Antenna Performance Basics
By Banner Engineering
In this new age of wireless technology, controls and automation engineers are increasingly asked to evaluate and install wireless sensing and monitoring systems into a wide range of environments. To take advantage of the flexibility, reliability, and ease of installation that wireless networks offer, engineers must familiarize themselves with new technology and new terminology, especially related to the antennas used in wireless systems. The antenna is an important component of a wireless network. The proper antenna can optimize the range and reliability of a radio network while the wrong antenna causes high-performance wireless devices to appear to stop operating.
This white paper will give controls and automation engineers the basic knowledge of key performance characteristics used to analyze antenna performance within the installation environments. These metrics include an understanding of:
- Antenna types and performance,
- Gain,
- Power and decibels, and
- Link margin calculations
White Paper: Antenna Performance Basics