Antenna Comparison: RFMAX Bluetooth Dipole Antenna VS. TE's M2M Mounted Antenna
Posted by May Sefin on
Which should you purchase?
When shopping for an antenna, you need to find the highest quality possible. Antennas should be reliable for the long haul. In your mission to choose an antenna you will come across these two brands often. On what basis should you make a purchase? We will break down the pros and cons of each.
Performance
The biggest difference between the two antennas is Pattern Performance.
The T.E. mount antenna has two issues which degrade performance: it is mounted to the windshield, so even a perfect Omnidirectional antenna will have pattern tilt limited to the angle of the windshield it is mounted on. Secondly, glass is a very lossy dielectric and will hamper overall antenna performance but only in the direction of the glass, the front of the vehicle. This is the more important direction anyway.
The RFMAX antenna mitigates this issue by positioning the antenna perpendicular to the glass. Energy still has to pass through the windshield but the negative nearfield effects to pattern and overall performance are severely minimized. The RFMAX windshield is created to provide optimal 360 degree omni directional performance, giving equal connectivity all around the vehicle.
Mounting Tape:
• The Mounting tape used for the RFMAX Dipole Antenna is a sturdy automotive-grade 3M tape while the tape for TE's product is not known.
Footprint
TE's Antenna has a larger footprint, 4.5 inches long vs RFMAX's 2.5 inches long.
RFMAX doesn't sit flat, but smaller overall footprint.
VSWR (typical):
- 2.0 for TE
- 1.5:1 for RFMAX
Gain (typical):
- 2.0dBi for TE
- 2.2dBi for RFMAX. RFMAX has a marginally higher gain but more importantly more uniform omnidirectional performance
Cable:
- TE's RG174 is lossier at 2.5GHz
- With RFMAX a high performance double shielded low loss cable is used
Our Recommendation:
Overall, the RFMAX Bluetooth Dipole Antenna has the upper hand in use and quality: