IoT Panel Antenna | 900-930MHz 11dBi Gain

An 11 dBi directional panel for 900-930 MHz LPWAN and IoT networks, on a 370 x 370 x 20 mm plate weighing 2.5 kg. The horizontal beam is 55 degrees and the vertical beam 50 degrees, VSWR is at or below 1.5 across the band, and the single port is an N-Type female connector. It is intended for gateways whose sensors lie along a road, a corridor or a perimeter rather than around the site.

When direction beats gain

An omni gateway spreads its power around a circle, which is efficient when sensors surround the site and wasteful when they all lie along a road or a corridor. A panel concentrates the same power into 55 degrees, adding 11 dBi in that direction and rejecting interference from the rest of the site.

For a linear asset such as a water main, a pipeline, a rail corridor or a row of meters along a street, the panel is the better gateway antenna even though the omni figure looks more flexible. The narrower pattern also reduces the number of distant sensors that join and then drop, which is a common source of network churn in LoRa deployments.

Fifty-five degrees at 900 MHz

At 55 degrees the beam covers about 104 m of width at 100 m and 521 m at 500 m. For a corridor or a road, that is wide enough to include sensors on both sides and narrow enough to exclude the parallel street behind the buildings.

The 50 degree vertical beam is almost as wide, so the panel does not require careful downtilt. Mounted at 10 m, coverage begins about 9 m in front of the panel and continues to the radio horizon on a clear path.

Twenty millimetres deep

The plate is only 20 mm deep, which is unusually thin for an antenna of this size and makes it suitable for mounting on a wall, a cabinet side or a gantry where a deeper housing would foul the structure. The thin profile also reduces the bracket offset and therefore the moment on the fixings.

At 2.5 kg the panel is light enough for a single person to install, but the 370 mm square face is still a wind sail. Clamp at both fixing points and keep at least 200 mm clearance behind the plate where the mounting surface is metal.

Choosing between this and an omni

If the gateway is at the centre of a district and the sensors are spread around it, an omni is the correct antenna. If the sensors lie in one or two directions, one or two panels will outperform the omni at the same mounting height, because the gain is concentrated where it is used.

Two panels at 90 degrees to each other are a common configuration for a gateway serving an L-shaped site. The 55 degree beam of each panel leaves a small gap at the corner, which is usually acceptable because the sensors near the corner are closest to the gateway.

Ordering

N-Type female is standard, with radome colour and packing quantity confirmed at order. Samples in 3-5 days, production in 15-25 days.

Where the site needs full 360 degree coverage, the 8 dBi IoT omni antenna uses a 1540 mm radome with a 16 degree vertical beam. Where the application is RFID rather than LPWAN, the 13 dBi 915 MHz RFID panel antenna offers a narrower beam for portal use.

Send the sensor distribution, the gateway height and the interferers on site. The distribution decides whether a panel or an omni is the right choice, and that decision comes before the gain figure is discussed.