On 03/06/14 11:29, Rick Hughes wrote:
On 01/06/2014 11:45, Tim Watts wrote:
And if you wanted to add a remote antenna on a lead (for better antenna
placement), can you just add one and does it matter which of the 2 or 3
sockets you connect it to?

Could you even add 2 or 3 external antennae to the same unit?

Never understood this...


Some access points have 2 identical antennaes to provide diversity and
hopefully better Tx/Rx throughput, others (I have one) have 3 antennaes
and the '3rd' uses different frequency.
For optimum efficiency antennas have to be matched to wavelength ... so
if you have 2 specific frequencies one (usually best) option is a 2
matched antennae.

Although most cheaper access points just have one of more antennae
matched to a single frequency.

If you want to remote off an antennae ... you can do this as long as you
use correct impedance matched cable, and you either use a physical
ground plane, or a wire wound groundplane mimic.
If you don't know how important a ground plane is ... here is another
page for you:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_plane

Even 2 strips of adhesive backed thick aluminium tape in a 'cross' with
antennae in middle can be good enough.
(often used on fibreglass structures)



Thanks Rick - most informative.