WHITEPAPER

How to create a great

wireless product: an
in-depth guide
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

Contents

Introduction2

Research3
Wireless technologies 3

Antennas4
Surface-mounted antennas 4
RF Modules 4
Case-mounted antennas 5
Flexible printed circuit board (FPC) antennas 5

Architecture layout 7

Board design 8

Gerber design review 9

Transmission Lines 9
Matching Circuit 9
Via placement 9

Design test 10

Pre-production checks 10

Production11

Get the support you need 11

a n t e n ova.com 1
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

Introduction
Integrating an antenna is a crucial step in a wireless product design. Antennas behave
differently to other digital integrated circuits (ICs). This creates a unique set of design
challenges and considerations that traditional design cycles do not account for.

With devices getting smaller, designs are becoming intrinsically less RF-friendly. Circuit
boards are shrinking, yet are tightly packed with noisy components. An antenna cannot be
simply ‘added’ at the end; RF must be a priority from the outset.

More product designers are facing this challenge. To design great wireless products,
designers need to change their approach. Our proven cycle considers wireless design
first, and it’s suitable for projects of all scopes and sizes. Here’s how we recommend that
you approach your wireless product design.

The wireless product design cycle

1
RESEARCH
2
ARCHITECTURE
LAYOUT 3
BOARD

4
DESIGN

GERBER

5
REVIEW

DESIGN

6
TEST

PRE-

7
PRODUCTION

MASS
PRODUCTION

a n t e n ova.com 2
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

Research
The wireless design cycle starts at the performance of an antenna will be
the same time a design project does. intensely scrutinised. The region has
Wireless technologies are the enablers some of the toughest passing criteria for
of connectivity and there’s lots of them. certification in the world.
Likewise, antennas are also available in a
variety of forms. Designers that are aware There is no one-size-fits-all wireless
of the variety of options available will be technology. The right choice will depend on
more empowered to fulfil a brief. data throughput requirements, range, power
consumption and certification needs. More
designs are incorporating multiple wireless
Wireless technologies technologies, too, making the choice of
There are wireless technologies available complementary antennas crucial.
to suit any sort of device. Whether you
require long-range connectivity without
large power requirements, or precision CELLULAR GNSS
tracking, there is a technology to suit.
• LTE/4G • GPS
While selecting a technology, there are a
• 3G • GLONASS
number of factors to consider:
• Legacy cellular • BeiDou
• Data throughput. How talkative will connections
• GALILEO
your device be? Will it require tens of
megabytes or just a few bytes? WLAN LPWAN/ISM
• Range. How far away will the device be
from the base station? • Bluetooth • ZigBee

• Power consumption. How much life • Bluetooth Low • Sigfox

should your battery provide? Energy
• LoRa
• Certifications. To launch a device on a • Wi-Fi
• Weightless-P
cellular network, you need to pass all the
relevant certifications. In North America, The different wireless technologies available.

a n t e n ova.com 3
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE
Antennas
It’s the antenna that makes it wireless.
Antennas are therefore crucial components
in the Internet of Things. The diversity within
IoT reflects the availability of antennas;
antennas in a huge variety of configurations
are capable of connecting devices.
For a deeper look at the different types of
antenna, and the benefits and drawbacks
of each, download our Wireless Antennas:
Compared guide.
Surface-mounted antennas
Surface-mount device
(SMD), sometimes
known as surface mount
technology (SMT),
antennas are far and
away the most popular
type of antenna available today. These
mount directly to the PCB, and come in a
variety of shapes, sizes and materials.
These are commonly available in high-
grade dielectric laminate substrates,
ceramic, or even stamp metal. There are
some advantages that come with their use:
• SMD antennas are tiny. Some antennas
measure just a few millimetres.
• They’re low-cost and easy to assemble
using pick and place equipment.
a n t e n ova.com
• Within a compact form, they offer high
levels of performance.
As SMD antennas are inexpensive, yet offer
great performance within a compact form,
their popularity is understandable. However,
to enable a surface-mounted antenna to
perform well, the design must be optimised.
RF Modules
Like an SMD antenna,
modules can be placed
directly on the PCB. The
advantage these have
over standard surface-
mounted antennas
is that they come pre-assembled. The
antenna will already have a chip and other
key components.
These work excellently for GNSS
applications. They effectively offer a ‘drop-
in’ solution, which means that designers
do not need to spend time designing in
complex RF circuitry.
Our friends at Digi-Key have an excellent
article covering the major design
considerations when using antenna
modules. The article features the Antenova
RADIONOVA module M20050-1.
4
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

Case-mounted antennas Flexible printed circuit board (FPC)

For applications that antennas
require tiny circuit
As space-saving
boards, surface-
antennas go, FPC
mounted solutions are
antennas are probably
not always the most
the best. These
appropriate solution.
antennas have an
And, for applications that use non-RF extremely low profile yet
friendly materials – like metal – it will offer unparalleled design flexibility.
always prove difficult to achieve strong
FPC antennas are commonly deployed
wireless performance levels with an
within wearables and small handheld
embedded antenna.
devices. They can wrap around the housing
Antenova’s patented REFLECTOR of a device, all while connecting to the
technology isolates case-mounted circuit board via a single UFL connection.
antennas from noise. By using a ferrite-
Antenova’s flexiiANT antennas are
like layer the antenna can perform with
available in a variety of connection-types
minimal losses, even when mounted on
and cable lengths to enable their use within
metal.
ultra-compact devices.
With just a single connection to the circuit
board, these antennas do not require
ground plane space on the circuit board.
This frees up space for other components.
It also means the designer is more
free to place switches and other noisy
components where is most convenient.

a n t e n ova.com 5
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

Architecture layout
With any antenna, understanding where
it’s placed will impact how it performs is
essential. Particularly for an embedded
antenna, the antenna needs to be
positioned clearly away from the rest of
the circuit – otherwise noise and other
components can detune and impedance
performance.

