A Printed Monopole Antenna for Next Generation Internet of Things: Narrow-Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT)

This article introduces a planar monopole antenna specially designed for NB-IoT module devices. The preferred choice for Internet of Things (IoT) technology is the Narrow-Band Internet of Things (NB-IoT) due to its extensive coverage and low power consumption. NB-IoT is specifically designed for IoT applications. A circular patch antenna with dimensions of 30 mm × 60 mm is fabricated, which is specifically tailored for the NB-IoT module. The antenna dimensions are meticulously chosen to ensure compatibility with the device module, considering the NB-IoT B1 (2100) and B3 (1800) frequency bands. Among various patch shapes, the circular design is preferred for its advantages over hexagon and square patches. The desired antenna configuration combines a square-slotted patch with a monopole ground plane, and it offers several advantages in terms of design simplicity, compact size, and characteristics such as broad bandwidth, acceptable gain, and high radiation efficiency. The design process employs HFSS Software and utilizes an FR4 substrate of 1.6 mm thickness. Operating at resonance frequencies of 2.1 GHz and 1.8 GHz, the antenna covers a broad frequency spectrum of 1100 MHz (1.5 to 2.6 GHz) with a fractional bandwidth of 53.65%. The suggested antenna achieves a peak gain of 3.3 dB and maximum radiation efficiency of 96% within its operating band. It exhibits an omnidirectional radiation pattern, meeting the specific requirements of NB-IoT technologies. Experimental measurements of the fabricated antenna validate the results achieved from the simulated data. © 2023, Electromagnetics Academy. All rights reserved.