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4G / 5G Antennas for street cabinets and enclosures are increasingly common as wireless applications based on 4G and 5G proliferate. The need for 4G and 5G enabled control, monitoring and telemetry is ever increasing and street cabinets are being connected for a variety of uses.

Remote monitoring for water utilities including the transfer of water level, flow and pollution data, metering and measurement for electricity and status monitoring for gas networks are some of the applications that need 4G and 5G connectivity.

But what are the necessary features for a cabinet mounted antenna and why won’t an internal antenna just do instead?

Let’s answer the second question first. As most street cabinets are metal enclosures, the cabinet wall limits the 4G / 5G signal that an internal antenna could receive. Therefore, the continuity of the wireless application is at risk if the internal antenna can only pick up a weak or even intermittent signal.

So, if antenna mounted on the outside of the cabinet is the way forward, what do we need to bear in mind when deploying such antennas?

There are 4 key considerations when installing antennas onto street cabinets and enclosures:

Mounting – This a critical issue for a secure and robust installation. The method of mounting the antenna must be reliable and durable. This can often be achieved by through-hole permanent mounting whereby a threaded stud at the bottom of the antenna is passed through hole in the cabinet and is locked in place by nut tightened from inside. When choosing an antenna for through-hole mount, it is good to consider the solidity of the mounting stud as this will help determine the longevity of the installation.

Weatherproofing – Making sure that the antenna is resistant to the all the conditions the weather can throw at it is also important. When mounting the antenna in a through-hole installation, is there a durable gasket on the bottom of the antenna to make a watertight seal? Is the antenna enclosure at least IP67 rated? Is the antenna radome UV-resistant? Having to revisit site because the antenna (and in turn, the cabinet) has not survived a heavy downpour is really undesirable.

Low Profile – in open environments, 4G / 5G antennas mounted on street enclosures can be subject to deliberate vandalism or quite often non-malicious abuse (for example, think school children absent-mindedly prodding, poking, banging the antenna on the cabinet whilst waiting for the schoolbus). Therefore, a low profile, discreet antenna is usually the best option for reducing the visibility of a wireless installation.  In some cases, the lower the profile the better as an unobtrusive antenna deployment reduces the risk of damage which often interrupts wireless system performance.

RF Performance – Last, but not least, especially for sites where network coverage is a bit patchy, the RF performance of the antenna is important. For low profile antennas, there is typically a trade-off between antenna height and antenna performance. For metal enclosures and cabinets, it is worth checking that the antenna performs well mounted onto a groundplane. A good example of the trade off is the comparison between the AllDisc and SmartDisc low profile antennas. Both antennas are robust, through-hole mounted, low profile antennas. The SmartDisc is smaller than the AllDisc, but the AllDisc performs significantly better. We have both these low profile antennas installed on many cabinets and enclosures in the field and choosing which one is very much a determined by the location, environment and demands of the site.

For assistance on choosing an antenna for street cabinet installation, whether 4G or 5G or both, whether SISO or MIMO, talk to us for assistance.

For UK customers, you can purchase the AllDisc and SmartDisc antennas online for immediate dispatch.

5G external antennas are necessary when your 5G router does not receive sufficient signal where it is installed. If you are not able relocate your router to a position where it can receive sufficient signal, then you will probably need an external antenna.

An external antenna will typically attach via one, two or four coaxial cables to antenna connectors on your router. Most 5G routers* have connectors for attaching external antennas, the most common connector for this is SMA.

So, if the location where you want to install your 5G has insufficient signal for a stable connection, apart from the common parameters like gain and directionality, what are some key considerations for using an external antenna?

