Outdoor WiFi Antenna

The primary purpose of an outdoor WiFi antenna is to give your wireless system greater range.

Since the purpose of an outdoor WiFi antenna is to increase the strength of the signal in a given location, you'll want one with adequate power. How much an antenna increases the signal power is measured in decibels. You can see the power rating on these antennas in "dBi". Thus a 14dBi antenna should increase the signal more than a 9dBi antenna.

An outdoor WiFi antenna can be either directional or omni directional. A directional antenna is used from point-to-point. For instance, it may propogate the signal from a one wireless access point or router to another in an adjacent building. These antennas should be in line-of-sight. They tend to have the highest gain.

On the otherhand, an omni directional antenna is used from one point to multiple points. They are often used in cars as well. They propogate the signal in all directions on a horizontal plane. These antennas tend to have a lower gain than directional antennas.

When choosing your outdoor WiFi antenna you'll want to be sure it will support your Operating System and the frequency used (802.11b/g/n). Many of these antennas will give an indication of their optimal operating range which can vary from 1000 feet to over a mile.

You'll also want to be sure that you know how to mount the antenna and whether or not other supplies will be needed to do the job. Some antennas may require connector cables, mounts, and so forth while others may come with all that you need.

If you need more information, this article provides even more helpful information in determining what WiFi antenna you need. To learn more about how antennas work, you might want to read this article.

Like any type of antenna, it is possible to build your own if you just like the challenge and have some decent DIY skills. There are some simple instructions for using a USB extensiion and cord to build one on this page.

You can even build your own mobile hotspot using an outdoor WiFi antenna, and you can find some step-by-step guidance to do so here.