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Choices for Omnidirectional Antennas, High-Gain Directional Antennas, Patch and Panel Antennas and Other Specialty Antenna Products
Buy Omnidirectional Antennas, High-Gain Directional Antennas, Patch and Panel Antennas and Other Specialty Antenna Products From Connect802 to Take Advantage Of Our Design and Consulting Experience
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The Connect802 Value Proposition Related to
Selecting the Right Antenna for Your Project |
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 Why you will choose Connect802 to design and specify your antenna system: |
When considering high-gain directional patch antennas or high-gain directional panel antennas for extending the range of a Wi-Fi system using specialty directional antennas for creating a discrete coverage cell it important to realize that when you buy a directional antenna it doesn't automatically limit RF signal coverage to a fixed "beamwidth". Directional antennas (and, in fact, all antennas) have a beamwidth specification providing an angle of coverage in the horizontal (azimuth) direction and the vertical (elevation) direction. These are sometimes called the "H-Plane" and the "E-Plane" respectively (for the magnetic field "H" and the electric field "E"). The beamwidth angle is the angle at which power drops by half, not the angle at which all signal is cut off. A directional antenna with a 30-degree horizontal beamwidth will still provide connectivity out to almost 90 degrees left and right of center (or more!) given the right circumstances.
Selecting the right antenna, with the right characteristics and antenna specifications is the job of an RF engineer. When Connect802 creates a system design we know what RF characteristics are necessary to assure proper connectivity. |
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Specialty and High-Gain 2.4 and 5 GHz
Antenna
Equipment Examples |
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There are literally hundreds of possible antenna options available from Connect802. In practice we find that a relatively small subset of specialty 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz antennas meet design requirements for most projects. Antennas may be manufactured and sold as omnidirectional dipole "stick" antennas or may be directional. Directional antennas, which are high-gain antennas, may be panel antennas or patch antennas. The differences that lead to buying a high-gain panel antenna versus a high-gain patch antenna are more in the marketing than in the actual antenna itself. Although "panel" and "patch" refer to two different types of antennas both directional panel antennas and directional patch antennas perform the same function - they provide an increase in gain over an omnidirectional antenna choice.
Connect802 can help you save on high-gain antennas by offering low prices on high gain antennas as part of a complete Connect EZ Solution Suite product and service bundle. We can also provide 802.11 Wi-Fi wireless LAN amplifiers. 802.11 amplifiers must be considered carefully since amplifiers in an 802.11 WLAN often just amplify noise along with desired signal and can easily be found to be unsuitable. That's part of the Connect802 difference - we know what antenna equipment to specify to exactly meet the requirements of your project.
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| Examples of 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n and 802.16 WiMAX Antenna Choices |
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Astron Antenna Options
(A Specialty Products Page) |
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3 dBi Mini-Bullet Antenna (2" Long, 3/4" Diameter) |
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3 dBi Low-Profile Antenna (2-1/2" Diameter, 1/2" Thick) |
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6 dBi, 9 dBi, 12 dBi and 15 dBi Directional Yagi Antenna |
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12 dBi 120-Degree Sector Panel Antenna |
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12 dBi Omnidirectional Antenna |
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14 dBi Corner Reflector Antenna |
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14 dBi Directional Pole or Wall Mounted Antenna |
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18 dBi Directional Panel Antenna |
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19 dBi Parabolic Grid Antenna |
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20 dBi / 30 dBi Parabolic Dish Antenna |
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Specialty Equipment |
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2.4 GHz Outdoor RF Amplifier with Power Injector |
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Targeted Discussion About High-Gain Directional Antenna Options
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| You'll find numerous Web references and reviews of 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz high-gain directional antennas and antenna options. Below are some targeted discussions to provide you with additional perspective on antenna gain and implementation of high-gain antennas. |
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When transmitting, a high gain antenna allows more of the transmitted power to be sent in the direction of the receiver, increasing the received signal strength. When receiving, a high gain antenna captures more of the signal, again increasing signal strength. Due to reciprocity, these two effects are equal - an antenna that makes a transmitted signal 100 times stronger (compared to an isotropic radiator), will also capture 100 times as much energy as the isotropic antenna when used a receiving antenna. As a consequence of their directivity, directional antennas also send less (and receive less) signal from directions other than the main beam. This property may be used to reduce interference.
There are several ways to make a high-gain antenna - the most common are parabolic antennas, helical antennas, yagi antennas, and phased arrays of smaller antennas of any kind. Horn antennas can also be constructed with high gain, but are less commonly seen. Enhancements include a combination of a line feed with a spherical reflector to achieve extremely high gains at specific frequencies.
Antenna gain is normally measured with respect to a hypothetical antenna that radiates equally in all directions, an isotropic radiator. Conservation of energy dictates that high gain antennas must have narrow beams. For example, if a high gain antenna makes a 1 watt transmitter look like a 100 watt transmitter, then the beam can cover at most 1/100 of the comparable area.
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