Whatever the care taken during antenna design and integration, a prototyping phase is always essential. This allows empirical verification, through measurements of impedance matching quality and radiation efficiency within the intended frequency band, across different product installation scenarios (freestanding, wall mount, metal support, near the human body, various orientations, etc.), depending on your application.

Depending on product constraints or operating conditions (such as corrosive environments requiring coatings or compact form factors), it may be necessary to adjust the antenna’s resonance frequency. This can be achieved by modifying the antenna itself, its integration environment (the product), or by adding an external impedance matching network on the PCB with the appropriate topology and components.

The antenna’s impedance matching network is initially designed and optimized through conducted measurements to ensure efficient energy transfer from the transmitter to the antenna. Once impedance matching is achieved within the target frequency band, the antenna’s radiation efficiency is then evaluated, typically in an anechoic chamber.

After all, this is the fundamental purpose of an antenna: to efficiently radiate energy into the air while ensuring compliance with applicable certification standards.