Antenova Ltd is releasing a new, compact, and very efficient antenna for the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and ZigBee frequencies at 2.4 – 2.5 GHz. This new antenna is named Invicta, part number SRFW082.
The Invicta antenna averages an efficiency of 70% across the 2.4 GHz band. Consequently, designs using this antenna will operate better, over longer distances and through walls and obstacles, thus extending the coverage and performance of wireless devices using Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ZigBee.
Invicta is a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) antenna, which is easy to place in a design. It connects directly to the PCB via a cable and IPX MHF (UFL) connector. The antenna comes with 100mm cable as standard and other cable lengths and connector options are available on request.
An FPC antenna is different from an SMD antenna in that it operates independent to a ground plane length and no antenna matching is required, so the design cycle for Invicta is simpler and shorter.
The FPC antenna also makes for easier manufacturing, as the antenna is fixed in place by a simple self-adhesive strip, and can be curved and inserted into the case of a design. This style of antenna is ideally suited to small to medium-volume manufacturing.
Antenova has designed the Invicta antenna primarily for smart battery-powered devices for the home and office, where one single device provides global coverage. Typical applications in the home would be smart meters, home automation, wireless sensor networks, smoke, and intruder alarms. It would also be used for remote monitoring in industrial and medical environments.
