What Are Cellular, Wi-Fi, and GPS Combination IoT Antennas Useful For?

IoT Antenna

Many of the latest Internet-of-Things (IoT) systems make use of multiple forms of wireless communication. In some cases, a single IoT module may be equipped with several wireless communication standards for various functions. For high bandwidth connections to infrastructure, cellular communications modules are common. For extremely high bandwidth and short range, or confined operation within a facility equipped with Wi-Fi, a Wi-Fi communications module is well suited. For mobile systems, having GPS is often essential if not useful in generation for positioning and location tracking. With the rise of wireless communication services being relied upon for IoT provisioning and operation, many mobile, temporary, and environmentally exposed applications require external/mobile rated IoT antenna that are capable of supporting cellular, Wi-Fi, and GPS links in a single compact antenna module. Examples of this include a 10-in-1 Cellular, Wi-Fi, and GPS Combination IoT Antenna, a 5-in-1 Cellular and GPS Combination IoT Antenna, and a 7-in-1 4 Cellular, 2 Wi-Fi, and 1 GPS Combination Antenna.

Mobile Combination IoT Antenna Use Cases

Many IoT products have embedded antenna modules, or antennas developed directly on-chip or on-PCB. However, for many applications, such as public safety, emergency services, fleet management, and autonomous vehicles etc., there is often a benefit of having an external antenna module. To accommodate cellular, Wi-Fi, and GPS, this would typically require three separate antenna modules. However, combination IoT antennas exist that allow for each of these wireless communication protocols to be served by a single antenna module specifically designed and rated for outdoor, and even, mobile environments. These antenna modules are often IP69K-rated and include randoms that are UV stabilized and rugged enough to withstand even harsh industrial environments. The more complex versions of the antennas also include several cellular bands and even support for cellular and Wi-Fi multi-input multi-output (MIMO) features for enhanced data rate capability. Typically, these types of exterior mounted antennas are vertically polarized and omnidirectional. These IoT combination antennas can generally be purchased with FAKRA, N-type, SMA, TNC, RP-SMA, or a combination of several coaxial connector types to best serve the IoT hardware they are intended to connect to. This diverse selection of connector types eliminates the need for installers to have the necessary adapters on hand.