Evaluation Board for Smallest Loop Antenna for GPS, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, WLAN, and Zigbee applications
At 10*3.2*1.5mm, the GWLA.05 is one of the smallest combination embedded antennas available worldwide. Taoglas GWLA.05, GPS L1 /2.4GHz embedded loop antenna is a high efficiency, miniature SMD, edge-mounted ceramic antenna for GPS and 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, WLAN, Zigbee, Bluetooth, and 802.11 applications. Customers can use this antenna for GPS and 2.4GHz (Wi-Fi or Bluetooth) modules, rather than using two separate antennas. The GWLA.05 has two separate antenna feeds, making it the ideal choice for applications where there is limited PCB space. The GWLA.05 uses the main PCB as its ground plane, thereby maintaining good efficiency despite its small size. It can be tuned for different PCB sizes/environments by simply changing the values of the matching circuit. It is ideally mounted on the center edge of a ground-plane.
This antenna is delivered on tape and reel.
Typical Applications – where both GPS and 2.4GHz are required:
- Navigation or Position Tracking Systems – Handheld Devices
- Tablet PCs – OBD Devices
- Gateways and Routers – Mobile Cameras
- UAV Communication Systems
Many module manufacturers specify peak gain limits for any antennas that are to be connected to that module. Those peak gain limits are based on free-space conditions. In practice, the peak gain of an antenna tested in free-space can degrade by at least 1 or 2 dBi when put inside a device. So ideally you should go for a slightly higher peak gain antenna than mentioned on the module specification to compensate for this effect, giving you better performance.
Upon testing of any of our antennas with your device and a selection of appropriate layout, integration technique, or cable, Taoglas can make sure any of our antennas’ peak gain will be below the peak gain limits. Taoglas can then issue a specification and/or report for the selected antenna in your device that will clearly show it complying with the peak gain limits, so you can be assured you are meeting regulatory requirements for that module.
For example, a module manufacturer may state that the antenna must have less than 2 dBi peak gain, but you don’t need to select an embedded antenna that has a peak gain of less than 2 dBi in free-space. This will give you a less optimized solution. It is better to go for a slightly higher free-space peak gain of 3 dBi or more if available. Once that antenna gets integrated into your device, performance will degrade below this 2 dBi peak gain due to the effects of GND plane, surrounding components, and device housing. If you want to be absolutely sure, contact Taoglas and we will test. Choosing a Taoglas antenna with a higher peak gain than what is specified by the module manufacturer and enlisting our help will ensure you are getting the best performance possible without exceeding the peak gain limits.
