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•White Paper: Practical Antenna Choices For 802.15.4 Enabled Consumer Electronics

By Doug Shade, Freescale Semiconductor

Since being ratified in 2003, the wireless communications standard IEEE 802.15.4 has enjoyed a steadily increasing uptake rate. New and inventive industrial, medical, security and other specialized applications continue to be regularly introduced, employing either open or proprietary protocols riding atop the lower level network layers prescribed by the standard. With mature tools, cost reduced silicon and significant design momentum behind the standard, 802.15.4 enabled products are now set to flood the consumer market space. ZigBee RF4CE is the primary protocol that will power this next wave of deployment.

While 802.15.4 defines channels in the 868 MHz, 915 MHz, and 2.4 GHz bands, the two lower bands are typically employed only in region specific and special cases. The upper channels, 11 through 26, residing in the 2.4 GHz ISM band (Industrial, Scientific and Medical), are the heavy favorites around the world. There are several IC manufacturers that offer turn-key solutions for enabling your next design with a ZigBee RF4CE communications channel, but the recommended antenna may not be optimal to your particular application. There are many variables to consider when integrating an antenna into your design, and this is often unfamiliar design territory for many of us. This article will inventory the fundamental parameters involved in antenna selection and design and present a few of the more popular antenna strategies for 802.15.4 enabled consumer products.

Click Here To Download:
•White Paper: Practical Antenna Choices For 802.15.4 Enabled Consumer Electronics