Issue link: https://te.mouser.com/i/1349977
DATA AND DEVICES / TREND PAPER Smart IoT Applications and Environments: Key Antenna Considerations in Designing Your Smart Ecosystem PAGE 5 Situation: An IoT start-up business focused on global tracking was using a variety of antennas that made their devices, bigger, heavier and more expensive to produce. They were also using a chip antenna that did not allow for the granular tracking data needed, nor did they understand complex radio frequency requirements. These two issues were dramatically impacting performance. A newly formulated antenna design system required: • Custom-designed, embedded antennas for 5G connectivity that enabled the customer to build a reusable, smart system – more as a mobile phone than an IoT device – for real-time parcel tracking • Reducing the weight of the antennas to both lower the cost and size of the board, as well as improve performance • Implementing on board surface mount device antennas to make the entire device part of the antenna solution; this also created the most efficient and repeatable manufacturing process • Reviewing designs to improve battery life, and reconfiguring the board layout to properly place radio frequency (RF) components and maximize the ground plane, which enables radios to work and avoid interference Antennas and RF components tend to be the most underestimated parts of a design. Engineers with antenna and RF expertise can help bring the specifications of an IoT product to life. Antenna Products • GNSS: 2118900-1 • 4G Cellular / Non-cellular / LPWAN Embedded Antenna: 2367286-1, 2108994-1 • 4G, 5G Cellular Antenna: 2195729-2NB-IoT/Cat-M: 2108994-1 Trend 2: Smart Buildings Smart buildings have become one of the fastest-growing technologies in what is known as the "proptech" industry – the application of information technology and platform economics to real estate. While the primary market driver behind the development of smart buildings is the growing concern over energy utilization, there are other focus areas as well: security, building management and eco-friendly living measures. In constructing a smart building, there are a variety of technological challenges to address in designing the right antenna system and choosing the optimal antenna options. Market size of the IoT in Buildings (BIoT) is expected to be more than $85 billion in 2020 (a rise from $22.9 billion in 2014) (4) Worldwide revenue from wireless control systems for smart buildings is expected to grow to $434 million by 2023 (a rise from $97 million in 2014) (5)