It is important to understand the functionality of the different antenna ports on the cellular module when deciding which ports to use. There is a risk of underutilizing the module by not connecting antennas to the right ports. This guide aims to explain some general terms and abbreviations used to label and describe antenna ports and their different functionalities.

Some antenna port labels that are commonly used on cellular modules are listed below:

MAIN – Primary transmit and receive antenna port. Required for basic functionality.
DIV – Diversity receive port. This port is used to receive the same signal as the primary port, but at a different spatial point. By receiving the same signal at two different spatial points, the module can mitigate destructive effects that might be present on one of the different spatial points. The diversity receive functionality is especially useful in urban environments where the interference environments may be radically different between two spatial points. It is always recommended to use the diversity receive port as this functionality improves the quality and reliability of the overall link.
GNSS – GNSS receive port. GNSS stands for Global Navigation Satellite System, examples of such systems are GPS, Galileo, GLONASS and BeiDou. The available systems may differ between different modules. To see what systems are available for a specific module, please consult the modules hardware documentation. As this antenna port is used for positioning applications, a suitable GNSS antenna needs to be connected to this port in order to utilize this functionality.
MIMO – MIMO port. MIMO stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output and refers to the amount of antennas used at each side of the link. For example, 4x4 DL MIMO means that the base station and the module each use 4 antennas for the modules downlink. Usually, the MIMO label is used to denote antenna ports that are used for spatial multiplexing which is a technique used for increasing the bitrate. This is achieved by splitting the signal into different streams that are transmitted and received on spatially separated antennas on each side of the link. For the majority of cellular modules, spatial multiplexing is only available for the module's downlink.
AUX – Auxiliary antenna port. The available functions on this port may differ between modules. Examples of functionalities that can be present on this port are diversity receive, DL-MIMO and GNSS. Please consult the module's hardware documentation to see which functionalities are present on this port.

Some cellular modules have numeric, non-descriptive labels on their antenna ports. These modules can have different functionalities for different frequency intervals/bands, on one single antenna port. For these modules, consult the hardware documentation to find what functionalities are present for which frequency intervals/bands one the different antenna ports. Please note that antenna ports with transmit functionality for certain frequency bands need to have a antenna connected in order to utilize these frequency bands.

If you have further inquiries regarding antenna ports on cellular modules, please create a Support Ticket by visiting the following link: https://techship.com/support/new/