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| Thread ID: 66696 | 2006-03-04 19:05:00 | Where should I point my Router Antennas? | kiwimate27 (9833) | Press F1 |
| Post ID | Timestamp | Content | User | ||
| 435445 | 2006-03-04 19:05:00 | I have a belking wireless G router and it has 2 Antennas. They both go up and down and turn. I am using a wireless laptop so for best performance should I make it so that the tips of the Antennas are towards mt laptop? | kiwimate27 (9833) | ||
| 435446 | 2006-03-04 20:05:00 | I have a belking wireless G router and it has 2 Antennas. They both go up and down and turn. I am using a wireless laptop so for best performance should I make it so that the tips of the Antennas are towards mt laptop? I have a wireless set up at home, communicating between an outside office and the family computer in the house (and my laptop when I am inside). I can't answer your question with any scientific validity; just my experience. My outside office is one of those Skyline jobbies, so I had to make up a long extension lead to route the aerial outside because the tin cladding was shielding the signal. The aerial is mounted on a verandah post of the office. I had to play around with aerial placement to get the best signal, and found that parallel to the ground was best, rather than vertical. And it is not pointed towards the house - rather it is parallel to both the office and the house. I suggest you just play around with aerial placement and check the signal on your laptop to see what works best. The placement that seems to make the right "sense" may not be the best one! |
John H (8) | ||
| 435447 | 2006-03-04 20:28:00 | OK thanks I'll just mess around with it and see what works best. | kiwimate27 (9833) | ||
| 435448 | 2006-03-04 20:40:00 | I have a Belking wireless G router and it has 2 Antennas. They both go up and down and turn. I am using a wireless laptop so for best performance should I make it so that the tips of the Antennas are towards my laptop? Keeping it simple, rod antennas radiate in a horizontal polar pattern around their vertical axis and there is negligible vertical radiation from the tip. Inclining them at opposing 45 degree angles (like the old TV rabbit ears) gives the best compromise between vertical and horizontal polar patterns, while inclining one sideways (as above) and the other backwards at 45 degrees will give you the most compatible field pattern if the receiving anenna is going to move around (i.e. you use your computer in different positions and locations.) Having the receive antenna on your computer vertical is most compatible with the above, but strongest signal will be found with it parallel to one or other of the transmitting antennas. Internal reflections from metal objects within your working environment or foil backed gib board wall linings may cause results that differ to the above. The manual should have offered some advice about this. Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 435449 | 2006-03-04 22:29:00 | I have a Belkin wireless router I use as an access point, with twin antennaes too . I can't find the manual right now but are pretty sure it doesn't actually mention what position is best, which I found weird . The router is currently on a plywood platform under my house at the moment (have a split level timber floored home, no sisalation) and the aerials are both pointing up at 90 degrees . There is 'excelent' signal strength throughout the home above it and in the back yard, below the level of the router . When it was in my office at the end of the house (on a desk, then on a high bookcase) the reception elsewhere wasn't good at all, apart from in the office, but my wired PC is there so I didn't need wireless in that room . I also tried the ceiling cavity and that wasn't very good at all . It would seem therefore to me that the signal does radiate out from the top of the aerials? If I recall correctly there are two keyholes on the back for wall mounting . I think (not going to crawl under the house to look right now!) that these are set up so that if it's mounted on a wall the aerials are pointing down, which doesn't make sense, although it makes it easier for the wires to come from the back of the unit down the wall . I think I will try the aerials at 45 degrees as Billy suggested and see what happens, next time I can convince the kids to get under the house . . . |
Jester (13) | ||
| 435450 | 2006-03-04 23:10:00 | The router is currently on a plywood platform under my house at the moment (have a split level timber floored home, no sisalation) and the aerials are both pointing up at 90 degrees . There is 'excellent' signal strength throughout the home above it and in the back yard, below the level of the router . It would seem therefore to me that the signal does radiate out from the top of the aerials? For simplicity, the radiation pattern can be thought of as a expanding doughnut shape surrounding the antenna, with the signal strength falling off exponentially, so there certainly will be signal radiated above the level of the antennas, but directly above the tip of each antenna there will be a fairly deep null . If you now imagine the doughnut tilted at 45 degrees (or any other angle) you can visualise the radiation pattern . Tilted away from each other will weaken the outer field but strengthen the inner area as the inner doughnut edges rise, while tilting toward each other will strengthen the outer but weaken the inner . If you are within the primary designed range, all of this is academic, but if your site poses reception problems it can make all the difference between smiles and scowls . It can also help limit radiation toward the street if your security is not good and you are concerned abour war drivers, but if they are serious they will use directional antennas with significant gain so you are better off to secure your system rather than worry about radiation patterns . Cheers Billy 8-{) The above is all expressed in layman's terms to assist non-technical users, and is a very broad generalisation of a sophisticated area of radio engineering . So please, no pedants trying to blind with science . |
Billy T (70) | ||
| 435451 | 2006-03-05 00:18:00 | Billy...your: "The above is all expressed in layman's terms to assist non-technical users, and is a very broad generalisation of a sophisticated area of radio engineering. So please, no pedants trying to blind with science."....makes a very nice mental image that no-one should diss at all. It makes good sense to tell things in simpler terms like this to non-techs..and let the big guns thrash it out amongst themselves.....however, I humbly consider you one of the big guns........kudos Billy! :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs: :thumbs: |
SurferJoe46 (51) | ||
| 435452 | 2006-03-05 01:11:00 | I think you'll find that the second antenna on most access points doesnt do anything. Its an auxillary antenna and im not actually sure of its purpose. Try remove one antenna at a time, you should find that if you remove the aux antenna you wont lose your connection. | Pete O'Neil (6584) | ||
| 435453 | 2006-03-05 01:22:00 | That's called redundancy, Pete. You could try doing that; then replace that antenna, and remove the other. That should have the same (non) effect. :D The new access points are using two aerials to get around the multi path signals and reflections you get with such short wavelength signals. It's possible for a reflecting surface to be at exactly the right distance from one antenna to cancel the signal. It's unlikely for this to happen to both (so of course, it will happen often. Murphy has a law about this). |
Graham L (2) | ||
| 435454 | 2006-03-05 02:49:00 | That's called redundancy, Pete. You could try doing that; then replace that antenna, and remove the other. That should have the same (non) effect. :D Strictly speaking, I think it is called a diversity antenna system. However, in a true dual-diversity system there are two (or more) front ends and some processing power to analyse the signal and choose whicever antenna is providing the best signal at any given time. It is commonly used for roving wireless microphones to combat dead spots. If you look at the back of some recent Japanese import people carriers, they have what looks like two sets of rabbit-ears tv antennas, one on each side. Combined with the aforementioned processing power and some clever DSP, this can deliver direct on-air TV without signal flutter or ghosting. At least, that's the theory, and no doubt the occasional hiccup would still occur. Cheers Billy 8-{) |
Billy T (70) | ||
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