A compact IFA-based dual-band planar antenna for WiFi USB dongles

WiFi USB dongles still draw some attention in the scope of wireless LAN device technologies, especially regarding the design of the radiator, which must be compact. The present work proposes a compact planar IFA-based antenna for a dualband USB WiFi dongle. The design of the antenna was numerically assisted using the antenna analysis software Empire XCcel
^TM
. Experimental validation was achieved assembling and testing a prototype under practical conditions such as the influence of the dongle case, and the effect of plugging the USB stick in different positions alongside a typical laptop. Overall, the antenna complied well with the design constraints, notably regarding the good frequency stability of the impedance match.