# Slotted Circular-Patch MIMO Antenna for 5G Applications at Sub-6 GHz
## 5 Experimental Testing of the Proposed Antennas Within the 5G MIMO Application Framework
Table 9 presents the key environmental parameters for the 5G experimental test based on the MIMO Application Framework. The three fabricated antennas, MIMO of two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays, MIMO of two 1 \(\times\) 2 arrays, and the single element, were implemented and experimentally tested using the MIMO Application Framework 5G Systems, extracting a group of telemetry parameters. Figure 28a presents a comparison between the three antennas, showing that the signal to noise ratio at different transmitted power varies from 0 to 15 dBm at 3.5 GHz at 2.5 m as a line of site (LOS) distance; these results suggest the proposed MIMO of two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays demonstrates better performance compared with the two proposed antennas. SNR varies from 13-20 dB, which indicates good quality. The MIMO of two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays reaches 25 dB, indicating a performance of excellent quality with a high data rate and stable connection. Figure 28b compares the signal strength performance of three antennas. The proposed MIMO configuration with two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays achieves a signal strength of \(-\)10 dBFS (decibels relative to full scale) per element, which is better than the \(-\)24 dBFS and \(-\)34 dBFS of the MIMO with two 1 \(\times\) 2 arrays and a single antenna element, respectively. In the dBFS scale, 0 dBFS indicates maximum signal strength, \(-\)1 to \(-\)10 dBFS represents strong signals, \(-\)20 to \(-\)40 dBFS indicates medium strength, and \(-\)60 dBFS or lower is considered weak. Table 10 shows the main performance parameters of the 5G experimental test based on the MIMO Application Framework system, which shows that MIMO antennas have a higher Mbit/s value, indicating a faster data transfer rate equal to 13.7 Mbit/s compared with 4.7 Mbit/s for a single element, as \(>\)10 Mbit/s is a typical range for sub 6 GHz. The MIMO of two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays offer: higher throughput of data; it could deliver over a communication channel in a network of 27.4 Mbit/s compared with the two other antennas, which is maximum power level that a signal can achieve without distortion or clipping. Figure 28: Comparison of MIMO of two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays, MIMO of two 1 \(\times\) 2 arrays, and single element for: (**a**) SNR and (**b**) signal strength. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c c c} \hline \hline
**Parameter** & **Freq** & **Channel B. W** & **LOS** & **TX Power** & **Duplexing** & **Noise Floor** \\ \hline value & 3.5 GHz & 120 MHz & 2.5 m & 0–15 dBm & TDD & 5 dB \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 9: MIMO application framework environmental parameters. The performance of three antennas was evaluated under identical conditions. The 2-port MIMO configuration with two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays outperformed the 2-port MIMO with two 1 \(\times\) 2 arrays and a single antenna that has 10.9 dBi and 97.46% radiation efficiency. The 2-port MIMO with two 1 \(\times\) 4 arrays provides better data rates, higher throughput, and lower error rates, making it ideal for high-speed applications like video streaming and 5G. On the other hand, the 2-port MIMO with two 1 \(\times\) 2 arrays is reliable for standard Wi-Fi and IoT devices, due to its lower error rates. The single antenna needs stable communication and has lower throughput, making it suitable for short-range devices and non-critical data. This can be explained by a high-gain antenna focusing the signal more effectively in a desired direction, which boosts the received signal power from the transmitter without increasing the noise floor. Higher gain leads to more effective radiated power (ERP) in the main direction. Signal strength is directly related to received power, so improvements in gain or efficiency enhance signal strength. The SNR, which is the ratio of signal power to noise power, improves with increased signal power if the noise level remains constant. A higher SNR leads to better decoding, lower bit error rates, and more reliable communication, especially under weak signal conditions or interference.