What Are "High Gain" Router Antennas? Can They Increase WiFi Range?
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- Опубликовано: 4 окт 2024
- High Gain router antennas are able to improve your WiFi, but only under certain conditions.
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High gain antennas for you router are designed to increase your WiFi range depending on your home layout. If you live on a one-level home or apartment, these may give you better WiFi signal strength, because high gain antennas direct more of the signal horizontally than vertically. This also means that if you live in a multi-story home, using high gain antennas will actually decrease your signal on other floors. I explain how these work, and how well they actually work.
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High gain antennas aren't purchased for speed though. Purely for extended range. Weird analysis.
It made a huge difference for me. Been using the 3200 with these big antennas for almost 3 years. My main problem was getting penetration through walls to security cameras.
Interesting.
This video makes no sense. You compared two antennas from one location where both had excellent signal. Of course you won't see any difference. You need to do a range comparison where you do speed tests from each antenna configuration further and further from the source. This video tested absolutely nothing. Also, range extenders are a terrible idea. Only use if you have absolutely no other choice.
Brendan i was gonna say exacly the same. High gain antenna is not to speed up your internet but to resolve connection issues so testing it on maximum signal strenght without changing distance have absolutelly no point. If you have good signal in every point of your house then high gain antenna won't make any difference but if at any point you keep loosing signal then it will make huge difference in signal strenght and stability.
i agree... my mother tells me not to lay a 40m lan cable, so i have to use 2 wifi connections to game... RIP packet loss
exactly!!!
tell your mom 2.4 ghz wifi which is also most of the mobile phones frequency, is cancerous !!
i never switched to wifi, sticked with cable, wifi is useless cancerous gadgetry spin garbage to make more money on unhealthy product no 1 needs.
@@KarlssonF can't use the powerline networking stuff?
Directional antennas do work if used correctly. In this case, you measured pretty close to the router, so the shape of the signal didn't make a difference. But if you're farther away, it does make a big difference, especially with those rectangular antennas that concentrate the entire signal in a 60 by 20 degree cone. Wi-Fi range extenders (and even mesh networks) are bad because they cut whatever bandwidth they get in half. If you can hardwire an additional AP, of course that's the best solution, but it's often not feasible. Short of that, directional antennas are probably the most often overlooked solution. If you have a 3x3 or 4x4 router and you install 3 or 4 of those square-shaped directional antennas and point them each where you need Wi-Fi, you can extend your range dramatically.
I was gonna to say this in comments until I see your comment lol
Well explainede - "manipulates the signal so it goes further in one direction, and less in another direction"
good to see you're making real videos now
dude, I have been for 2 months
:( I recommended the fake ones :'(
Dude, nice troll. He obviously does _NOT_ understand what signal gain means and confuses beamforming into the mix.
Panda going down for real!!
Great video as I have been pondering on best antenna angle for a while. Thanks
That explains a lot. I am a OTR truck driver and I use a Alfa AWUS036NH to pick up free wifi around from a nearby restaurant or hotel that offers it.
The flat antenna works well, but I know exactly where to point it and can dial it in using MediaTek's app. So I figured an Alfa high gain would be even better but, mostly, it is worse.
Honestly, until now, I was convinced it was counterfeit because I always tested at home and never considered it was shaped and not more efficient.
You are absolutely able to change the power output of the signal on routers. It just depends on the firmware.
There's another effect that the video didn't talk about. When you get a better gain antenna, you also increase your reception sensitivity. In some cases, if your device has a poor transmission power, it can be a good idea to have a better antenna. This is true in many other scenarios, like HAM radios. But I share the same idea that a extender is a simpler and more effective way to improve wireless coverage.
high gain antenna and high gain crap is a bit different. And for wifi high gain is parabolic, maybe yagi.
3dbi and 4.5dbi ponnytail antennas are kind of the same.
wifi extenders totally suck. always get ethernet-AP instead
i used a High Gain Router Antenna and now i have internet for free, 10/10
Robed Figure hhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Robed Figure valid in India??
Robed Figure thiojoe liked your comment omal
Stop...just stop. Its so last month...
As Adm Rickover said "I am stupid".....tell me more?
A gain or loss of 3dB corressponds to an increase of twice, or a decrease to one-half, the power respectively. So -53dB or -52dB is quite a bit. Never the less, good video.
