This text is machine translated.
Useful information about mobile phone antennas
Can be reached everywhere with the mobile phone – a wish that is still unfulfilled due to weak antenna signals in the mobile phone. The built-in mobile phone antenna is always a compromise between size and performance. In regions with poor reception, an additional antenna can make a lot of difference. Our guide will help you find the right external antenna.
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What was a mobile phone antenna?
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How does a mobile phone antenna work?
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Types of mobile phone antennas and their application areas
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Our practical tip: Mounting surface
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What was to be observed when using mobile phone antennas?
What was a mobile phone antenna?
In modern mobile devices, a powerful LTE antenna is permanently installed, which meets the most requirements. Additional antennas come into play when there are unfavorable transmission and reception conditions. In order to communicate with an external mobile phone antenna, the mobile device must have an appropriate connection. This was often the case with older models, even because the mobile network did not have the same coverage a few years ago, as is the case today. The first mobile networks also used frequencies that could only be managed with larger antennas. Such additional antennas are connected to the mobile phone via a standardized plug or screw connection.
Multi-band antenna with magnetic base for easy installation
Another important area of application is in the automotive sector, specifically in the release of the mobile radio transmission signal from vehicle interiors. This is not only done to protect the occupants from aerial radiation, but also to be able to transmit or receive full power without restrictions by the Faraday "vehicle" cage.
There are suitable holders (snap-in) for many mobile devices, which can also pick up the antenna signal via the available connections and also offer a hands-free and charging function for the mobile phone. The antennas are firmly mounted on the outside of the car body. Inside the vehicle, an antenna cable leads to the desired connection location.
Temporarily usable mobile radio antennas have a magnetic base for placing on the vehicle roof or rear. Such antenna cables are carried out on the rubber seals of a vehicle door or the tailgate. This variant can of course only be used with a magnetically effective body.
Even with WLAN routers, additional antennas come into play in order to be able to optimally exploit the potential performance of the router. Antennas used for vehicles with mobile telephony and WLAN functionality are equipped with several radiators in one housing in order to be able to operate the different frequency ranges.
How does a mobile phone antenna work?
The antenna is a crucial part of a radio connection. The voice, text, or photo signals generated in a mobile device are first converted to digital data and then to a high-frequency electromagnetic wave. This shaft serves as a transport medium.
The antenna acts as an interface between the transmitter and receiver via the transmission medium, the free space in which the transmitted signal spreads. The purpose of the antenna is to extract the high-frequency signal as an electromagnetic wave into the environment or to couple it from there into the receiver.
The antenna itself works as an emitter with its own directional characteristic. The directional characteristic makes a statement about the direction in which the radiated antenna signal has what strength. When receiving the signal, the direction with the highest radiation intensity is also the one with the highest reception strength.
High-performance directional antenna for the house roof or an antenna mast
Wall antenna for GSM and UMTS installed in a housing
For mobile applications, a circular or fan-shaped emission characteristic is important in order to be able to pick up or release a signal in any position of the receiver. When antennas are permanently installed, a directivity is desirable in order to achieve a good signal strength with low power.
The mechanical dimensions of an antenna are directly related to the wavelengths to be processed. This means that different antennas are required for different frequencies. With special designs, the combination of different antenna modules in one housing, logarithmic periodic antennas, one often has many frequency ranges "under control" with one antenna.
The high frequencies common in mobile telephony allow the construction of very small antennas, which are almost invisible as housing components, such as housing frames.
Types of mobile phone antennas and their application areas
Mobile technology has undergone rapid development. The analogueue C network set at the end of 2000 used frequencies around 460 megahertz with the correspondingly large (external) antennas and clunky end devices. With the increasing demands on mobile communication, other frequency bands were needed to transport the large amounts of data.
You can find the current mobile radio standards as selection criteria in our online shop. They are still distinguished by frequency ranges. Here is a small overview:
- GSM: The Global System for Mobile Communications is the world's most widely used standard for fully digital mobile networks. GSM (2G) is used for telephony, text messages and data.
- UMTS: Universal Mobile Telecommunications System is the third-generation mobile phone standard (3G). Higher data transfer rates are possible here.
- LTE: Long Term Evolution, as LTE-Advanced or 4G, offers data rates of up to 1,200 megabits per second in the upper UHF range of about 700 to 2,600 megahertz.
For the sake of completeness, WiFi is also mentioned here: The transmission of WLAN signals takes place on 2.4 or 5 gigahertz with different channel widths. This is represented by lower case letters below the IEEE 802.11 standard. Some LTE antennas in our online shop cover these areas.
Antenna gain
The antenna gain expresses the directivity and efficiency of an antenna and is expressed in decibels (dB). Antennas with a high gain are always highly directional.
Antenna type
This category helps you to decide where to install and how to mount the mobile phone antenna, even when used on motor vehicles or when attaching it to masts.
Our practical tip: Mounting surface
When using mobile radio antennas with a magnetic base, pay attention to clean surfaces both on the car body and on the actual magnetic base to avoid damage to the paintwork.
What was to be observed when using mobile phone antennas?
The plastic surfaces of the antennas should be kept free of contamination to increase the service life of the plastic and not negatively influence the efficiency of the antenna.
Close unused antenna connections. Plastic caps are often supplied to protect against contamination.
When laying the antenna cable in a car, the cable must not be damaged by sharp-edged body parts or too tight sealing elements must be squeezed. However, the antenna cable should not interfere with the function of a rubber seal.