In a wireless device, the antenna is not an independent component that can be selected solely according to the operating frequency stated in its datasheet.

Once installed inside the equipment, its performance depends on the electronic board, ground plane, battery, display, cables, metal components, enclosure materials and actual mounting position.

A PCB, SMD, chip or FPC antenna may operate correctly on the manufacturer’s evaluation board and behave very differently when installed in the final device.

ElettroMagnetic Services S.r.l. designs and manufactures custom integrated and embedded antennas developed directly around the Customer’s equipment, considering the antenna and the device as one electromagnetic system.

Why a Standard Integrated Antenna May Not Perform as Expected

Why a Standard Integrated Antenna May Not Perform as Expected

Commercially available integrated antennas are generally characterized under conditions defined by the manufacturer.

Measurements are often performed using an evaluation board whose dimensions, ground plane and component arrangement differ substantially from those of the final product.

Compatibility with a particular frequency band therefore does not guarantee that the antenna will maintain the declared impedance matching, efficiency, gain and radiation pattern once installed inside the actual device.

Its performance may be affected by the shape and dimensions of the printed circuit board, the available ground plane, the antenna position, the distance from batteries and metal components, the enclosure material and the presence of displays, sensors, electronic components, RF and power cables, shielding and heat sinks. The final installation environment may also significantly influence its electromagnetic behaviour.

These effects may result in lower-than-expected coverage, unstable communication, increased power consumption, reduced battery life or difficulties during compliance and certification testing.

Embedded Antennas Must Be Designed Around the Device

Embedded Antennas Must Be Designed Around the Device

An embedded antenna cannot be properly optimized independently of the equipment in which it will operate.

From the beginning of the development process, it is necessary to consider the geometry of the electronic board, the dimensions and shape of the ground plane, the position of the radio module, the RF feed line, the enclosure, the internal components, the surrounding materials and the intended installation configuration.

Even small changes in component placement, enclosure dimensions or materials may produce significant variations in antenna performance.

Antenna positioning, clearance areas, component arrangement and material selection should therefore be addressed during the development of the device, rather than after the mechanical and electronic design has already been completed.

When antenna integration is considered too late, it may become necessary to modify the PCB layout, enclosure, internal component arrangement or production tooling, increasing both development time and cost.

Custom PCB, FPC and Embedded Antenna Solutions

Custom PCB, FPC and Embedded Antenna Solutions

Depending on the application, an integrated antenna may be implemented directly on the printed circuit board or produced as a separate radiating element installed inside the device.

The solution may consist of a PCB antenna, a flexible FPC antenna, a printed radiating element, a dedicated metal structure, a low-profile or conformal antenna, or a custom geometry designed around the available volume.

The choice between these architectures does not depend only on the available space.

Operating frequencies, bandwidth, ground plane, surrounding materials, expected production quantities, manufacturing costs and industrial repeatability must all be considered.

When a standard antenna cannot provide the required performance, a custom embedded antenna can be developed specifically around the Customer’s electronic board, enclosure and internal configuration.

Integrated Antennas for IoT and Wireless Devices

Integrated Antennas for IoT and Wireless Devices

Integrated antennas are widely used in IoT devices, wireless sensors, telecontrol systems, smart meters, remote-monitoring equipment, wearables, biomedical devices, tracking systems and connected products.

They can be developed for wireless technologies including:

• Wi-Fi and WLAN;

• Bluetooth and Bluetooth Low Energy;

• Zigbee, Thread and IEEE 802.15.4-based protocols;

• sub-GHz and 2.4 GHz ISM applications;

• LoRa and LoRaWAN;

• Sigfox;

• NB-IoT and LTE-M;

• 2G, 3G and 4G LTE cellular networks;

• 5G sub-6 GHz connectivity;

• GNSS systems including GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou.

The wireless protocol determines the operating bands and part of the radio requirements, but it does not determine antenna performance by itself.

The actual result always depends on integration into the device, the operating environment and the final product configuration.

LoRaWAN, NB-IoT and LTE-M Antenna Integration

LoRaWAN, NB-IoT and LTE-M Antenna Integration

LPWAN technologies are often selected for devices that must transmit small amounts of data over long distances while maintaining low power consumption and extended battery life.

However, the theoretical benefits of LoRaWAN, NB-IoT or LTE-M may be reduced when the antenna is poorly integrated.

Limited space, electrically small devices, compact ground planes, batteries, metal components and installation close to walls or underground structures can reduce radiation efficiency and communication range.

In battery-powered equipment, inadequate antenna efficiency may also force the radio module to transmit at higher power or repeat messages, increasing energy consumption.

For this reason, the antenna must be designed according to both the selected technology and the physical characteristics of the complete device.

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Antennas for Compact Devices

Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Antennas for Compact Devices

Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy and Wi-Fi commonly operate in the 2.4 GHz band, where small dimensional changes and nearby components may significantly affect antenna behaviour.