1. Distance from the router and cable selection – is there a location close to the 5G router with a better or good 5G signal? The word close is doing some heavy lifting as it will depend on what kind of low loss cable you can use to connect up the antenna. A 400 type cable like LMR400 or RF400 will typically facilitate the external antenna being installed up to 25 to 30 metres from the router. 400 type cable is approximately 10.3mm in diameter and some find it a little heavy and cumbersome, but it offers excellent RF performance. Using 240 type cable such as RF240 low loss coax will allow an antenna up to 15 metres from the router. 240 cable is 6.2mm diameter and is relatively light and flexible. Coaxial cables with a small diameter typically have inferior RF properties and cables runs with these may only achieve 5m before the attenuation/loss across the cable negates any benefit of using an external antenna. Choosing your low loss cable effectively can determine how far away from router you can install your antenna.
2. Mounting method – the type of antenna you choose often reflects the mounting method available to install the antenna. Wall-mount, pole-mount, magnetic mount, adhesive mount, through-hole permanent enclosure mount are some of the options. Each option can have some advantages and disadvantages. Wall and pole mount antennas are usually a little larger with better RF performance whereas through-hole mount antennas are typically lower profile and more discreet for environments where deliberate damage is possible. For 5G access, marrying a 5G external wall or pole mount antenna with a 10M RF240 or 20M RF400 cable is quite common as the antenna generally sits a good distance away from the router.
3. Waterproofing / Outdoor suitable antennas – If you are installing an external antenna outdoors and subject to the weather, it is worth considering whether the antenna you are selecting is truly built for long term outdoor deployment. Some budget antennas are clearly not built to handle a few months of continuous outdoor deployment. You can check specifications to see if the antenna specification states IP66 or IP67 ingress protection and if the antenna radome is UV resistant. Also, you can use common sense when looking at a potential antenna choices to assess the quality of the materials used and how the antenna is designed. Sometimes it is fairly obvious that an external antenna is not going to last long when the rain is hammering down.
4. Connector type and how many – before choosing a 5G external antenna and low loss cable(s), double check the antenna connectors on your router. Depending on the type of router, you might need to connect up to four antenna ports for maximum performance. A single port, 2 port MIMO or 4 port MIMO might be required to match the number of antenna ports to the router. In addition, the physical connector on the router needs to be confirmed. As mentioned previously, the most common option is SMA, but others such as TNC or N-type connectors are possible.

For more information or assistance with selecting the correct 5G external antennas for you application, talk to EAD. You can e-mail us at sales@ead-ltd.com.

*please note that some 5G routers do not have external antenna connectors

Wireless CCTV antennas offering 5G connectivity for remote security.

CCTV is critical for many commercial sites for security purposes. From providing a clear and visible deterrent to recording proof of crime and vandalism against a business, the case in compelling. For installations where fixed telecoms are not available or desirable, use of 4G and 5G means that higher definition images can be streamed over cellular networks.

To do this a reliable 4G and 5G connection is required. A poor quality antenna or one that is not installed correctly can critically impact the success of fully operational wireless CCTV systems.

Mobile wireless CCTV systems are designed to address applications such as construction sites, events and concerts where permanent infrastructure is not available. Having flexible 4G and 5G antennas than can be mounted in a variety of positions using a number of methods can be the difference between a successful or unsuccessful mobile CCTV system. Lower profile antennas such as the LMO6138 can reduce the overall height of the mobile CCTV trailer whilst providing antenna diversity and three different mounting options.

Fixed Wireless CCTV systems such as ones mounted on buildings and property can typically use fixed broadband networks for connectivity. However, it some cases having 4G /5G networks as redundancy in case of broadband unavailability or using 4G/5G so that the CCTV uses fully independent communications have some advantages. In these cases, selecting the correct antenna in terms of gain, mounting type (pole, wall or enclosure) as well as specifying the correct low loss coaxial cables is crucial. Our team at EAD Antennas can help with these considerations and assist you in arriving at the correct antenna solution for your CCTV system.

Overall, using a well thought out solution for your CCTV system is a must for optimal image quality transmission. Whether the wireless CCTV antenna you need has two 4G/5G antenna ports or four, whether it needs to be low profile and discreet or whether you need to maximise the gain, EAD Antennas has a suitable antenna. Contact us so we can work together to deploy the right antenna for your wireless CCTV installation.

MHF4 cable assemblies. Why do you need them? Many compact GNSS and cellular modules are using MHF4 coaxial connectors onto which to attach an antenna cable. To begin, let’s look at why MHF4 is being used by module vendors:

Very small footprint – MHF4 is significantly smaller than other connectors, making it ideal for compact PCBs and space-constrained devices.

Low profile – The connector sits pretty flush to the PCB, which is useful in thin products such as routers, laptops, gateways and tracking devices.

