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I am working on pcb design with nrf24l01 smd. I have read somewhere that nrf24l01 module has problem while communication when it is placed with its antenna within the pcb. I want my module to be within the pcb as much as possible to save some space. I will be making the pcb at home and will be placing atmega 328p smd on the opposite layer. Should I fill the opposite layer with ground pad?

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You need to keep the ground plane away from the antenna. The rest of the module doesn't care (and having a ground plane under it can help with unwanted EMI).

Here's a design I did recently for a customer with the same module in it. It's placed near the edge of the PCB with the ground plane cut out around the antenna:

enter image description here

That layout is actually set up for either the small SMD, the SMD with PA+LNB or the thorugh-hole version. The important thing is that there is a nice big exclusion zone in the ground plane where the antenna is.

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  • Thanks for your answer 🙂
    – Anmol Kumar
    Apr 5, 2021 at 3:42
  • Hi @Majenko! Would it be okay to have the NRF24L01 module and ATMega module on the same PCB with also the antenna on the PCB?
    – Riz-waan
    Dec 7, 2022 at 2:03

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