Enhancing IoT Network Reliability Through Antenna Diversity in Real-World Scenarios

Antenna diversity in Internet of Things (IoT) devices is explored to address challenges associated with fixed device orientation and interference from nearby metallic objects, which can degrade wireless network performance. Integrating multiple antennas with different polarizations can significantly enhance signal quality and network reliability. Experiments demonstrated significant improvements in link quality, with gains exceeding 30 dB in received signal strength for specific scenarios. Already the addition of a second PCB-based antenna alone, resulted in a 17 dB improvement. These findings suggest that the added complexity in hardware and software to incorporate antenna diversity could well be justified by the resulting enhancements in network stability for real-world applications.