects.
As for the best antenna for LoRaWAN gateways, there is generally no requirement for the size of the gateway in practical use. LoRaWAN gateways are generally not restricted by size. Therefore, when selecting an antenna, it is recommended to use a fiberglass antenna.
When choosing an antenna, it is recommended to use a fiberglass antenna because it has good electrical insulation, good wave transmission, and a better signal.
In addition, for outdoor LoRaWAN gateways, the environment is harsher. At the same time, fiberglass antenna has strong weather resistance, corrosion resistance, UV resistance, anti-aging, and impact resistance, and still performs well in high temperatures, low cold -45~110 degrees harsh environments, more suitable for a variety of complex environments, therefore, also makes people more inclined to choose the glass fiber antenna as the best antenna for LoRaWAN gateways.
What is the best antenna for LoRa outdoor use?
If you’re looking for a LoRa antenna to enhance your LoRa communication systems, you should definitely consider C&T RF Antennas Inc’s LoRa fiberglass outdoor antenna, which have been specifically designed for use with LoRa radio bandwidths (850MHz – 930MHz).
C&T RF Antennas Inc provides the 3dBi LoRa fierbglass antenna, 4 dBi LoRa antenna, 5dBi LoRa antenna, 5.8 dBi fiberglass antenna, 6dBi LoRa antenna, 8dBi LoRa antenna, 10 dBi LoRa antenna, 12 dBi LoRa antenna, 15dBi LoRa antenna, 20dBi LoRa antenna, etc.
What frequency does LoRaWAN use?
LoRa is digital wireless data communication IoT technology. LoRa transmits over license-free megahertz radio frequency bands: 169 MHz, 315 MHz, 433 MHz (Asia), UE868 MHz, and US915 MHz. LoRa enables very long-range wireless data transmission.
How to select the best antenna for LoRa & LoRaWAN?
When selecting the best antenna for Lora & Lorawan applications, the shape of the antenna itself is not the most important. What is important are the parameters, the site’s environment, and the structure’s limitations.
Common LoRa antenna types include spring antennas, PCB, FPC, Ipex SMA antennas, and fiberglass antennas. Different antennas can be selected to match depending on the power and frequency size of the LoRa module.
For a 100mW LoRa module, you can choose a spring antenna, PCB antenna, or FPC antenna.
Above 500mW module can choose SMA rubber duck antenna.
The above 2W module can choose the magnetic mount antenna and glass fiber antenna.
LoRa antennas generally have a range of frequency bands that they support. The antenna performance will be degraded to a certain extent if used outside the band. Therefore, when using it, you should try to make the device work in the frequency band supported by the antenna to achieve the best transmission effect.
Generally speaking, the gain of the fiberglass antenna is higher than that of the suction cup magnetic mount antenna; the gain of the suction cup magnetic mount antenna is higher than that of the rubber rod antenna; the gain of the rubber rod antenna is similar to the PCB antenna and FCB antenna, but higher than the spring antenna.
In a communication system, the strength of the gain will interfere with the ability of the antenna to radiate or receive wireless signals; all things being equal, the higher the gain, the further the wireless signal will travel. Therefore, to improve the communication distance of the wireless module, it is also a good idea to choose a high-gain antenna.
How do you mount a LoRa antenna?
For the best antenna for the Lora fiberglass antenna, possible to place the fiberglass antenna on the fixing u clamp bracket mount the fix u clamp bracket kit to the top of the pole or tower then connect the n-type female jack to the antenna.
Place the antenna off the ground as far as possible, do not touch the antenna with your hands when testing, the antenna is more than 2m from the ground and the human body is more than 2m from the antenna.
For the Lora fiberglass antenna and rubber duck antenna, you can mount the antenna to the magnetic base mount, or directory mount the Lora antenna to the terminal.
Don’t place the antenna near large metal objects, don’t place it by the river, minimize the obstacle between the antenna
Keep the antenna upright, not flat on the ground, not skewed, try to keep both antennas on a horizontal plane.
The Lora antenna should be mounted as far away from the ground as possible and not near large metal objects.
In addition, the actual frequency band used by the LoRa antenna should be the same as the frequency band range supported by the LoRa antenna.
For example, a 915 MHz antenna should be used in the 915 MHz band. If the 915 MHz antenna is used in the 868 MHz band, the results will be poor. However, if that Lora band contains both the 915 MHz and 868 MHz bands, e.g., 850-930 MHz Lora wideband, then both the 915 MHz and 868 MHz bands will work well.
Finally, attention needs to be paid to the antenna feeder cable assembly of the antenna, SMA to N-type adapter cable, the length of the magnetic antenna cable, etc. Especially if the cable length is long, the attenuation effect of the wire on the signal must be fully considered.
C&T RF Antennas Inc is the wireless antennas manufacturer, C&T RF supplies the best antenna for LoRa 169 MHz, the best antenna for LoRa 315 MHz, the best antenna for LoRa 433 MHz, the best antenna for LoRa 868 MHz, the best antenna for LoRa 915 MHz, and the best antenna for NB-IoT, GSM, 4G LTE, 5G NR, Wi-Fi, GPS, GNSS, UWB, UHF&VHF applications.
If you cannot find a suitable Lora antenna for your applications, contact us for LoRa antenna design services. C&T RF Antennas Inc provides free antenna design services.
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