Wireless routers wifi range antennas

Best Long Range Wi-Fi Antenna

While they may look like something straight out of an old spy movie, long range wifi antennas are actually cutting edge technology that can give your wireless network’s range coverage a serious boost.

Top 3 Long Range Antenna Picks

More on these antennas further below. The links above take you to Amazon.

They can be used to bridge networks, connect your computer to far away wifi hotspots or to project a wifi signal to a certain location.

There are a few different types of long range wifi antenna that all have different uses. Please read on to find out about them as well as to read about our top picks for long distance wifi antennas.

Main Types of Wifi Antenna

Directional Antennas

Unlike omnidirectional antennas (we’ll come to them in a bit. ) , directional antennas focus their signal into a specific area. This can allow them to offer more distance coverage, although without offering as wide a coverage area.

Flat Panel Antennas

Flat panel antennas can be used to direct a broad wifi signal. They don’t have the same distance coverage of some of the more focused directional antennas on the list, but they do offer a wider angle of coverage (although not as wide as omnidirectional antennas). This is generally between 35 and 120 degrees and is perfect for directing a wifi signal down a corridor or into a specific section of a building.

Yagi Antennas

Yagi antennas are again directional, and are used in medium distance wifi scenarios. They need to be placed in the correct direction to work properly. Yagi antennas look very similar to TV aerials.

Parabolic Antennas

This is another type of directional antenna. They look and work like the satellite dish you may use/have used for your TV. The wifi signal is reflected from the dish and onto the element at the middle of the dish.

As such, parabolic antennas offer the best range of all. They are usually used in point-to-point connections, so are ideal for bridging distant networks.

Directional vs Omni-directional Antennas

Omnidirectional Antennas

Omnidirectional Antennas give you 360-degree wifi coverage. Because of this, the range of coverage distance is relatively weak. However, they are awesome for coverage within a relatively small area. For example, within a home or office floor.

What they lack in total coverage distance they can reach they make up for by having a 360 degree coverage area within their range. The antennas you get with your everyday router are good examples of omnidirectional antennas and they are perfect for most short distance wifi networks.

Omni-directional antennas can also be known as ‘Isotropic’ or ‘Rubber Duck’.

How to Get The Most Out of Omnidirectional Antennas

While omnidirectional antennas will not be able to reach as far as directional antennas, there are techniques you can use to increase their range as much as possible. These include:

Watch out for interference!

• Setting your router up in as central a position as possible in relation to your wifi nodes.
• Increase your router’s power if your router allows this function. Be careful with this though. Increasing too much can drown out other wifi hotspots in the area. There are wifi regulations that forbid overdoing this. Also, increasing the power can increase any noise, which can have a detrimental affect on your wireless signal.
• Remove interference by moving physical objects surrounding the router if possible. This can include mirrors, glass and metal surfaces. Also, objects containing water. Humans included! We are made up mostly of water. Water absorbs wifi and affects signal!
• Remove interference from other electrical devices such as bluetooth devices, microwaves and baby monitors. These can all have an impact on your wifi experience.

If you need to increase wifi coverage within your home , you should add a wifi extender, or even better bridge (via wires is easier) to another wifi access point , which should be located centrally within the area that requires coverage.

When Should You Use a Long Range Antenna

There are plenty of examples for when you may need a long range range antenna. Here are some of them:

Connect a PC to Networks Far Away

Sometimes you need to connect to a network that is further away than usual. Buying a long range antenna that connects to your PC or Laptop could allow you to connect to one of these networks.

This could allow you to do anything from connecting to your home network from your garden, to connecting with a free wifi network from your house.

There are different types of long range antenna that can be used to connect to different devices. If you want to connect your PC or laptop to a far away network then the best option for you could be an antenna that plugs in, via USB, straight into your computer.

On the other hand, if you want to use your long distance antenna to connect to an access point, you need to make sure the antenna will connect to a router. Different antennas have different connector types, and so do routers, so check this out before committing to a purchase.

Bridge Two Distant Networks

Long range antennas allow you to connect two networks together over wifi so they can share resources including the internet and files. Using a long range antenna you can do this over a larger distance, which could allow you to get internet access in places such as a barn/outhouse or a camping site.

