A switchable printed antenna with a ground plane for 2.45/5 GHz wireless body area networks

This paper presents a switchable printed antenna with a full ground plane for wireless body area network devices operating in the industrial, scientific, and medical (ISM) band at 2.45 GHz and 5 GHz IEEE 802.11 Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN) (5.15-5.35 GHz, 5.25-5.35 GHz). The operating bands can be switched between 2.45 GHz and 5 GHz by turning the switches ON/OFF. Investigations have been carried out in near body scenario to assess its performance for body centric wireless communication. The proposed antenna exhibits a wide radiation pattern along the body surface to provide wide coverage and its narrow width (14mm) makes it suitable for on-body applications.