It’s hard to beat the combination of performance, compactness, ruggedness, and affordability of stamped metal AP/router embedded antennas. These devices cover all the frequencies you might use, and at only 1 to 2 inches long they are easy to integrate in small routers and access points. In addition, their stamped metal construction and wide range of operating temperatures ensure they are long-lasting.
This blog post explains how these products might benefit you and concludes with a summary of L-com’s new line of stamped metal antennas.
Benefits of Stamped Metal Antennas
A stamped metal antenna refers to an antenna that is used in wireless access points (APs) or routers. APs and routers use antennas to transmit and receive wireless signals, allowing devices such as smartphones, laptops, and other Wi-Fi-enabled devices to connect to the network.
Traditionally, antennas were made using wire elements or PCB (printed circuit board) traces, but stamped metal antennas have gained popularity due to their cost-effectiveness and performance advantages. A stamped metal antenna is created by stamping or etching a thin metal sheet into a specific shape, which acts as the radiating element.
Stamped metal antennas offer six big benefits:
- Affordability: Stamped metal antennas can be produced using high-volume, automated manufacturing processes, which helps make them affordable. The stamping process allows for efficient material usage and rapid production rates, making it an economical choice for mass production.
- Compactness and light weight: Stamped metal antennas can be fabricated as thin and lightweight structures. This makes them ideal for integration into space-constrained devices and systems where size and weight are crucial considerations. Their compact form factor enables easy integration into modern electronic devices, including smartphones, tablets, wearables, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
- Mechanical stability and durability: Stamped metal antennas offer good mechanical stability and durability. The metal material used, such as copper or aluminum, provides strength and rigidity to the antenna structure. This makes them resistant to deformation and capable of withstanding harsh environmental conditions, including temperature variations and vibrations.
- Electrical performance: Stamped metal antennas can exhibit good electrical performance. With careful design and optimization, they can achieve desirable antenna parameters such as gain, radiation efficiency, and impedance matching. By utilizing appropriate design techniques, stamped metal antennas can be tuned for specific frequency bands, ensuring efficient wireless communication.
- Design flexibility: The stamping process provides design flexibility, allowing for the creation of antennas with various shapes, patterns, and configurations. This flexibility enables antenna designers to tailor the antenna's characteristics to meet specific performance requirements. Stamped metal antennas can be designed to achieve desired radiation patterns, frequency ranges, and impedance matching.
- Diverse applications: Partly because of their design flexibility, stamped metal AP/router embedded antennas have many applications, including: IoT, M2M, telemetry, wireless remote control, PANs, industrial/commercial equipment, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi /BT/BLE/Zigbee/ISM applications, IEEE 802.11 b/g/n embedded applications, remote technology monitoring, consumer tracking, smart home wearables and devices, agriculture, healthcare, and digital signage.
L-com’s New Line of Stamped Metal Antennas
Recently we rolled out a new line of several dozen stamped metal AP/router embedded antennas that combine performance, compactness, ruggedness, and affordability.
Key Features:
- Wide coverage with single- and dual-band models covering frequencies from 1800 to 7125 MHz
- Ultra-compact/lightweight at lengths of 2 inches or less
- Uniform coverage in all directions with isotropic radiation patterns
- Optimized signals with linear polarization and typical gain up to 5.1 dBi
- Rugged stamped metal construction and wide operating temperatures of -40° to +185° F
- Mounting options with case mount or on-board mount
- Cost-effectiveness, as they are available individually or in value packs of 50 antennas
Frequency Options:
To meet a wide variety of frequency-band needs, our new stamped metal antennas cover multiple frequency options:
Single-band models are available in:
- 1800-1900 MHz
- 1880-1900 MHz
- 2400-2500 MHz
- 5150-5825 MHz
- 5900-7125 MHz
Dual-band models are available in:
- 2400-2500 and 4900-5825 MHz
- 2400-2500 and 5150-5825 MHz
- 2412-2484 and 5150-5825 MHz
Need help deciding on the right stamped metal antennas for your application? Connect with one of our L-com technical experts now. Call us toll-free at 1-866-506-2818, chat with us live, or email us at sales@l-com.com.
