Broadband access on the move is becoming a way of life.... from WiFi access in cafes, on buses and trains to having a hotspot in the car so the family can access web-based services on the move - the demand for mobile broadband moves onwards and upwards! And the whilst quality of the broadband service is not just down to signal quality (network capacity also counts!!!), a stable, reliable connection is a significant element of wireless broadband service - and key component of this should be the use of a quality 4G antenna.
For roof-mount applications for 4G, LTE, and multiband (includes 3G, GSM and cellular frequencies) services, the choices typically are either a magnetic or a permanent mount antenna. In addition, one must factor in antenna frequency, gain, size, robustness, durability, cable quality and connector type. Over the last few years, I must have seen hundreds of vehicle mount antennas from tape mount to stud mount, magnetic mount to collar mount, from collinear whips to planar inverted F (PIFA) based antennas with wide variations in performance.
For most typical applications, here are some of my thoughts on what to look for when selecting a 4G roof-mount antenna:
1. Frequency suitability - is the antenna suitable for all 4G, LTE, 3G and GSM frequency bands? In Europe, 4G services are typically running in a range of frequency bands from 790 MHz to 2700 MHz, so any antenna selected should be able to operate effectively in this range.
2. Antenna gain - does the antenna offer a suitable gain figure? The larger the gain the more chance the antenna has of improving your signal, though one should exercise some caution as a number of disreputable vendors overstate their gain figures. Typically, multi-frequency band mobile roof mount antennas will be offering gain figures somewhere between 0 dBi and 4 dBi depending on the antenna type and solution.
3. Antenna size - yes, size does matter in this instance!! Typically, the larger the antenna, the better the gain and performance will be. Some antennas like the LTE-HIGAIN antennas are designed to be mounted on metal surfaces and the metal surface aids the antenna performance which means the antenna can be more discrete. Beware of small antennas offering impressively high gain figures!
4. Robustness / Durability - is the antenna designed for outdoor use? Is the antenna going to last more than a few weeks? Build quality of mobile, roof-mount antennas is critical as the antenna should be able to survive the wind, rain, snow etc. and withstand a few knocks and scrapes. A low profile antenna is typically more durable than a whip and also less obvious, more discrete thereby minimising the risk of theft/vandalism.
5. Cable quality/connector - is the cable type and the connector suitable for the application. As a rule of thumb, thicker RF coaxial cable is less "lossy" than thinner cable so across a cable run of say 3M one will lose less signal with a thicker cable than a thinner cable.
When considering 4G roof mount antennas, keeping the above points in mind should aid in the selection of a good quality antenna for mobile applications. For further information, please feel free to e-mail us at sales@ead-ltd.com or visit our EAD and SAS 4G antenna pages or alternatively shop at our Connex webshop.
