An industry-first Wi-Fi antenna for an RJ45 jack

Taoglas has unveiled the AntJack, a high-efficiency Wi-Fi antenna mounted on a standard RJ45 ethernet connector. The new FXM100 Wi-Fi antenna can be mounted on the company's TMJG4926HENL or any standard 1x1 RJ45 connector to create a 2-in-1 solution. This provides designers with space-saving options and layout flexibility to improve wireless coverage across the 2.4GHz, 5.8GHz, and 7.1GHz bands.

By mounting the antenna on the jack, the antenna is removed from the PCB, freeing up valuable real estate. The jack is used as the antenna ground plane to deliver better wireless performance. The omnidirectional dipole antenna supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi 6/6E, and Wi-Fi 7 and can be used in industrial robotics and test and measurement systems.

AntJack is also excellent for complex MIMO designs where antenna location and positioning are critical, particularly when space is a premium in 4x4 or 8x8 MIMO configurations. In addition to the layout constraints, designers are often forced to work around proximity to metal, which causes interference and signal distortion.

"The FXM100 Wi-Fi antenna is a great example of our focus on innovation and solving tough customer challenges, like designing antennas for metal surfaces and awkward layouts," said Olivier Robin, COO at Taoglas. "Our antennas give customers better performance with more flexibility, making it easier to add wireless technology to their devices."

The antenna is now available. Though sold as a standalone Wi-Fi antenna, it can be purchased alongside the company's magnetic connectors and high-end ethernet cables for optimised BOM costs. The antenna can also be adapted for any size of RJ45 connector (1x2, 2x2, MxN).