Antenna Integration for Connected Products

A radio module that works on the bench can lose much of its range once it is inside a housing, next to a battery, or mounted on a metal surface. Antenna performance depends on placement, ground planes, nearby components, and the enclosure itself, so it has to be designed into the product rather than added at the end. SGW coordinates antenna integration across the board and the enclosure. We help choose between chip, flex, and external antennas, plan placement and keep-out zones on the PCB, and select housing materials, wall thickness, coatings, and fasteners that do not get in the way of the signal. This is work we have done on demanding products. For Cradlepoint's 5G vehicle router, SGW integrated the modem, antennas, and router into a single sealed, ruggedized casing, and for its enterprise Wi-Fi access point we designed internal provisions for antennas, cable routing, and connectors.