Focus Beamwidth To A Specific Area

Some long range wifi antennas allow you to focus wifi to a certain area. This can be useful if you want to send wifi to a particular direction so clients can pick up the wifi signal.

Think yagi & flat panel antennas here.

Источник

How To Buy a Long Range WiFi Antenna

When looking for a long-range WiFi antenna there are a few things to know.

The first is that simply because an antenna is bigger such as a 15-20dBi, does not necessarily make it is better.

Here is an image of the range wireless antennas are most effective, compared with the length or dBi.

A 2dBi antenna is very effective at short range, while a 9dBi antenna is not effective at short range, but works very well picking up signals from a distance.

If you want the range to cover a home, a 2-5dBi antenna will be plenty enough if there are block walls or other interference, a larger antenna will not make the signal better.

If you live in a home that has many WiFi dead spots, then a WiFi booster would be a much better option, or upgrading to a better long-range router.

If you do need to get distance from your WiFi connection such as a detached garage, a longer antenna can be a good option. Getting a 7 or 9dBi antenna would be much better in this case.

Another thing to keep in mind is dual band routers which work in both the 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequencies.

The 5GHz frequency is not good at distance, so while it does have a faster transfer speed, it does not work as well as the old 2.4GHz range.

The 2.4GHz frequency is the best for distance, while the 5GHz frequency is the best for high-speed at close range.

*This post contains affiliate links.
Types of Long-Range WiFi Antennas

NextG USB-Yagi Plug & Play 11N Long Range WiFi Antenna 2200mW

Yagi antennas are well known and good at getting a signal from a distance. In fact, they are widely used in the Pen Tester community when looking to check the security of a wireless router.

This big of an antenna will be overkill for many, but it is ideal for RV travelers, boaters, detached buildings, or any place trying to get the best distance from a WiFi signal.

Premiertek Outdoor 2.4GHz 24DBI Directional High-Gain N-Type Female Aluminum Die Cast Grid Parabolic Antenna (ANT-GRID-24DBI)

Like the Yagi antenna, Parabolic antennas are often used a lot for getting the best distance. Parabolic antennas are the definition of a Non-Omni-Directional antenna.

The difference is a parabolic antenna can be better when it is pointed directly at the source, but not good when not pointed at the source.

Getting the best signal is done by using an App and watching the signal strength. The antenna is turned until the best signal possible is being received.

This type of antenna is not very portable and is used in the same way the Yagi is used.

It is rated to boosts a Wireless signal up-to 1/2 a mile.

The 15dBi parabolic antenna boosts a signal while a transmitter rebroadcasts a WiFi signal in the 2.4GHz band.

SilverStone Technology High Gains Dual band WIFI antenna 5GHz 9dBi, 2.4GHz 5dBi with RP-SMA plug WAD21

This is a 9 dBi antenna that is cheap and is much more commonly used to upgrade a router or USB WiFi adapter for better distance.

It uses a standard screw-on SMA interface that is widely used in the WiFi industry. Some routers and USB adapters use proprietary interfaces, so if you go this route, be sure what type you have.

Summary
There are many good antennas that can improve the range of a wireless signal.

Personally, I carry a 5dBI and a 9dBi antennas which I use with an Alfa USB adapter and my laptop. They are easy to screw on and unscrew when needed.

For example, if I am very close to a router, it takes me 10 seconds to screw on a 5dBi antenna and get much better coverage. But if I am at a location with my laptop and the WiFi signal is from a distance I simply screw on the 9dBi antenna and get better reception.

Hopefully, you are not on the go as much as I am and have a fixed location so you can dial in the correct antenna and not worry about it.

There are more expensive antennas that have a low dBi and high dBi side that can be bought and would be very good for a wide coverage area, near and far.

If you are very serious about your WiFi signal and want the best of both worlds, buying one of these would be your best option.

34 thoughts on “ How To Buy a Long Range WiFi Antenna ”

1. Kat July 2, 2021 I have a restaurant that is 1 mile away and offers free wifi..which antenna will be able to pick this up?

Источник