Question 1

Is the base of this antenna magnetic? I have seen some ads showing it was, while others did not specifically state either way.

Accepted Answer

Yes, it has 2 very strong magnets in the base.

Question 2

What is the length of the cable?

Accepted Answer

I didn't pay a lot of notice to the cable length, but I know I was hoping for 6' when I ordered mine. I believe it is 36", but not positive.

Question 3

If I install this on my WiFi card, what will improve? My download speed, upload speed, ping or some combination of those?

Accepted Answer

Possibly all of those, or possibly none of them. I think it depends on directivity and placement of your existing antenna.

This is an onmidirectional antenna, which (contrary to what the name suggests) does not radiate equally in all directions! It transmits and receives most strongly in a horizontal plane (assuming it is pointing straight up). If your current antenna is /less/ omnidirectional (has a lower gain), then this antenna will let you select more strongly for signals in the plane of your access point (router), assuming that you are aiming properly.

I don't know where your WiFi card is located, but this antenna's cord will allow you to move it away from anything metal (e.g. a PC case), if that is an issue. It will also allow you to move the antenna around to reduce signal multipathing, if that is also an issue. (If your WiFi card has two antennas for diversity receive, you're probably best buying two of these and mounting them the same distance apart as your current antennas.)

So, if you are suffering from those problems, then these improvements would result in higher RSSI, faster speeds, and lower packet latency. However! Two caveats.

1. If you live in a populated area then you probably have interfering networks on overlapping channels (the 2.4 Ghz band is horrible for this), and an omnidirectional antenna probably won't help much, especially if the interfering devices are in the same plane as your network's access point (from your WiFi antenna's perspective). Your WiFi card will just hear more noise along with more signal. If this is your situation, you are best just running an ethernet cable, or switching to 5 Ghz if you can get an access point close enough. 5 Ghz doesn't penetrate very well, which in populated areas is a virtue!

2. If your performance bottleneck is caused by your ISP connection rather than your WiFi signal, then changing antennas will likely not result in a performance increase.

Question 4

My wireless PCI card has two antennas. Will I need to purchase two of these antennas to get a better signal or will one be sufficient?

Accepted Answer

One will likely be sufficient. My PCI card also has two antennas. I have this plugged into one of the slots, and the second has one of the antennas that came with the card.

Question 5

Will this improve my 5GHz frequency range?

Accepted Answer

I havecpn on both my 2.4 and 5, both signals have increased. My wireless card has the same connector for the 5 and 2.4. I have been told before that some will have a different connector for the 5.

Question 6

Is there really a difference in antennas between BGN & 2.4/5 GHz?

Accepted Answer

Okay, the question originally sent to me was not the one I now see above. To answer your question, this antenna is designed for the 2.4 GHz band. BUT it will also work well in the 5 GHz band. By simply having an antenna that is both away from your PC or laptop as well as mounting it higher up than you usually have your desktop or laptop, I'm willing to bet this antenna will provide a marked improvement. I use mine for the 2.4 GHz band, and it works REALLY well for that. I've noticed only a slight degradation in the 5 GHz band, but that's using it with a spectrum analyzer, not a Wifi connection.

Question 7

Will this transmit N300?

Also, I need to boost our WIFI signal vertically to reach upstairs through a concrete floor. I've heard most omnis dont transmit well vertically. However, can I just lay this on it's side, and build a cantenna, windsurfer, or other DIY foil parabolic signal booster to help point the signal UP?

Accepted Answer

On an omni antenna the vertical signal is very weak, relative to the top of the antenna, so angling it horizontally would be the correct course of action. Since there is no blanking feature on this attempting to direct  it though additional means though would probably just end with you diminishing your gain by deflecting radiated signals back into the antenna. You could get an extention for the cable though and mount It on the ceiling to increase the amount of signal that makes it through. These antenna have a pivot on them so they are easy to adjust, and there is a fairly strong magnet in the base, so all you would need to install is a small metal plate for it to cling to.

Question 8

I have the TP-LINK TL-WDN4800 wireless adapter, which has three antennae. Can I buy just one of these and use it with the card? If I leave the other two attached to the computer, and use just one of these, will I get better reception?

Accepted Answer

You will get better reception. And connection.

Please note, insure that you put this antenna into the primary slot and the other two in the secondary slot.

I ended up buying two of these units and putting them into both slots for maximum connectivity.

Question 9

Can this work on TP-Link Wireless Cards for Computers?

Accepted Answer

i put it on my htpc, its asus net work adp with 2 antenna, i only got 1, works very good alot better than the one comes with it

Questions & Answers