Wireless Antenna In Plastic Box

This depends upon a few things, one being the frequency of the wireless signal and what the box is made of. Most plastic should be ok, but not all of it. A simple test often used by a diy type person is to put the enclosure in a microwave oven for a short time. If it gets hot, then it will reduce the signal and you should not use it, if not, it will probably be ok.

My first choice would be a plastic bag. Second choice would be just about any thin plastic box.

Teflon probably has the lowest loss of "common" plastics, but polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinylidene fluoride, polyphenylene sulfide, acrylics and even epoxy/e-glass laminates will work. Thickness is your enemy.

Sorry, frankd20 but I don't have any faith in your microwave oven test. Everything's gonna get hot.

The microwave oven test isn't really my test, but is one often recommended on forums discussing antenna enclosures, typically for a wireless network.

I disagree with you about everything will get hot as I have done this test myself. Putting a sample piece of plastic in the microwave for about 30 seconds you will find most do not get hot and some do.

I'll take your word that it works. I guess frequencies, and material thickness might have something to do with it.

And, my wife doesn't like it when I start cutting up her plastic dishes.

If the antenna is an SMA connected type, there are a couple of SMA mounts which suit mounting through the box wall with short wire connections to the PCB

you have to use box which is made of material in which the wavelength used by in transmission is not absorbed so that your signal strength is unchanged.

Use a plastic waterproof box... You'll not have any problem...

Mount the antenna on the outside of the box. These guys have everything you'll need.

Probably just about any plastic box will do (relatively short range-500 ft?).

The flag that comes to mind is that these "not weatherproof" transmitter and receivers will be subject to temperature extremes. I venture to say that the devices will suffer the fate of temperature and humidity (condensation) before the antenna degrades.