Ground / floor mat antenna
Ground / mat / underfloor
What is it?
Ground antennas are flush-mounted into or placed on a floor surface, radiating upward to read tags on items, pallets, or people passing over them. They solve the problem of reading tags from below - something wall- or ceiling-mounted antennas cannot do effectively. Embedded into a warehouse floor at a transition point, a ground antenna reads the underside of every pallet that rolls over it. In retail fitting rooms, a floor mat antenna reads the tags on garments a customer brings in to try on.
How it works
The antenna is housed in a ruggedised, flat enclosure designed to withstand vehicle traffic, foot traffic, and cleaning. It mounts flush with the floor surface - either recessed into a channel or placed as a raised mat with bevelled edges. The upward-facing radiation pattern reads tags from below as items pass over. The IP67/68 rating ensures water, dust, and chemical cleaning agents do not damage the antenna. A coaxial cable runs through a floor conduit to a reader mounted in a nearby cabinet or server room.
Industries
Use cases
- Forklift and pallet transition point tracking
- Retail fitting room garment counting
- Vehicle identification at gates and weighbridges
- Conveyor underside reading
- Mining equipment tracking at pit entry/exit
- Agricultural produce tracking at pack house entries
Pros
- Reads from below - a perspective other antennas cannot cover
- Extremely rugged - withstands forklifts, water, and chemicals
- Flush mount creates no obstacle to traffic
- Combined with overhead antennas creates a full read tunnel
- Long service life due to no moving parts and sealed construction
Cons
- Requires floor preparation - cutting channels or pouring recesses
- Installation is more complex and expensive than wall-mounted antennas
- Cable routing through floors requires conduit
- Limited read range upward - tags above 3 m may not be reliably read
- Replacing a failed antenna means floor work
Specifications
| Form factor | Ground / mat / underfloor |
|---|---|
| Polarization | Circular |
| Frequency | UHF (860–960 MHz) |
| Gain | 6–8 dBic |
| Beamwidth | 70°–90° (upward-facing) |
| Read range | 1–3 m (upward from floor level) |
| Connector | RP-TNC or N-type (sealed) |
| IP rating | IP67–IP68 (must withstand foot traffic, forklifts, water) |
| Dimensions | 600 × 600 mm to 1200 × 600 mm, 15–30 mm thick |
| Price range | $400–$1,500 |