antennas and accessories

8 dBi Directional Antenna 868 MHz (EU868)

This 8 dBi directional antenna is designed for use in LoRaWAN, Helium and other IoT systems operating in the European 868 MHz band.

Directional antennas inherently receive less noise than omnidirectional designs, resulting in a higher signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and improved effective range.

Focused radiation pattern

Unlike omnidirectional antennas that radiate energy in all directions, this panel antenna concentrates RF energy into a defined forward beam.

The antenna provides a wide beam (approximately 70° in both azimuth and elevation), allowing efficient coverage of a selected area while minimizing unnecessary radiation in other directions.

Adjustable direction and tilt

A key advantage of this antenna is the ability to adjust both azimuth and tilt.

This allows precise targeting of the signal toward a specific coverage area, which is not possible with omnidirectional antennas.

This makes the antenna especially useful in installations where coverage must be focused in one direction.

Practical applications

• building installations where rear radiation is not required,
• locations with terrain obstacles such as hills or large structures,
• coastal deployments where signal is needed only in one direction,
• coverage of defined sectors or specific zones.

Improved SNR and real-world performance

By concentrating energy in one direction and reducing noise pickup, directional antennas provide higher SNR compared to omnidirectional antennas of similar gain.

This results in more stable communication and improved link reliability in real-world deployments.

Frequency band and applications

The antenna operates in the European license-free band (863–870 MHz) and is designed for applications such as:

• LoRaWAN and Helium networks,
• IoT and M2M systems,
• telemetry and sensor networks,
• tracking and monitoring systems,
• industrial and infrastructure deployments.

Installation and grounding

The antenna housing is grounded to protect against electrostatic discharge.

For safe and proper operation, the antenna and mounting structure must be connected to a grounding system.

The grounding conductor should be as short as possible and directly connected to the earth system.

For additional protection, the use of a gas lightning arrester is recommended.