Good RF performance – MHF4 connectors are designed for high-frequency applications and can ably support the frequencies used by modern cellular, Wi-Fi and GNSS systems.

Lightweight – The small connector and thin coaxial cable are useful where weight matters.

Easy assembly – The cable simply snaps onto the PCB connector, making it practical for production assembly.

Widely used in wireless modules – Many 5G and GNSS modules have MHF4 miniature RF connectors.

Because the MHF4 snaps on to the mating connector, it is designed for semi-permanent connection unlike SMA, for example, which lends itself better to repeated connect and disconnect actions.

I want to connect my antenna to a MHF4 connector on a module, what options are there?

The first option is a Direct PCB-to-antenna connection – An MHF4-to-MHF4 cable can connect a PCB-mounted radio module directly to an internal antenna without needing a larger connector. The cable length in this scenario is often very short, perhaps 40 or 50mm in overall length and connectors may face the same way or one may face up and the other down.

The second option is a MHF4 to panel mount connector which is mounted through the wall of an enclosure (or device).  This enables attachment of an external antenna. A common example is MHF4 to SMA-Female Panel mount connector enabling the connection of highly available SMA-Male terminated antennas and antenna cables to the module via the MHF4/SMA cable.

For a standard MHF4 to SMA-Female panel mount configuration, cable lengths of approximately 200mm are very popular. However, cable lengths can be customised to application requirements, 100mm, 150mm and 250mm are also frequent requests

It might be also worth considering if the SMA-Female panel mount connector might need an o-ring to make a watertight seal against the enclosure wall enabling a level of ingress protection standard SMA-Female panel mount connectors do not offer. Check out our M2MAC-MHF-20-SFPNON cable for example.

The MHF4 cable assemblies can offer limited other coaxial connections included RP-SMA, FME and TNC. Please contact us for more details on this.

Need help in selecting the right MHF4 cable for your application? Talk to EAD.

When installing a 5G (or 4G) outdoor antenna often the antenna might have an integral 5M or 10M cable or alternatively you might need to use low loss coaxial cables in longer runs to connect the antenna to the router. Whichever option you are using, analysing the cable type and the length of the cable to ensure you are introducing too much loss into the system is important.

We often see that 5G and 4G outdoor antennas with integral 5M cables use lower quality coaxial cable that exhibit losses per metre far in excess of better quality cables. In some cases, the coaxial cable used on the antenna might almost negate what the antenna can deliver in gain. For example, an outdoor antenna with 3 dBi gain at 900 MHz that uses a typical 5M RG58 cable will have 2.1 dB to 2.6 dB loss across the cable run, leaving an effective gain of 0.4 to 0.9 dB. Using a 10M integral RG58 cable would mean that the cable losses would exceed the antenna gain in this instance.

At higher frequencies such as 1800 MHz, the losses across RG58 are much greater than at 900 MHz meaning that it is also good to know which exact bands your 5G / 4G system is running on so you can better calculate the effectiveness of your antenna installation.

Using a RF240 low loss cable over 5M, the loss across the cable is approximately 1.25 dB and over 10M 2.5 dB. RF240 is 1mm larger in diameter than RG58, but the electrical properties are far superior especially for longer cable runs or higher frequencies. Therefore, it might worth considering an antenna with a coaxial connector termination (check our FGO-Max as an example) and using a hjgher grade extension cable to maximise the effective gain in the system.

Furthermore, for even longer coaxial cable runs, you could deploy 400 type cable. This is typically 10.2mm in diameter, but the loss per metre specifications are very good. Particularly ideal for 15M, 20M and 25M cable runs, RF400 cables would exhibit approximately half the losses of RF240 at 900 MHz i.e. 0.66 dB for a 5M cable run. Therefore, at 15M you would need to factor in approximately a 2 dB loss at 900 MHz.

Another issue with integral cables on external antennas is what to do with excess cable? What do you do if you only need 3M or 7M cables, but the standard configurations for the antennas offer 5M or 10M cables? Excess cable in the installation means unnecessary loss (and also coiled excess cable looks very unsightly!). Using custom length low loss cables means using only the exact cable length you need thereby improving efficiency in the system.

