How Your Internet Connection Can Benefit From Linksys Wi-Fi Antenna
Linksys makes a variety of Wi-Fi Antennas to help improve connections between computers, mobile devices, routers, and internet modems with routers built in. Many users need more antenna power to pick up and send data over wireless networks. Adding or replacing an external antenna can accomplish that.
Is it difficult to add an external Wi-Fi antenna?It is usually very easy to install a Linksys antenna and run its setup app. They make antennas with TNC or SMA connectors to screw into router jacks. You can add a Linksys USB wireless adapter to a laptop with a multifunctioning network card inside. With some software tweaking, you can use it to replace the internal card completely.
What types of antenna are there?There are two general types of Wi-Fi antenna: directional and omnidirectional. Linksys makes both. Which you need depends on your use.
- Directional antenna: If the locations of your devices will be stable and you know where you need your signal to come from and go to, use a directional antenna. It must be pointed at the wireless source or receiver, but it is strong.
- Omnidirectional antenna: If you might be receiving from or sending to more than one angle, you need an omnidirectional antenna. It will pick up a signal from anywhere around you as long as you are within range of the source. Similarly, it sends in all directions.
That is not true of Wi-Fi antennas. They send and receive, and they improve the likelihood of transmission in either direction.
Is Wi-Fi useful for more than network connections?Wi-Fi is primarily used to connect computers to the internet, to network them to each other, and to network printers to computers, but it is useful for a number of other functions. Devices with wireless capabilities can be connected together directly or through a router. If not, most can be connected through a Wi-Fi enabled computer. Other uses include:
- Printing to a wireless printer from a mobile device
- Transferring photos to your computer from your smartphone or digital camera
- Streaming video to multiple TVs and devices around the house
- Turning your smartphone into a TV remote control
A high-gain antenna can extend the range of a transmission. It is a directional antenna with a very narrow beam width and a signal amplifier. If the receiver is too far away for a standard antenna's signal to reach it, a high-gain antenna might reach.
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