It also helps to not have your home router inbetween your TV(giant metal plane with current running through it) and bookshelf(solid wooden pillar).
--Put it somewhere high, out in the open!!!
They work by extending range, so they wont give you more speed in your connection, but you could walk a block away and get a full connection rather then a some what lowered connection. Think Ham, they don't get a ham user speaking faster but they do get to reach that other ham user miles away, but only in that direction. So i could sit in my car and reach my AP from down the road, in fact quite a bit further away. Also great for detection of directions of AP's!!
I have 2 HG antennas on my Netgear router because I live in an apartment. The range is broader so I now get the same signal strength in my bedroom as I do in the living room.
simple explanation......very helpful. thank you.
Old video but relevant. I had a cheap wifi camera with an internal antenna that I put in my garage that could barely get a signal. I then bought a new camera with two external antennas. And it made no difference. In fact the old cheapie actually had slightly better reception.
So yea basically just get an extender instead
ThioJoe ya how much was this
ThioJoe u are da best
ThioJoe Gross, wire another AP up elsewhere. Repeaters are garbage.
ThioJoe can you see if you know how to get more free stuff
ThioJoe k
your videos are always helpful thanks for taking the time to help with them
As much as I enjoyed the trolling videos from a while ago, it's good to see you sharing helpful information.
The thumbnail reminded me of the good ol dayssss *sheds a tears*
Thanks for the video. I've been debating those for a while. Nice to know my extender was the better choice. I like the randomness of the subjects, thanks
Installed high gain pair of 10dBi TREADALT-TEC, basically a no brand, each over 15" long on my Netgear AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Range Extender, I think 2018 model. Original antennas were Two (2) about 4" 5dBi dual band detachable external antennas. The building is a mixture of new and old, I'm on the first floor in the old section that has mesh wire in the walls rather than the normal/usual drywall. The router signal that is extended is about three rooms away on the second floor, not straight above, in the new section of the building. My Lenovo notebook PC and smartphone will only pick-up a barely usable single most of the time. The extender didn't do much better and I'm in the same small room as the extender. The signal was obviously very strong because of my very close location to the extender but the internet was still lacking. The high gain antennas made a dramatic difference. My guess is these antennas made the extender much more sensitive, better than either the PC or smartphone.
Many would complain about the connector breaking on these high gain antennas. The swivel connector is largely plastic and the breakage happens at the connection point between the antenna and device. Mines did not break but I was careful not to over torque. These antennas, IMO, are meant for stationary installations and are not or should not be as durable as for handheld handy talkie (ham radio). The latter is comparatively pricey while these antennas are very inexpensive. Pair is currently $10 on Amazon. I paid much more because bought years ago and they were sold individually with a cable. They appear to be identical to the ones currently being sold for $10 a pair.
Similar in theory to directional antennas. I think a good companion piece to this would be access points in general (and wiring them up for ethernet rather than repeating), although PoE would be neat to look at if not particularly useful in your apartment. TP-Link has a number of fairly inexpensive 802.11n ones, though ac seems expensive still for PoE.
yeah I never understood the High gan under omnidirectional antennas however when it comes to directional antennas I have been able to push signal for up to 5 miles directional antennas come in handy on big pieces of land
compelling analysis and strangely attractive
note: you can change the pwoer output. some router supports it. some wifi adapter too.
I tried a pair of high gain antennas when 54g was popular and they did nothing at all. I ended up getting a signal booster for my desktop PC instead, which plugs into the wall and is basically a wifi antenna on crack. Worked much better! The downside is it doesn't affect the source wifi broadcast.
I think a dedicated power source is really needed to properly amplify the signal.
very informative! Keep it up Theo!
Joe i have to correct you, you can increase the signal power. you can use third party firmware such as DD-WRT to increase the gain in the settings. its standard with DD-WRT software.
But as far as I've heard.. that's illegal... It's probably why he didn't mention it...
Awesome. Wifi wired extender is my new choice now!
Hi
Thanks you for sharing your point but in my opinion the different is not on the speedtest because it gives you the up/down bitrate you had subscribe to your internet provider and normally it's the same except some parameter depending of the servers use for the test
the best way to test antenna Gain is to look the force of the signal.
Hight gain signal more coverage
Best reagards
I thought I was going to be able to double my internet speed for free.
thanks for the information, just moved into a new place. I'm glad you did this video saved me some money.
