GWLA.15 GPS/GALILEO and 2.4/5.8GHz Dual-Band Ceramic Substrate Loop Antenna
The GWLA.15 GPS and 2.4/5.8GHz 2in1 Embedded Ceramic Loop antenna is a high efficiency, miniature SMD, edge-mounted ceramic antenna. Covering GPS/GALILEO/BeiDOu and Wi-Fi, WLAN, ZigBee, Bluetooth, and 802.11ac applications the tiny loop antenna is perfect for application where PCB space is limited, such as hand-held devices. Rather than using two separate chip antennas, one for GPS/GALILEO and one for Wi-Fi, the GWLA.15 has two separate antenna feeds in a single antenna structure, making it the ideal choice. The GWLA.15 uses the main PCB as its ground plane, thereby maintaining good efficiency, despite its small size.
The GWLA.15 can be tuned for different PCB sizes/environments by changing the values of the matching circuit, however, this needs to be carefully calculated, contact a regional Taoglas facility for support. It is important to note that smaller ground-planes will reduce the efficiency of the antenna. At 3.2*1.6*0.5mm, the GWLA.15 is one of the smallest antennas available worldwide. This antenna is delivered on tape and reel and manufactured in a TS16949 first tier automotive approved facility. The GNSS performance is excellent, with high efficiency and an omnidirectional pattern. The Wi-Fi performance is incredibly good and delivers stable efficiency and radiation patterns which allow this antenna to be used in a huge variety of devices.
Typical Applications where GNSS and Dual-Band Wi-Fi are required include:
- Navigation or Position Tracking Systems
- Handheld Devices and Tablets
- POS Systems, Gateways and Routers
- Mobile Wireless Camera Systems
- Smart Home
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 dB 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 freespace. 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 specified by the module manufacturer and enlisting our help will ensure you are getting the best performance possible without exceeding the peak gain limits.
