If you’re looking for a long-range Wi-Fi connection, you may be wondering if using a Wi-Fi connection with an antenna with a high gain will work. There is no definitive answer, but some people have found that it can. The main reason why this might be the case is because the higher gain antennas can help to improve your Wi-Fi signal’s strength. Additionally, if you have an issue with your current Wi-Fi connection or are just looking for a better one, using a high gain antenna could help to improve things.
When you are setting up a long range Wi-Fi connection, you want to make sure that your connection is as solid as possible, but can you use a mixture of antenna types or should you go with high-gain only? Today’s SuperUser Q&A post has the answers to a confused reader’s question.
Today’s Question & Answer session comes to us courtesy of SuperUser—a subdivision of Stack Exchange, a community-driven grouping of Q&A web sites.
Photo courtesy of Karlis Dambrans (Flickr).
The Question
SuperUser reader userpal wants to know if he needs to have high-gain antennas on both ends of his long range Wi-Fi connection:
Does userpal actually need high-gain antennas on both ends of his long range Wi-Fi connection or not?
Suppose I want to build a long range Wi-Fi setup to cover a large area and I connect a high-gain omni-directional antenna like the one shown in this diagram to the AP.
So assume that the original AP’s Wi-Fi signal radius is 250 meters, but by using the high-gain antenna, the radius become 1,000 meters.
At 1,000 meters away from the AP and using a normal laptop (without a high-gain antenna), I try to connect to the AP. The signal from the AP is able to reach the laptop, but the signal from the laptop should not be able to reach the AP. Under these conditions, can the laptop actually connect to the AP?
Wi-Fi diagram courtesy of Freeman’s Garage Blog.
The Answer
SuperUser contributors mgjk, Jamie Hanrahan, and David Cary have the answer for us. First up, mgjk:
Followed by the answer from Jamie Hanrahan:
Similarly with reception, the signals are received from a more narrow field, which strengthens reception and reduces interference.
It is similar to talking through a cone, then listening through the cone for a response. The person at the other end does not need any special equipment, but you have increased the range and sensitivity.
And our final answer from David Cary:
Have something to add to the explanation? Sound off in the comments. Want to read more answers from other tech-savvy Stack Exchange users? Check out the full discussion thread here.