An antenna that is correctly matched on an evaluation board may become detuned when placed near a battery, display, metal frame, cable or enclosure wall.

When Wi-Fi and Bluetooth coexist within the same device, the complete RF configuration must also be considered, including the position of the antenna, the radio architecture and any other wireless functions installed nearby.

The objective is not only to obtain acceptable impedance matching, but to achieve radiation efficiency and coverage that are consistent with the actual use of the product.

The Enclosure Is Part of the Electromagnetic System

The Enclosure Is Part of the Electromagnetic System

The enclosure is not electromagnetically neutral.

Plastics, resins, coatings, glass, gaskets and composite materials may change the antenna response. Metal components, batteries, displays, heat sinks, shielding and cables may absorb, reflect or redirect radiated energy.

The antenna should therefore be designed and tested using the assembled device in the most representative configuration available.

The operating environment must also be considered. Antenna behaviour may change when the device is worn close to the human body, mounted on a wall, installed inside a utility pit or electrical cabinet, attached to a machine, positioned close to metal structures or operated inside a vehicle or industrial enclosure.

An antenna that performs correctly under laboratory conditions may therefore provide different results in its real operating environment.

Ground Plane, PCB Layout and RF Feed Line

Ground Plane, PCB Layout and RF Feed Line

In many integrated antenna architectures, the electronic board and ground plane form an active part of the radiating system.

Their dimensions and geometry influence resonant frequency, bandwidth, efficiency and radiation pattern.

The PCB layout must consequently provide adequate clearance around the antenna and avoid placing critical components in areas where they may interfere with its electromagnetic behaviour.

The RF feed line and matching network must also be designed correctly.

Trace geometry, characteristic impedance, connector transitions, component tolerances and routing close to noisy electronic circuits can affect the power transferred from the radio module to the antenna.

Antenna integration should therefore be coordinated with PCB and mechanical development rather than treated as a final component-selection activity.

From the Real Device to the Integrated Antenna

From the Real Device to the Integrated Antenna

The feasibility of an integrated antenna depends on the combination of radio requirements and the physical characteristics of the device.

Operating bands, wireless protocols, radio module, transmitted power and required performance must be evaluated together with the electronic board, the available PCB layout, the ground plane, the enclosure, the materials, the battery, the internal components and the actual installation conditions.

Before defining the antenna solution, it is necessary to understand how these elements interact and which constraints represent the main risks for the project.

Considering the antenna and the device as separate elements may lead to the late discovery of incompatibilities that could have been addressed during the early development stages.

Prototyping and Testing in the Final Configuration

Prototyping and Testing in the Final Configuration

The antenna should not be validated only as an isolated element.

Whenever possible, characterization should be performed with the antenna installed inside the real device or within a representative prototype.

The evaluation may include impedance matching, return loss and VSWR, gain, radiation patterns, polarization and performance under different installation conditions.

Measurements performed on the assembled device make it possible to identify detuning, shielding effects, coverage gaps and interaction with internal components or surrounding structures.

This allows the design to be verified under conditions that are much closer to actual operation.

Design for Industrialization

Design for Industrialization

A solution that operates effectively on the first prototype must also be reproducible during production.

PCB and component tolerances, material variations, fastening systems, assembly processes and tuning elements may affect the performance achieved on the initial unit.

An integrated antenna must therefore be compatible not only with the prototype configuration, but also with the planned production process, the expected manufacturing quantities, assembly tolerances, material availability, quality-control requirements and possible changes during the product life cycle.

Subsequent modifications to the device, PCB layout, battery or enclosure materials may compromise previously validated RF performance if their effect on the antenna is not assessed.

Our Technical Scope

Our Technical Scope

ElettroMagnetic Services S.r.l. specializes in the design, prototyping, characterization and manufacturing of custom integrated antennas for professional equipment and wireless devices.

Our technical scope may include the radiating element, RF feed line, matching network, electromagnetic integration and the mechanical elements required to position the antenna correctly inside the product.

We do not develop firmware, communication protocols, radio modules or active RF electronics.

We design the antenna so that it can operate correctly with the wireless technology selected by the Customer and within the real configuration of the device.

Let’s Discuss Your Integrated Antenna Project

Let’s Discuss Your Integrated Antenna Project

Are you developing a wireless device and uncertain about how the antenna will perform once installed inside the final product?

Does the selected standard antenna fail to provide the required coverage, efficiency or mechanical integration?

Do you need to integrate LoRaWAN, NB-IoT, LTE-M, cellular connectivity, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or GNSS within a compact device?

We can evaluate the equipment, radio requirements and main integration constraints together.

An initial technical assessment can help determine whether a standard solution is suitable or whether the project requires a custom integrated antenna developed around the real device.

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