Antenna, EMI & EMC Solutions for Industrial IoT Hardware

Devices are shrinking, but demands for faster wireless connectivity, broader coverage, and support for advanced standards are expanding making it increasingly challenging to fit high-performance antennas and wireless components into compact designs. 

Enclosures are often constructed from metal, which can significantly degrade antenna performance by blocking and detuning antennas or reflecting electromagnetic waves. As a result, metal enclosures interfere with radio signals and reduce communication range significantly.

PCB designs are often densely packed, which increases the chances of self-inflicted electrical interference, known as noise coupling, between adjacent traces and components. This interference can disrupt signal integrity and detune sensitive analog circuits, such as RF amplifiers or filters, by unintentionally altering their intended frequencies. As a result, overall device performance may be compromised, especially in high-frequency or precision applications.

In manufacturing plants and chemical processing facilities, industrial environments introduce interference—which can disrupt signal transmission—and reflections that cause signal distortion. ATEX requirements mandate strict safety standards for equipment used in explosive atmospheres, while harsh EMC conditions can result in equipment malfunction or unreliable operation. 

Certification labs are expensive, and failing electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing late in the process can lead to costly redesigns and project delays. Early preparation and testing are crucial to avoid these setbacks and keep your project on track.

Are you connecting your sensors with a mesh network to lower network infrastructure costs and unit density? BLE, Wirepas and DECT NR+ mesh are popular choices and well suited for compact sensors, but packed PCB and metallic casing will provide a challenge that Radientum can help you solve.

Regardless of the technology you have chosen, you want to maximize the antenna performance to increase connection reliability and extend maintenance interval by maximizing battery life. No matter if you are tracking cargo containers all over the world or instruments in the factory. They are connected!

Reliable connectivity is essential for industrial gateways. Integrating numerous radios and features such as Bluetooth Angle of Arrival (BT AoA), WiFi, and 5G presents interoperability challenges, which Radientum is especially equipped to address even before any prototypes are built.

Durability is paramount for handheld devices in industrial setting. If you have ATEX thrown into the mix, you will face material choices that can destroy your antenna performance. Radientum characterise exotic materials before using them in simulations and thus provide you the feedback for your materials choices to succeed.