4G / 5G antennas for street cabinets and enclosures

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.