They're useful if you have a really on the very edge of a reliable signal and are in a situation where an extender can't be used for some reason, but they're certainly no silver bullet.
If you want fast internet just use a ethernet cable
i added an extension cable and a mountable antenna. works much better since i'm saturating a dead zone without needing an extender which is an issue for mobile devices when walking around since they don't automatically switch around to the strongest signal.
This reminds me of your old troll videos, the reason why I subbed to you
I replaced my antennas not for the bandwidth nor signal strength. I did it to get better stability on the same floor, and to drastically decrease the range to the other floors.
My problem with the default antennas was that I had a whole lot of "hicups" in the connection, where the connection would stop working for a few seconds every minute or so. I discovered that I had whole lot of hotspots in the nearby area.
As I live in an apartment in a multifloor building (flats), each household has their own wifi hotspots that makes it extremely crowded.
With the new antennas I reduced the "hicups" drastically, and the overall connection was a whole lot more stable. Same bandwidth. Same speeds as before. And slightly better range around my apartment.
Actually the gain antenna will not increase the speed, but will have a longer range. I tested both, the high gain antenna and a WiFi repeater. The wifi repeater will reduce the internet speed to half, and you will lose signal many times and have to reset the repeater more than once in a week. With the high gain antenna i have signal in rooms where there was not internet at all. Maybe the walls will reduce the speed a little, but will not be half as happened with the repeater.
Fantastic explanation, Thank you!
I would imagine you would see the most benefit from high gain antennas at a further range, but also match antenna on each device. Your phone may see benefit on download at a further range, but upload will drop off with that range unless you have a matching high gain antenna on the phone.
This antenna best use for extend the range of "5g" network "only". If you know, normally 5g network coverage is shorter than the 2.4g. You have to place the router on a higher ground and away from any possible interference equipment/walls. I am using it.
0:54 No, you *can* change it (depending on your AP's software) -- but it's limited by law.
I would be interested in seeing the internals of both antennas. Some of my wifi antennas are are nearly identical on the inside even though the casing for one is longer than the other.
Nicely explained. Thank You!
I think this would be more intended to reach further on a horizontal plane as apposed to increasing the speed. So you should get a stronger signal further away than you wouod with the regular antenna. But then you need to factor in the cost of these vs a repeater.
when i saw the thumbnail i had hope for 1 second
There are powered antennas which can produce a signal up to 8 Watts(totally illegal anything >1 watt is illegal) which can produce super long range signals(or so they claim). I personally use 2 5Ghz dual-band 802.11ac Access Points from Ruckus so as not to have any WiFi issues.
The test show nothing when tested both antennas in max -50db signal location..
High gains are for range.. not sitting next to the router.
thank you for great expliantion
Thank you very much that was very interesting
Thank you for the video!
Awesome video. Saved me the trouble!
3:43 negative number means more stronger signal, correct this.
he said the "more negative"
damn!!!! your camera quality is just beyond crystal clear, what camera do you use for making video?? I loved the quality i see in my monitor>> Thanks
Ty so much for this explanation
Superb video! Subbed
Hey, nice job, I am an extra class amateur radio licensee and Electrical Engineer, you did a great job explaining antenna gain and your testing mythology and analysis was top notch. One of your better videos.
yo just for the record those aren't decibels - they're dBm: decibel-milliwatts, which are measured relative to 1mW (ie 1mW is 0dBm)
Can they increase my Indian range?
+Panda That's A Cool Meme Mate. I Will do It Too
The question is do you use high power router to elaborate the high gain antenna? If not then no matther high it is still no changes.
I know this was to see if it helped in your apartment, but you should have tested it at the max range of the stock antenna...where performance starts to drop off.
Could we get a "making of" video about how you forged some of the results in your old fake videos? I think seeing that process might be interesting.
