Engineering the Connected Home with Molex antenna solutions
In the Internet of Things (IoT), connection isn’t a luxury: it’s a necessity. Luckily, even a single antenna can transmit and receive unprecedented amounts of data. Antennas are the unsung hero of the ever-changing world of IoT, from home automation to energy solutions and surveillance products.
Today’s home has to do more than look good — it has to seamlessly communicate with all of the appliances inside.
High expectations for the modern home mean engineers have to grapple with home automation needs from a variety of systems, including:
- Lighting solutions and connected outlets
- Security and surveillance endpoints such as door locks to smoke detectors
- Energy and utility devices such as thermostats and weather stations.
Yet with the right design, hardware and help, the dream of tomorrow’s fully connected home can become a reality today.
"By 2022 five billion sensors will be installed in smart homes globally. That’s according to market research firm ABI Research. But this is not the only component of the growth of the smart home. At Molex, we see the smart home as just one aspect of the fully integrated Internet of Things (IoT)." Bart van Ettinger, Vice President Connected Devices, Molex
The world doesn't work without wireless—and that's no easy feat
Antennas guide electromagnetic waves to unguided electromagnetic waves and vice versa. To work for the connected home, they also have to exist amongst an array of devices with wireless protocols driven by range, data usage requirement or power consumption. Antenna design depends on:
Communication frequency
Antenna patterns and shapes have to be designed to match a specific frequency or bandwidth. Higher data rates require more power and higher frequency.
Antenna location
Antennas can be mounted onto PCBs, embedded into coaxial cables, ruggedised for exposure to weather and harsh environments or sit completely outside of a smart device.
Size, shape of deployment
The desired location of the antenna dictates not only the different antenna choices, but also materials and shapes.
Use case for consumers
How you use the antenna impacts a device's aesthetic and design in order to create optimal performance.
That’s just the antennas. A sampling of components for the Connected Home ranges from I/Os to plug connectors, modular jacks, connectors and microminiatures.
Avnet Abacus and Molex: Connecting the dots on the Connected Home
Avnet Abacus' extensive team of technical specialists offer design and solution support to engineers with interconnect, sensors, wireless, passive, power supplies and battery products. Molex offers electronic components and solutions and has acquired technologies from software to firmware. Together we bring you a portfolio of high-performing solutions and associated technologies that enable you to transform concepts into smart, connected designs across a wide range of applications.
Webinar
Antenna design considerations for a Smart Home
Learn how antennas can support varied frequencies and multiple protocols in the Connected Home with this 40-minute technical presentation from Molex.
Molex
Antenna sample kits
Request a Molex antenna sample kit and start testing your wireless application designs.
Explore the Connected Home experience
From security and surveillance to energy and utilities, home automation encompasses a variety of applications. Discover all the connections in this interactive tool.
Brochure
Antennas for the Smart Home
Browse Avnet Abacus' extensive portfolio of high performance Molex antennas for a broad range of wireless applications.
White Paper
Home technology - From connected to proactive
Go back to basics on the future of the Connected Home, and how antennas are the unsung hero of the Internet of Things with this white paper from Molex.
Engineers' Insight
The evolution of home automation
Just how smart can a smart home get? Tomorrow’s home is a true a brainiac, making decisions for you before you even think to tell it to.
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