When designing a device with an embedded GNSS antenna, one major decision is whether to use a chip or a patch. Both types have their pros and cons, and the choice comes down to factors such as price point targets, device form factor, use cases, and PCB integration. Here’s how to navigate the options.
Chip Antennas
Chip antennas are ceramic or dielectric components that are affixed on the PCB using conventional surface mount technology (SMT) methods. They’re an ideal fit — literally — for fitness wearables, pet collars, asset trackers, IoT sensors, and other devices where an ultra-compact form factor is a top requirement.
For example, the Taoglas GLA.01.A is only 0.5 mm high and has a footprint of just 6.0 x 5.5 mm. That svelte size makes life easier for device designers working with PCBs where every single millimeter counts.
The GLA.01.A also is an example of how small size doesn’t mean limited capabilities. It supports four constellations: GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and BeiDou, making it ideal for applications such as single-SKU devices sold or used worldwide, including asset trackers on intermodal shipping containers. Multi-constellation support also enables the redundancy that mission-critical positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) applications require. (For a deeper dive, see “GNSS vs. GPS: What’s the Difference?” and “How to Navigate the L1, L2, L5, E5a, E5b, and G2 Alphabet Soup of GNSS Constellations and Signals.”)
Patch Antennas
A patch antenna is a flat, rectangular, or circular component — often ceramic — mounted atop an integrated metal ground plane. This layering makes them thicker (typically 4-7 mm) than chip antennas. At 20 to 35 mm square, they also take up more PCB space than chips.
Some patch antennas are available in stacked configurations, such as the Taoglas AGVLB256.A, which is optimized for GPS L1/L5, Galileo, IRNSS, and BeiDou. At just 25 x 25 x 10 mm, this ceramic patch is ideal for devices that need a delicate balance of compact size and high performance. For example, its low noise figure preserves signal quality to minimize time to first fix, and its robust out-of-band rejection prevents those signals from overdriving or damaging its dual-stage LNA.
Which One?
Size obviously is one major consideration when choosing between chips and patches. But as the HP5354 shows, don’t automatically rule out patches for ultra-compact devices. If a patch ticks all of the other boxes, it makes send to see if there are any models that meet the requirements for height and footprint.
Another key consideration is how the device will be used. In some use cases, such as vehicle telematics, engineers can be confident that the GNSS antenna will always be in the same position: facing up at the sky, ensuring a clear view of multiple satellites. In other use cases, such as fitness wearables and pet trackers, there’s a good chance that the antenna will not be facing the sky for some or even a majority of the time.
Patch antennas support circular polarization, which is ideal for receiving circularly polarized GNSS signals, and their high gain and stable phase center help maximize performance. These are some of the reasons for choosing patches over chips, which have lower efficiency and gain.
Patches work best when they have a clear view of the sky. This makes them a good choice for PNT applications where the device will always be facing up, such as telematics, asset tracking, and time stamping transactions at ATMs and kiosks.
Chips are the better choice for devices that could or definitely will spend some or all of their time facing down. Some chip antennas take this inherent benefit to another level with a loop design. One example is the Taoglas GLA.01.A, which gives engineers the flexibility to use an omnidirectional antenna. It also provides efficiencies of up to 75% — at least three times the efficiency of traditional linearly polarized 1575.42 MHz antennas.
Chip antennas are more sensitive to PCB layout, which is a challenge with compact devices. For example, the loop effect means the Taoglas GLA.01.A works best when placed on the center of the edge of the board. But it can still work better than traditional linear polarized chip antennas even when placed at a corner.
Patch antennas can be factory pre-tuned to streamline the design process. For example, the Taoglas SGGP.25.4.A.02 GPS/GLONASS/GALILEO patch antenna is pre-tuned for a 50×50 mm ground plane. (For more information about how ground planes affect performance, see “Understanding Ground Planes for Cellular and GNSS Devices.”)
Finally, chip antennas are more cost-effective for high-volume production. That makes them a good choice for IoT sensors and other price-sensitive applications.
Key Trade-Offs
Factor |
Chip Antenna |
Patch Antenna |
| Size | Very small (few mm) | Larger (20–35 mm) |
| Performance | Lower gain, omni-directional | Higher gain, directional |
| Cost | Lower for high volume | Higher |
| Integration | Simple, PCB edge | Needs mechanical clearance |
| Ideal Use | Miniaturized devices | High-precision GNSS systems |
