Dual Band Mobile Antennas or Broadband Mobile Antennas

by

Mobile Mark

It wasn t so long ago that we were excited at the notion that our wireless devices operated on not just one, but two different frequency bands.

As an Antenna Manufacturer, this meant that we needed to introduce dual band mobile antennas that would allow users to achieve optimal communications on both the US Cellular AMPS band at 850 MHz and the new US Digital PCS band at 1900 MHz. It was no small feat to be able to combine operations on each band in the dual band mobile antenna. Special care had to be taken to make sure that signals on the two bands did not interfere with each other.

The next challenge came when cellular users wanted equipment that operated in both the US and Europe. The demand for dual band mobile antennas became a demand for quad band mobile antennas. It was no longer sufficient to cover just the 850 & 1900 MHz band as would be necessary for a US dual band mobile antennas, it was now desirable to cover the US bands and the European bands in effect combining a dual band mobile antenna for the US market with a dual band mobile antenna for the European market so that 850 & 1900 MHz were covered for the US and 925 & 1800 MHz were covered for Europe. The unit might be used in only one country but the ability to have a single inventory made quad band models a viable option.

A growing number of handheld phones as well as cellular modems for commercial use were entering the market. Some were entirely self-contained, but others were designed to take advantage of accessories that would enhance the device s performance. For consumer use, hands-free car kits were introduced. These devices consisted of a coupling device in the car into which the phone was attached. The signal from the phone then traveled by cable to an external quad band or dual band mobile antenna. The presence of the external antenna provided a clearer signal which improved the user s experience.

On the commercial side, cellular modems were developed for more strictly data applications. These modems were used to transmit critical data, often from remote locations. Cellular phones were notorious for dropping calls and therefore the cellular modems were designed to minimize this risk since the data they were transmitting was generally time sensitive and critical. These cellular modems were almost always attached to externally quad band or dual band mobile antennas to ensure a stronger signal.

In the last few years the wireless markets have become even more complex. With the growing demand for bandwidth and wireless capacity, additional spectrum has been released for auction. In the US, auctions have been held for three significant swatches of spectrum. Specifically, auctions were held for the AWS 1.7 & 2.1 GHz bands, the 700 MHz band, and the 2.5-2.7 GHz band.

It has been interesting to watch these markets roll out. A number of carriers/operators who have been using the 850 & 1900 MHz bands won spectrum in some of these bands. As a result, different carriers have access to different pieces of the new wireless puzzle.

In the past, all of the Cellular Carriers had access to the same bands of spectrum at 850 & 1900 MHz. Phones, radios and dual band mobile antennas that worked for one Carrier would work for all the Carriers.

But today, different Carriers own or have access to different spectrum. AT&T for example, has access to 700 MHz as well as 850 & 1900 MHz. T-Mobile, the company that AT&T hopes to acquire, has access to the AWS spectrum at 1.7 & 2.1 GHz as well as to the traditional cellular bands at 850 & 1900 MHz. Sprint/Clearwire has access to 2.5-2.7 GHz as well as 850 & 1900 MHz. These are just three operators; there are many others that also have a mix of spectrum in their hip pocket.

There is a lot of buzz in the industry about new systems and new speeds, so we know that these companies are activity rolling out new systems. Which raises the question: is there still a role for the dual band mobile antennas? The answer in a nutshell: maybe.

An increasing large variety of wireless applications are springing up in markets that have traditionally been hard wired. From Smart meters to Vending machines to Video games, creative market leaders are figuring out way to use wireless to gain a market edge.

Taking wireless from concept to practice involves hardware, software and a communication channel; different aspects but all intertwined. There is no one combination that will work for all applications. Some companies will have narrowly defined data transmission demands. For example, remote monitoring stations may only need to transmit a small amount of data at any one time. The network designer for these networks may opt for modems that operate only on the established cellular bands at 850 & 1900 MHz bands. A dual band mobile antenna, such as the Mobile Mark RM-900/1900, can easily be modified to serve as a reliable communication point for this kind of fixed monitoring point.

Other companies will have massive amounts of data to transmit and will need the broadband capacity that is only possible with the newest cellular technologies. These technologies are often identified by the protocol such as 4G, LTE, HSPA+ or WiMAX. These newer technologies may operate on a variety of frequency bands. Further, the specific bands used may very well vary by geography and operator. The cellular modem may transmit on HSPA+ at 850 MHz in one community and then on LTE 700 MHz in another.

For companies who need to transmit large quantities of data, a dual band mobile antennas will not be optimal. These companies may need a broadband antenna that can operate on multiple frequencies, drawing from the established 850 & 1900 MHz cellular bands to the new LTE bands at 700 MHz, the new 4G AWS bands at 1.7 & 2.1 GHz or the new WiMAX bands at 2.5 GHz. These companies will benefit from a broadband antenna, such as the Mobile Mark RM-WLF-1C, that can operate efficiently from 694-894 MHz and from 1.7-2.7 GHz.

It is pretty exciting to see how the wireless networks have evolved over time. There are so many more options today than even a few years ago. But it is important to match the application with the correct level of technology. Even today there are many applications that will be well served with dual band modems rather than broadband modems. From an antenna manufacturer s perspective, we will continue to support customers with both dual band mobile antennas and broadband mobile antennas.

About Mobile Mark, Inc.:

Mobile Mark, Inc. designs and manufactures site, mobile and device antennas for 137 MHz 10 GHz. Applications include GPS Tracking and Fleet Management, Cellular GSM/CDMA, LTE, WiMAX, WiFi, RFID, Public Safety, Military and Machine-to-Machine (M2M). Engineering and custom design services are available. Mobile Mark s global headquarters, which includes research facilities and manufacturing plant, are located near Chicago, IL. An additional manufacturing and sales facility is located near Birmingham, UK. More information on our dual band mobile antennas is available on our website.

If you are looking for more information on

dual band mobile antennas Please visit

www.mobilemark.com

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com