Wi-Fi Antennas 802.11b/g and 802.11a and 802.11a/b/g antennas

Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz Antenna

The Speed of your wireless connection will vary depending on the strength of the signal you can receive and transmit. Antenna selection can therefore have a significant impact on the speed of your wireless link.

Types of Wi-Fi Antennas 

 There are two basic types of antennas for WLAN and cellular products :

Omnidirectional and directional. The two types are categorized by the direction in which they beam radio signals.

Omni-directional

Omnidirectional Antenna Pattern

Omni-directional antennas are designed to radiate signals equally in all directions. Use this type of antenna if you need to transmit from a central node, such as an access point, to users scattered all around the area. Omnidirectional antenna consist of 2,
Dipole antenna, and

Dipole Omnidirectional Antenna from TPLink Wi-Fi Antenna

Phonetone 6 dB 3G WCDMA Fiberglass Antenna

Fiberglass antenna

Directional Antennas

 

Directional Antenna Pattern

TPLink Directional Wi-Fi Antenna

Directional antennas provide a more focused signal than omnidirectional antennas. Signals are typically transmitted in an ovalshaped pattern with a beam width of only a few degrees. With higher gain, directional antennas can also be used outdoors to extend point-to-point links over a longer transmission distance, or to form a point-to-multipoint network.

Antenna Connectors

N Type Female Connector

PRSMA Connector

MCX Connector

Before you purchase an antenna for your wireless device, you should check the type of antenna connector that your device uses. You will need to buy an antenna with a matching connector. There are several types of antenna connectors, including MCX, TNC, N-type, SMA, and RP-SMA (RP stands for “reverse polarity” or “reverse ping”). On WLAN devices, the most commonly used antenna connector is PRSMA and N-type for IEEE 802.11 wireless applications. Make sure you are buying an antenna with the right connector type.