Where is the range? How to design and select the antenna for the ISM bands.
One of the most common question we get to our support line is how to get the intended range of the wireless connection. Most of the time, the answer relates to the antenna design. I believe it is a result of the software and digital focus that has been overwhelming in the electronics community, and the RF competence was considered a niche competence for a long time Now, with IoT, Wifi and Bluetooth, many engineers are forced to go back to the books from the University and read up on RF. And, for those who don’t read up, then mother nature will with her lack of compromise show that it is important to understand also the RF part of the wireless communication network.
However, inventing the wheel again is not needed. RF is not new to Radiocrafts and we are happy to share our experience. If you don’t want to go back to the old text books from the University and you don’t want to have mother nature setting on you back when you can’t get the desired radio range, then take a look at the WP009: Antenna Selection Guide.
This whitepaper shows a pragmatic approach, based on our 13 years of supporting customers in their design and to select and design antennas for the ISM bands. It compares the most common antenna types with a view on cost, design effort, size and performance. It is written for non-RF engineers and does not include antenna theory itself, just brings out the experience and conclusions needed to point you in the right direction when selecting/designing an antenna for ISM band equipment.