Need further help with your 5G and 4G antenna installation and low loss coaxial cable selection? Talk to EAD. We will be happy to help you make the right selection.

Remote water monitoring is crucial for protecting a critical resource. From managing remote reservoirs and pumping stations, environmental monitoring and flood alerting systems, the ability to use telemetry via wireless communications is now standard practice.

Remote water monitoring systems using sensors to collect information, such as water level, pressure, flow, pollution levels and pump status, transmit over wireless networks.

However, even the best monitoring equipment depends on a stable wireless connection.  Whether using cellular, LoRWAN or other wireless networks, a poorly installed or unsuitable antenna leads to ineffective communications including weak signal, intermittent connections or costly return site visits.

This is where our team at EAD Antennas can help.

We supply a range of antennas ideal for water monitoring applications, helping engineers and installers deploy the right antenna for each installation.

For remote installations, we consider factors including such as antenna gain, frequency range, cable length and mounting location which are critical in arriving at the correct antenna for the job. Getting these details right can help maximise signal reliability and keep monitoring systems working when they are needed most.

Whether monitoring a water tank on a farm, a pumping station, an industrial water system or a remote reservoir, dependable wireless connectivity can provide valuable real-time information without requiring unnecessary site visits.

A good antenna installation is often only a small part of the remote water monitoring system, but it can make a big difference to its reliability and effectiveness. Whether it is a surface-mount antenna for manholes or an antenna for pole-mounting, we have a solution.

If you’re designing or maintaining a remote water monitoring system and need help selecting a good and dependable antenna, we can help you in choosing the right one for your installation. Contact us for help today.

If you’re not sure what antenna you need for 4G, 5G, IoT, GNSS, or WiFi applications, talk to EAD. Across our portfolio, we have pole-mount, wall-mount, magnetic mount, rail-mount, surface-mount, enclosure mount and terminal mount antennas.

Typical applications for our antennas include:

Remote water monitoring

Wireless CCTV

Security Systems

Vehicle Telematics

Industrial Telemetry

Utility street cabinets

Leisure marine

We can assist you with making the correct antenna selection for your application. When identifying the correct antenna it is helpful to understand the following:

Frequency / technology
Radio/modem used
Indoor or outdoor
Required cable length
Connector
Mounting method
Application

Armed with this information we will endeavour to offer an antenna that is a good fit for your application from our own portfolio or one from one of our antenna partners.

Please feel free to contact us at sales@ead-ltd.com

The GNSS Multi-Constellation Antenna HIGAIN-RTK has been relaunched by EAD. Suitable for surveying, measurement and positioning applications, the HIGAIN-RTK multi-constellation antenna is housed in a revamped white UV-resistant ASA radome with a black ASA base.

The HIGAIN-RTK multi-constellation GNSS antenna is designed for high accuracy positioning applications supporting GPS L1, L2 and L5, GLONASS, Galileo and BeiDou.

Designed for pipe-mounted, continuous outdoor applications, the HIGAIN-RTK antenna is waterproof to IP67 and terminated in a N-Female connector. In the base of the antenna, there is a 1-14 UNF thread for mounting. The antenna can mount onto a threaded pipe or a deck, pole or rail mount that has the matching 1-14 thread.

The updated GNSS Multi-Constallation antenna, the HIGAIN-RTK, is shipping now.

The FGO-MAX 5G Omni is a new high gain antenna from EAD. Expanding our 5G omni antenna offering, the FGO-MAX is a single port, wall- or pole-mountable fibreglass omni.

Based on our proven FGO (4G omni) design, this new antenna operates across a wide frequency range from 600-4200 MHz. Supplied with its own wall/pole mounting bracket, the installation is made more robust by way of 3 M3 screws attaching the antenna to the bracket. With gain in the low band of 3 dBi and 6 dBi in the upper bands, the FGO-Max delivers superior performance across the supported frequency range.

Ideal for 5G access, utilities, telemetry and remote access, the FGO-Max is designed for continuous outdoor deployment based on a design that has been deployed for years with great success.

The FGO-Max antenna is terminated in a N-Female connector and mates to low loss coaxial cables such as RF240 and RF400.

For more information on the FGO-Max and other EAD 5G antennas, please contact us.