Virtual Antenna® technology: The secret used by thousands of IoT product engineers

The antenna is at the heart of the communication era where we are immersed. It is the core of every single wireless device. Without a high-performing antenna, an IoT device simply cannot function. It directly impacts crucial factors such as connectivity, data transmission and reception, battery life, and coverage. Any device that can be imagined can be connected, and an antenna is required for enabling these connections.

That’s precisely why the antenna design industry has seen rapid evolution in recent decades. Starting with external antennas, only present in mobile phones in the early 90’s supporting only limited cellular communication, up to internal antennas now seen in the myriad of devices in the market today. These antennas cater to a variety of communication standards including cellular, GNSS, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, LPWAN, Zigbee, Z-Wave and more, all designed for different applications and use cases in different segments like asset tracking, telematics, healthcare, and others. The challenges faced in antenna design are huge and they will continue to grow.

Virtual Antenna^® technology was conceived precisely to become a game changer in this ecosystem. Our vision is a unique antenna solution that works for any device, any frequency with a seamless integration process that enhances, simplifies, and accelerates IoT designs. Any RF/antenna engineer, any IoT designer, can benefit from the advantages of having a custom antenna solution in an off-the-shelf chip with a friction-free and reliable integration process.

The antenna design industry has reached several significant milestones throughout history, with Ignion playing a key role in these advancements. Ignion’s contributions include innovative solutions for integrating external antennas within wireless devices without sacrificing performance. They have evolved antenna technology from single band to multiband operation, addressing the complex challenges of having multiple antennas in a single device. These antennas operate across various frequency bands and communication standards, all while adhering to the stringent size and form factor limitations of vast array of modern wireless devices.

In the coming years, we see these and other antenna design challenges continuing to grow. In the world of IoT devices, there are many differences to consider: size, communication standard,  target audiences, markets, and use cases. This makes the market quite fragmented and complex. With the IoT industry to grow significantly with over 25 billion devices projected by 2025, there’s an urgent need for a standard antenna component that can easily meet the requirements of IoT designers. Additionally, there’s a need for a standard integration process that is simple, reliable, fast, efficient, and cost-effective. It is this big challenge ahead that Virtual Antenna^® technology wants to overcome to ensure the success of every single wireless connection in this IoT longtail.

Virtual Antenna^® technology removes the pain points found in other custom antenna designs and integration processes by providing a miniature and standard antenna component capable of being integrated inside any wireless device without requiring the customization of the antenna part. The antenna part remains the same and can be easily tuned to the operating frequency bands through the matching network circuit to accommodate the antenna performance to the requirements. We can say that through a fully circuit-based antenna design, Virtual Antenna^® technology provides custom performance in an off-the-shelf chip.

Virtual Antenna^® technology is ideal for any wireless device and any wireless communication protocol. There is no need to change the design every time a new operating frequency needs to be supported by the device, or every time the solution needs to be deployed in a different market. The heart of the design can be re-used and Virtual Antenna^® technology can easily adapt to the new requirements through the adjustment of its tuning circuit.

Beyond the technological advantages, there are also procurement advantages, as the same antenna part number can be used in many different designs for covering different wireless services, thus getting the financial benefits of economy of scale.

In addition, these surface mount chip components can be assembled in production using conventional pick-and-place machinery, saving production costs, and increasing quality and reliability to the final device.

Why dedicate valuable time and resources to custom antenna solutions with costly NREs or resonant SMD antenna components that may not fully leverage the maximum radiation potential of your device or scale effectively for various designs or markets?

Imagine a design house managing multiple RF/antenna challenges for different IoT devices, each with unique operating requirements. Instead of starting from scratch for every design, RF and antenna engineers can simply input each design’s specifications into Ignion’s Oxion™ platform. Within minutes, they receive a comprehensive performance estimation and a complete design package—recommended antenna parts, PCB layout (antenna positioning, clearance area, footprint for the antenna and matching network), and a detailed Bill of Materials—along with expert design recommendations for component integration, including housing, batteries, and shielding. This step makes prototyping and testing virtually risk-free. For the full process, read our complete IoT antenna design walkthrough.

Consider also a utility company deploying a new generation of smart meters across multiple regions. Using Virtual Antenna® technology in conjunction with Oxion™, there’s no need to alter the design with each market entry. Instead, engineers can tune matching network components to adjust antenna performance seamlessly for the specific frequencies required in each new region. This approach saves both time and money.

With Oxion™ and Virtual Antenna® technology, IoT developers gain time and cost efficiency with a straightforward, reliable solution. Ignion’s commitment to innovation and expertise in the complex IoT space makes Oxion™ the choice for over 50 million deployments worldwide. Join us in this IoT revolution.