Antenas Alfa Wi-Fi

Selecting and Adding Wi-Fi Antennas for Signal Strength and Reach

The wireless network in your home or office is essentially a radio system. The larger and more sophisticated your antennas are, the stronger the signal and reach. There are various products manufactured by Alfa that can make your wireless network more robust as well as a more consistent performer in environments with significant interference.

There are two types of Alfa wireless setups: point-to-point and point-to-multipoint. An example of point-to-multipoint is your router, which receives data at a single point but broadcasts it to multiple points throughout your home or office. An example of point-to-point is a wireless bridge, which can extend your network by receiving data from one router and transmitting it to another. There are two types of antennas. These are:

• Directional, which target transmissions to a specific zone
• Omni-directional, which sends out transmissions in many directions

802.11 is the wireless standard most commonly used for home and office networking. When a product indicates 802.11, it means that it conforms to all specifications for the standard and will, therefore, work with other products that do as well.

Antenna strength is measured in decibels or dBi. A product marketed as such generally offers 12 dBi or higher, which means that the beam has been narrowed for more precise targeting. Whether a higher gain is right for you depends on the wireless environment. Consider that a higher gain will intensify a signal along the plane where it originates. Therefore, in a multistory home, it could lessen reception on the upper and lower floors, but in a multistory apartment complex, it could help concentrate the signal within the area where that signal is intended for use.

It is not necessary. You can, however, attach an Alfa antenna to a router from another brand. What does matter is that you choose the appropriate type for what youEUR(TM)re seeking to achieve, such as directional versus omni-directional, and that you select the correct mounting style. Some of the common connector types used for these accessories are:

• USB
• SMA
• RP-TNC
• RP-SMA

If your router supports dual bands, then that means that it transmits data over both the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz frequencies. Networking devices will have at least one antenna for each band supported, but there are no differences between the antennas themselves beyond where they connect. If you wanted to add to each band, then youEUR(TM)d need to purchase one for each of them. However, if you only wanted to enhance the band at 5 GHz, then youEUR(TM)d need just one.