Product Description
The Taoglas Apex IV TG.46.8113 is a high-performance wideband dipole antenna designed for 5G, 4G LTE and cellular IoT equipment operating across a very broad 450 MHz to 6 GHz frequency range.
Its wideband design makes the Apex IV particularly useful with modern industrial cellular routers, gateways and embedded computers where a single antenna needs to support multiple operators, technologies and frequency bands. It covers worldwide sub-6 GHz 5G and 4G frequencies while remaining backwards compatible with established 3G and 2G cellular networks.
Unlike many compact terminal antennas, the Apex IV uses a ground-plane-independent dipole design. This means antenna performance is considerably less dependent on the enclosure or equipment to which it is attached, making it well suited to industrial computers, routers and gateways with plastic or metal housings.
The antenna connects directly to equipment using an SMA male connector, eliminating the need for an additional RF cable in typical installations. Its hinged mounting arrangement allows the antenna to be positioned through 90° and rotated to achieve a practical orientation when equipment is installed inside cabinets or where space is restricted.
Taoglas has paid particular attention to performance across the newer 5G frequencies between approximately 3.3 and 4.2 GHz, while the extended low-frequency coverage down to 450 MHz makes the antenna suitable for specialist lower-frequency cellular and utility applications as well as conventional LTE and 5G deployments.
The Apex IV is an omnidirectional antenna, providing coverage around the device rather than concentrating the RF signal in one direction. This makes it a practical choice for mobile equipment and fixed installations where the location of the serving cellular base station may not be known.
With an operating temperature range of -40°C to +85°C, robust metal hinge and professional-grade construction, the TG.46.8113 is designed for industrial and commercial equipment where reliability is more important than simply fitting the smallest possible antenna.
Product Highlights
- Wideband 450 MHz to 6 GHz frequency coverage
- Supports worldwide 5G NR and 4G LTE cellular bands
- Backwards compatible with 3G and 2G cellular technologies
- Suitable for LTE-M, NB-IoT and other cellular IoT applications within its supported frequency range
- Optimised for important sub-6 GHz 5G frequencies from 3.3 to 4.2 GHz
- Ground-plane-independent dipole antenna design
- Omnidirectional radiation pattern for 360° cellular coverage
- Direct SMA male connection
- Hinged antenna design allowing flexible positioning
- Robust metal hinge for improved mechanical reliability
- Suitable for industrial routers, gateways and embedded computers
- No external antenna cable required for direct-mount installations
- 50 Ω impedance
- Maximum specified gain of approximately 3.37 dBi
- VSWR: 2:1
- Operating temperature: -40°C to +85°C
- Dimensions: approximately 218 × 57.6 × 8 mm
- Weight: approximately 75 g
- RoHS and REACH compliant
Applications
The Taoglas Apex IV is suitable for a broad range of professional cellular and IoT installations, including:
- Industrial 5G and 4G routers – direct connection to cellular routers used for primary or backup WAN connectivity.
- Industrial PCs and edge computers – ideal for systems with integrated LTE or 5G modems requiring an external SMA antenna.
- IoT gateways – providing cellular connectivity for remote monitoring, telemetry and edge applications.
- Smart utilities and metering – the extended lower-frequency coverage makes the antenna particularly interesting for utility and specialist cellular networks.
- Industrial automation – cellular connectivity for machinery, PLC systems, control panels and remote industrial equipment.
- Remote monitoring – connectivity for unattended equipment, environmental monitoring, telemetry and infrastructure.
- Kiosks and vending machines – compact direct-mount cellular connectivity without requiring a separately mounted external antenna.
- Digital signage and DOOH – 4G or 5G connectivity for displays, media players and remote management systems.
- Transport and mobile systems – applications where the direction of the serving cellular network changes and omnidirectional coverage is preferable.
- Security and surveillance – cellular connectivity for CCTV, ANPR and remote security installations.
- Network failover – antennas for cellular backup connections on industrial and commercial networks.
- Test and development systems – its broad frequency coverage also makes the Apex IV useful as a reference antenna when developing or testing cellular equipment.
Benefits
One Antenna for Multiple Cellular Technologies
The exceptionally wide 450 MHz to 6 GHz operating range reduces the need to select different antennas for different cellular technologies or markets.
A system manufacturer can potentially use the same antenna across 4G LTE and sub-6 GHz 5G products rather than maintaining separate antenna variants.
Designed for Modern 5G Equipment
The Apex IV isn’t simply an older LTE antenna marketed as being “5G ready”. Particular attention has been given to performance across the 3.3–4.2 GHz spectrum used by important sub-6 GHz 5G networks.
This makes it a sensible antenna for industrial equipment expected to remain deployed as networks and routers migrate from LTE towards 5G.
Ground Plane Independent
A major advantage of the Apex IV is its dipole construction.
Many terminal antennas rely heavily upon the equipment chassis acting as part of the antenna system. Their real-world performance can consequently change considerably depending upon the size, material and construction of the equipment to which they are attached.
The Apex IV does not require a ground plane to operate effectively, giving system designers and installers greater flexibility and more predictable RF behaviour.
Direct Connection Reduces RF Cable Loss
The SMA male connector allows the antenna to screw directly onto compatible routers, modems and industrial computers.
Where the equipment is already positioned somewhere with adequate cellular signal, avoiding an unnecessary coaxial cable can reduce both installation complexity and RF losses.
This becomes increasingly important at higher cellular frequencies, where losses through coaxial antenna cable can become significant.
Omnidirectional Coverage
The antenna’s omnidirectional radiation pattern is designed to provide coverage around the equipment rather than concentrating signal in one particular direction.
This is useful for general-purpose industrial and IoT installations where the serving base station may change because of roaming, network selection or equipment movement.
Flexible Positioning
The hinged SMA connection allows the antenna to be positioned to suit the installation rather than simply projecting straight out of the equipment.
The robust metal hinge is designed to retain its position, including in applications where equipment may be exposed to vibration.
Suitable for Long-Term Industrial Deployments
With an operating temperature range from -40°C to +85°C, the antenna is suitable for considerably more demanding environments than typical consumer cellular antennas.
Its broad cellular coverage also helps reduce the risk of specifying an antenna around one particular operator or LTE band only to discover that the equipment needs to use another frequency later in its operational life.
Ideal Companion for Industrial Cellular Hardware
The Apex IV is particularly well suited to industrial PCs, edge computers, cellular routers and gateways where antenna performance can otherwise become the weak link in an expensive 4G or 5G installation.
A high-performance modem can only work with the RF signal delivered to it. Using a properly engineered wideband antenna therefore helps the cellular hardware make better use of the available network signal.
