Cellular technology has been evolving over time to support higher speeds. This was influenced by many factors such as the addition of new bands (frequency ranges). During this evolution, Peplink was also introducing new product models with new antennas that supported the new bands.
In this article, we will look at Peplink’s indoor cellular antennas that are included with the routers and how to choose the right one for your device.
At a glance, antennas ACW-813, ACW-234, and ACW-235 all look similar, however their specs are different. The antennas main differences are their specified frequency ranges, gain, and VSWR.
Visually, the only difference is the text located near the antenna connector:
SO WHICH ANTENNA SHOULD YOU CHOOSE? To answer you simply:
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ACW-234 and ACW-235 will work on all Peplink released products (LTE, LTE-A and 5G).
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ACW-813 works for LTE and LTE-A products, but you still need to check supported bands. E.g. Band B71 is not supported and is therefore not suitable for B71 (600MHz) deployments.
IMPORTANT:
- If an incorrect antenna is used with the router, it may affect its performance and in certain cases even damage the cellular modem.
- Each product datasheet contains information as to which antenna is recommended for use.
Antenna specifications summary
Listed below are the shared specifications of the three antennas:
- Vertical polarization
- SMA male connector
- 50Ω impedance
- Dimensions LxW: 5.31" x 0.79" (135 x 20 mm)
Listed below are the different specifications between the three antennas:
ACW-813 (698-2700MHz)
- Frequency bands:
- 1dBi @698-960MHz
- 3dBi @1710-2700MHz
- VSWR < 3
ACW-234 (600-3800MHz)
- Frequency bands:
- 3dBi, Eff: >46% @600-960MHz
- 4.5dBi, Eff: >51% @1710-2700MHz
- 2.5dBi, Eff: >59% @3400-3800MHz
- VSWR <2.5
ACW-235 (600-6000MHz)
- Frequency bands:
- -1.5dBi, Eff: >30% @600-960MHz
- 3.0dBi, Eff: >52% @1710-2700MHz
- 1.6dBi, Eff: >44% @3400-4400MHz
- 4.4dBi, Eff: >55% @4800-6000MHz
- VSWR <2.5