Wi-Fi Antennas

Today one of the revolutionary forms of radio frequency reception, is Wi-Fi. It is also known as 802.11 technology and is typically used for transportation of signals from one location to another. The digital transmissions are carried over radio waves in order to achieve the transfer of data packets in a wireless network. Special antennas, known as Wi-Fi antennas, are required for the reception of these radio waves. In case of some radio Network Interface Cards (NICs) and access points, there are integrated antennas which can neither be seen nor changed by the user. However, there are many other wireless LAN devices which have have changeable antennas, thus providing flexibility to the network by enabling the selection of an antenna having the desired characteristics.

It is necessary to buy the correct Wi-Fi antenna which serves the purpose for a particular type of wireless network. Working of 802.11a, 802.11b and 802.11g standards, completely depends on the signal strength, and larger the signal strength, lesser will be the uproar by the antenna, for a given periphery.

Types of Wi-Fi Antennas
There are basically two types of Wi-Fi Antennas which depend on the usage, for different set-ups and systems.

• Directional Antennas: These type of antennas can generally be used for Point-to-Point or Multi-Point systems, depending on the setup of the wireless LAN. Common directional antennas are Backfires, Yagi, Panel and dish type.
• Omni-Directional Antennas: These type of antennas are used for Point-to-Multi-Point systems. They can serve as main antennas to distribute the incoming signals, to other computers or peripherals in a work-group. The Omni-directional antennas help to propagate radio signals in all directions equally on a horizontal plane, but restrict and limit the range on the vertical plane. Common Omni-Directional antennas consist of Vertical Omnis, Wibberducks, Mobile vertical and Ceiling Domes.

Working of Wi-Fi Antennas
Access points, which consist of antennas and routers, are the main source of transmission and reception of radio waves. The radio signals transmitted from Wi-Fi antennas are directly picked up by the Wi-Fi receivers. These receivers are equipped with Wi-Fi cards and are capable of picking up the radio waves of specified frequency. Whenever a computer receives any of the signals within the range of a Wi-Fi network (Wireless Internet Access), the Wi-Fi card reads the signals and creates a wireless internet connection between the user and the network.

One of the most important characteristics of a Wi-Fi antenna is its range. The range of a signal will depend on several factors, including power output of the wireless card or router, reception strength of the wireless card to which the signals are transmitted, obstruction factors, etc. It is always better to choose an antenna which, if required, can amplify the signals to the maximum possible strength. Efficiency of a wireless system can definitely be increased with the help of an external antenna, with some good directional or omni-directional qualities. For the coverage of large and narrow areas, or supporting point-to-point links between buildings, high end antennas are very useful. A directional antenna can help to reduce the number of access points needed within a facility, but it is not always necessary.

There are many examples where people have modified their existing Wi-Fi antennas, in order to get a stronger boost and extension of range. It is the usage and required flexibility which should be taken into account, when opting for an internal or external Wi-Fi antenna. They are certainly a good option if one wants a better network connectivity and efficient data transfer in a wireless network.