NSW-based connectivity company Zetifi, Wagga Wagga, has launched the world's first location-aware smart antennas, revolutionising the product segment.
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The patent-pending invention transforms traditional passive vehicle antennas into active self-optimising devices.
The antennas are set to play a major role in improving phone coverage, a high priority for people in rural areas as they prepare for the closure of the Telstra 3G network on August 31.
Zetifi's revolutionary smart antennas are the first vehicle antennas engineered with an integrated GPS, reconfigurable antenna element, and data processor - allowing them to adapt to the surrounding terrain by automatically switching between high and low gain modes.
An accompanying phone app that connects to the smart antenna via bluetooth is used to load terrain maps to the antennas onboard processor and also allows users to select between automatic switching or manual selection of high or low gain mode.
Zetifi chief executive officer Dan Winson said the smart antennas would help with the transition from 3G to 4G or 5G.
"The 3G shutdown has been on the radar for years and it's something we need to take seriously," he said.
"There are a lot of people who will need to upgrade their cellular boosters and antennas to make them work with 4G and 5G.
"From the day we started talking to regional and rural communities about connectivity, the thing we heard most often is they just want their phones to work. There are hundreds of thousands of vehicles in Australia with cellular boosters and our smart antennas provide a better experience for people using them.
"We've done significant pilots and testing with Telstra, who are also one of our investors. We're offering quite a simple solution to a complex problem."
Mr Winson said terrain made a difference when it comes to antenna performance.
The flat radiation pattern of a high gain antenna is ideal in open country but is less suited to hilly areas where the wider beam width of a low gain antenna is more effective.
"With traditional antennas you have to compromise on performance or deal with the inconvenience of swapping antenna whips as you move from flat to hilly country," he said.
Designed and manufactured in Wagga Wagga, Zetifi's Smart Antennas are currently out on the market after being officially launched at evokeAG in Perth in February.
"We received really strong and positive feedback at evokeAG," Mr Winson said.
"The feedback we received was that farmers were desperate for better connectivity."
Paula Thompson
Paula Thompson is ACM's National Machinery and Ag Tech writer. She has been an agricultural journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was a reporter with the Stock Journal, covering livestock markets and the grains industry.
Paula Thompson is ACM's National Machinery and Ag Tech writer. She has been an agricultural journalist for more than 20 years. Prior to her current role, she was a reporter with the Stock Journal, covering livestock markets and the grains industry.
