Choosing the Right Wireless Internet Antenna

When setting up a wireless internet installation it is so easy to forget about your antenna. In fact, your signal will only be as good as your antenna and you want to make sure that the antenna you pick matches the intended use and it will affect your network speed.

For example, you need to consider if it is an outdoor or indoor antenna. Each has its own unique set of requirements which must be selected to provide adequate coverage.

A Wireless Antenna can be either Omni directional or Directional. Depending on the topology and are you need to cover you should select appropriately. Omni directional antennas are great in an environment where there is a clear line of path between the senders and receivers. The power is evenly spread to all points. Hence the name, Omni direction.

If you have obstacles you need to use a directional Wireless LAN antenna. This concentrates the signal power in a specific direction and allows you to use less power for a greater distance then an omni directional antenna. You would need something like this if you have trees or buildings in the signal path. You should also consider using a directional antenna if you have to cover long distances across mall's, office buildings, warehouses or other types of environments.

The better the signal between the sender and receiver the higher speed you can run over the network. The reason is simple, if the signal is clear there is little need to re-transmit packets of wireless information over and over.

Now if you know you have a very directional point to point signal you need to transmit, then its worth considering a Parabolic antenna. This is used to bridge two points over a long distance and while the antenna is more expensive it can do things that the average directional antenna cannot. Parabolic antennas look like big umbrellas and are fixed in position, you cannot have them move after setup as their signal is highly concentrated into a small number of degrees. You will mostly find Parabolic antennas in outdoor use and these require special knowledge to setup.

If you are setting up your wireless network at home it is unlikely you will have a lot of choice over antenna. Most likely the base station will come with a little antenna that will provide an adequate signal for the home.

Two important points worth remembering. First, if you setup an antenna outside you will need to get planning permission. Most city governments have strict rules about how and where outdoor antennas can be setup. And second, if you do have an outside antenna make sure that the antenna is protected against lightning. You don't want to find your equipment fried after a storm. For these two reasons you should purchase well designed and manufactured wireless LAN antennas.

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