Six basic design rules for any antenna design

When it comes to meeting requirements for good antenna design, there are a few fundamental steps you can take to ensure the design is error-free and ready for the next phase.

1. Plan antenna architecture

• Antenna conception for your wireless product should start at the beginning of the project, rather than at the end
• The choice and placement of antennas, especially in multi-antenna products, is crucial to achieving optimal system performance.

2. Simulate antenna performance before even the first

• Antenna simulation is a great tool for estimating its performance such as return loss, efficiencies, 3D radiation pattern…etc with full mechanics.
• One can simulate multiple antenna solutions to your products in no time and choose the best both from cost and performance
• Old fashioned trail and error method might be very expensive after all and risk product failure at wireless certifications.

3. Don’t follow vendor data sheet blindly, the most expensive antenna out there might not be the best choice, you can save big bucks, a simple trace and well-designed antenna might work well

4. Grounding vias are vital for good RF performance

5. Test and ensure

6. Materials of your enclosure will affect your performance; you need to take those into account