Digi XBee3-PRO Hardware Reference Manual page 23

Hardware
The following drawings illustrate important recommendations when you are designing with PCB/chip
antenna devices. For optimal performance, do not mount the device on the RF pad footprint described
in the next section, because the footprint requires a ground plane within the PCB antenna keep out
area.
Surface-mount embedded antenna keepout area
Notes
1. We recommend non-metal enclosures. For metal enclosures, use an external antenna.
2. Keep metal chassis or mounting structures in the keepout area at least 2.54 cm (1 in) from the
antenna.
3. Maximize the distance between the antenna and metal objects that might be mounted in the
keepout area.
4. These keepout area guidelines do not apply for chip antennas or external RF connectors.
XBee3™ RF Module Hardware Reference Manual
Design notes
23