Laird Connectivity new 5G-ready, MIMO vehicular antennas

Laird Connectivity has announced five new low profile, MIMO vehicular antennas that are 5G-ready. The new antennas expand Laird Connectivity’s best-selling Gar & Barracuda family of vehicular antennas, which are widely-deployed in public safety fleets, transportation fleets and aftermarket vehicle implementations.

The expanded Gar and Barracuda family offers exceptional MIMO performance through optimized gain and propagation, and the family of antennas now offers new port configurations that support a wider range of installations as well as more radios on the market. 

With the newly-launched models, Gar antennas are now available in 5, 4, 3 and 2 port configurations with a variety of port types to support the specific needs of customers. The models include:

• The Gar 5-port with 2 cellular ports, 2 Wi-Fi ports and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFP69383x22JN)
• The Gar 4-port with 2 cellular ports, 1 Wi-Fi port and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFQ69383x21JN)
• The Gar 3-port with 2 cellular port, and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFT69383x2NJN)
• The Gar 3-port with 1 cellular port, 1 Wi-Fi port and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFT69383x11JN)
• The Gar 2-port with 1 cellular port and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFD69383x1NJN)

The Barracuda family has the same form factor as the Gar but adds a Whip antenna enabling either a 3^rd port for Wi-Fi (operating over the low/high frequency Wi-Fi bands) or UHF. With the newly-launched models, Barracuda are now available in 6 and 4 port configurations:

• The Barracuda 6-port with 2 cellular ports, 3 Wi-Fi ports and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFH69383B23JW)
• The Barracuda 6-port with 1 UHF port, 2 cellular ports, 2 Wi-Fi ports and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFH69383x22JU)
• The Barracuda 4-port with 1 UHF port, 2 cellular ports and 1 GNSS port (Model # VFQ69383x2NJU-518S)

Laird Connectivity’s new Gar and Barracuda antennas are configured for MIMO operation, allow for single-hole mounting, and are ideal for today’s hi-tech public safety and fleet environments. First responders are increasingly relying on networks like FirstNet and ESN, which develop a national, interoperable LTE/5G public safety broadband network to provide thousands of police officers and firefighters across the nation with advanced communication and collaboration technologies to help them do their jobs safely and efficiently, and better protect the public. Likewise, public works, urban transportation, and commercial and industrial fleets also depend on reliable mobile connectivity to better serve the public, improve customer service, and increase operational efficiencies.

Both types of antennas feature IP67-rated, aerodynamic housing for highly reliable operation, even in the harshest environments. Single-hole mounting reduces the risk of vehicle damage while lowering installation costs. These are the only vehicular antennas in the industry to come with a 5-year product warranty.