Most antennas perform best when

positioned on the corner of the PCB.
However, there are some antennas that F U RT HER R EA D ING
operate best along the long-side edge. The
An introduction to embedded
datasheet of each antenna will detail the
antenna placement
optimum placement of the antenna, as will
the design of the evaluation board.

The gap between the casing/housing

and the antenna is also an essential
consideration. Plastic has a higher dielectric
constant than air, so placing an antenna too
close to it is likely to detune the signals.

a n t e n ova.com 6
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE
Board design
Placing the antenna on the circuit board
should be the first step in your board
design. Antennas may be the only
component that must be located in a
specific physical position on the circuit
board. This means you’ll need to consider:
• Ground plane size. Antennas use
ground planes in order to radiate
efficiently. In an antennas datasheet
and EVB, there will be a recommended
size of ground plane. This is not a
minimum, but an antenna will perform
less well under these circumstances.
• Component layout. Position noisy
and metallic components away from
antennas, where possible.
• RF coexistence. Plenty of wireless
product designs harness multiple
wireless technologies.
a n t e n ova.com
• Casing material. Metal housings are
not conducive to RF performance.
As well as the material of the casing,
screens, batteries and metallic buttons
can have RF implications. Position
these away from antennas as best as
possible. There are different solutions if
the product requires a metal casing.
• Position RF circuitry within the vicinity
of the antenna. Longer transmission
lines are more prone to reflections
and signal losses. This can reduce
performance drastically – as much as
50% of RF energy can be lost through a
transmission line.
Antennas have unique keep-out
requirements. Some suggest certain
keep-out zones which should be free of
any components.
7
“ Antennas may be the
only component that
must be located in a
specific physical position
on the circuit board.
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

Gerber design review

Prevention is better than cure. Following the completion of the first version of a board
design, the designer can make a number of checks to ensure wireless performance is
well optimised. There are several key questions to address:

Transmission Lines
1. Does the device use a suitable
transmission line?
2. Does the impedance of the transmission
line match the source and RF circuitry?
3. Are transmission lines short and
without corners (i.e. using chamfered
edges where possible)?

Matching Circuit
D ES IG N TO O L
4. Have you incorporated a matching
Transmission line calculator
circuit (such as a Pi matching circuit)
within your RF circuitry?
5. Do the values of your matching circuit
enable an impedance match?

Via placement
6. Usage: Are vias used to form a ground
fencing?
7. Spacing: the spacing between two vias
should exceed 5% of the wavelength of
the RF signals
8. SeparationWW: Are separate vias used
for each pin and pad?

a n t e n ova.com 9
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE
Design test
Verifying a device operates as expected
in the hands of consumers is a step not
to be missed. In fact, all cell carriers and
network operators will conduct testing on
devices that are to launch on their network.
In North America, due to geographic
reasons, this testing is extensive – and
the passing criteria is renowned for being
difficult. 3 out of 5 devices are thought to
fail certifications at the first attempt.
Not everyone has access to sophisticated
anechoic testing facilities – but finding
a vendor who has can drastically reduce
the time and money spent trying to
achieve certifications. Over-the-Air
testing can allow a designer to assess
the performance of a design, all without
delaying a time-to-market date.
a n t e n ova.com
Pre-production checks
Handing over finished designs to
manufacturers presents one of the final
hurdles in the design process. There are
several factors to consider while preparing a
wireless device for production, not limited to:
• Assembly. Different types of antennas
will require various forms of assembly.
Surface mount antennas are supplied
in tape-and-reel, allowing easy,
automated assembly.
• Materials. Minor changes to materials,
particularly for PCBs, can alter RF
performance.
• Manufacturing processes. Reflow
soldering and similar processes
can expose RF components to high
temperatures. Check component data
sheets prior to applying reflow processes.
10
HOW TO CREATE A GREAT WIRELESS PRODUCT: AN IN-DEPTH GUIDE

Production
In production, there are other commercial
factors that come into play. Assembly
times, component costs and production
scalability become key concerns.
For high volume products, SMD antennas
offer better value. FPC and case-mounted
antennas need to be assembled by hand.
Whereas SMD antennas can be assembled
using pick-and-place machinery.
The design cycle for wireless products
is intentionally made to begin at the
early stages of a design. By considering
antennas and RF early on, designers
are able to create an optimised design
that performs well, without unexpected
performance drops and failed certification
efforts. This means that all of these
challenges will be ironed out well in
advance of production.

Get the support you need

At Antenova, we’re dedicated to making the wireless design process seamless. Our
antennas are designed for integration, making them quick and simple to find and design in.

Share knowledge with RF experts around the world.

ask.antenova is a global forum for

designers and engineers working
with wireless technology.

V I SI T A S K . A N T E N O V A

a n t e n ova.com 11