The demand for bandwidth has been increasing continuously in the cellular world and there are no indications of it slowing down. This is true in large public venues as well, such as arenas and stadiums, where the fans require large bandwidths to communicate and send pictures/videos. Using Lens Antennas in these scenarios not only increases cellular coverage and capacity in venues, but it can do that at a lower cost than traditional methods with the added advantage of improved aesthetics.
The problem for venue owners and operators is to satisfy the ever-increasing requirement for connectivity. There is an increased need for lower latency as well with the introduction of live mobile gaming inside venues. Lens Antennas can be deployed in such venues which have multi-radio infrastructure inside the device to provide multiple direct line-of-sight beams that can be precisely targeted at specific seating sections.
An RF Lens, like an optical lens, forms or bends Electromagnetic waves through refraction. By placing a single radiating element on the surface of spherical RF Luneburg Lens, a high-gain signal is created radiating from the opposite side of the spherical lens. Multiple radiating elements can be placed around the same sphere to create multiple, independent, high-gain beams utilizing the same lens. This allows Lens based antennas to have significant performance improvement as compared to traditional array or dish antenna technology.
Working of a Lens Antenna
RF Lens based antennas can provide significant performance and capacity improvements over traditional antenna technology such as the ability to have; multiple independent beams for high order sectorization, ultra-broadband coverage, high isolation between beams and individual beam tilt capabilities.
Key Advantages of RF Lens Multi-Beam Antennas:
- Multiple independent beams
- Ideal for high order sectorization/multiple sectors
- High Capacity
- Broadband
- Antennas provide coverage for multiple bands
- High Band, Low Band, CBRS, LAA, WiFi
- Highest Performance
- Clean beam patterns (low side lobes, front to back)
- High Isolation between Beams
- Individual beam tilt adjustment
- Light weight & Low wind load
- Antennas can be painted in any color or with any Logo
- All in 1 high capacity Antenna solution (fewer locations required for installation)
A MatSing Lens Antenna in Application
There will always be a need to balance costs with desired performance and acceptable levels of coverage, any venue that is in the process of evaluating changes or improvements to its wireless ecosystem should consider the lens antenna advantage, of delivering better performance in an easier deployment method at a lower overall price.
Click here to learn more about Lens Antennas from MatSing.
