Antenna provides wider coverage for tiny Bluetooth or Wi-Fi and ZigBee designs

Antenova Ltd presents a new, compact and very efficient antenna for the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and ZigBee frequencies at 2.4-2.5GHz. This new antenna is named Invicta, part number SRFW082.

This antenna averages an efficiency of 70% across the 2.4GHz band. Consequently, designs employing this antenna will perform better over longer distances and through walls and obstacles, expanding the coverage and performance of wireless devices utilising Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and ZigBee.

The device is an FPC antenna, easily placed in a design. It connects directly to the PCB via a cable and IPX MHF (UFL) connector. The antenna is provided with 100mm cable as standard, and other cable lengths and connector options are available on request.

The FPC antenna also makes for straightforward manufacturing, as the antenna is fixed in place by a simple self-adhesive strip and can be curved and inserted into a design case. This style of antenna is ideal for small to medium-volume manufacturing.

The company designed this antenna mainly for smart battery-powered devices for the home and office, where one single device offers global coverage. Typical applications in the home may be smart meters, home automation, wireless sensor networks, smoke and intruder alarms. It would also be employed for remote monitoring in industrial and medical environments.

Antenova’s product marketing manager, Michael Castle, says: “The efficiency of an antenna is related to its size, with larger antennas usually providing better performance. The Invicta antenna will be a winner because it performs better than PCB trace antennas and provides exceptional performance and range in return for the relatively small space in a design.”