I expected you to test the signal strength further away from the router to really test if it makes a difference in range
So, getting back to how antennas point. I’m coming away from your video thinking my 4 antennas on a tp_link router doesn’t matter. Currently, the two outside antenna point left and right and are horizontal. The two middle antennas are pointing straight up. Are you saying all four should be straight up???
it can make a difference depending on the total gain and how direct you are at the antenna direction, and how close you are as well. and also, yes how powerful the router is, its settings, the frequency, the provider, how good your phone or computer is, the data plan and even the dins server speed. using a 15 db gain antenna, 3 inches from the router and modem, high end hardware, high end settings, high end everything and double it, i would say it would be much faster, is it a 3 db gain or 6. using anything higher then 9 db gain and you will see a difference like 12 and 15 db gain
What is the best router to buy? Will I need to get a different antennas? I watch your videos to get faster internet speeds and faster wifi speeds, which I plan doing. Any suggestions for a mac user would be great. Thanks again for your videos. Kris
After laughing for so long at your satire videos my mind was in "bull****" mode but this is really spot on. I was considering replacing the factory antennas on my Nighthawk R7300 with high gain ones but after this and actually using the included powerline Ethernet adapter I'm just going to save the money.
To be entirely honest, this is literally a Terrible test of what high gain antennas are for. We’re you even testing at the furthest point in your apartment from the AP? Where I live the modem / router are on one far wall of my apartment, and the living room is on the far other wall - I can Easily tell the difference (signal drop), especially on 5, but also with 2.4, when I’m in the living room. A high gain antenna would 100% help - I actually just bought one, so maybe I’ll do a video on it. Out of my normal content, but definitely within my wheelhouse, so who knows.
hey, thanks for the video, was really helpful!
I have a double-antenna router, can I change just on of them with a 8
dbi one? Is it dangerous for the router to work with two different
antennas ?
I own a high gain WiFi adapter, and noticed a substantial improvement in my 5GHz network, maybe you should do a video on a high gain adapter.
I think 35 ft through few walls is a pretty weak test. You'd want to try and push outside the normal range of the network, where these should show the most benefit if any.
I've watched several of your boost wifi videos, and I was really interested in the one with the batteries and antenna, how would you go about boosting if there is no antenna
amazing and thanks for genuine advice
it's good to be back
holy shit, 170Mbps download speed?! I only have 300Kbps download speed. FML
Mr.CheekiBreeki I get 15mbps down
Mr.CheekiBreeki my upload speed is 2 Mbps
Mr.CheekiBreeki I get 100 mbps down and up
TheGamingCube I would kill for that internet speed. at the moment it takes like 1-2 hours to download 1GB.
Mr.CheekiBreeki So you get 37.5KBs/s download speed? Jesus man. That's like 25 seconds just to download a single MB. I feel so sorry for you man
In Which Joe Shows Off His Really Good Internet For 6 And A Half Minutes
He tried 35 feet away. What about 55 feet? What if it's the same exact speed because they're both in range for that particular signal strength? What's its like from 55 feet away ? Is the $70 one better at maintaining a particular speed at a much greater range?
great content man, who would even buy this for $70??
"This"?
Should rerun the test at the furthest point from your router. That's what they are for, distance.
It would have been a better test if you went out 100 meters (the spec. limit of WiFi) away from the antenna laterally and compared the two signal strengths. The further out laterally you go, probably the more superior the high gain antenna at maintaining a usable signal on the very directional microwave WiFi signal - and that's the use case where that antenna might be worth the money. Repeaters always reduce throughput due to the multiple hops.
If I'm out camping in the back country can I put a router on a drone and turn it into a wifi hotspot?
you should do a distance test, compare distances per the regular vs high gain. Because the claim is the work at further ranges horizontally. Also can you then recommend good antennas that do actually work better then standard ones?
I subscribed only because you're one of the best RUclipsrs in the world you rock
Could your phone be the cause of the small difference you noticed. I would compare wifi signal reception on two device just to see...
You didn't mention the dbi of the antennas.
You didn't mention the distance from the router you measured the signal from.
Can firmware boost power?
alot of people will probably call me dumb but this is some nerdy stuff
Good review 👍 saved me $$..you would think there would be more of a improvement then that..
So if i slap 2 of these on a usb antenna as a replacement for the small original ones would i receive better signal?
thx for the information
Hey I just moved upstairs from my sister apartment building and I am looking to get a strong WiFi signal without cable, what do I need?
“Can they increase range?”
Well it would’ve been cool if you actually tested signal strength at different ranges.
hello, to get a realistic test result you should open up the high gain antenna. Some of them are fake. Regards
very valuable thanks
People taking my service as if I were McDonald’s
It is more to increase the coverage rather than increase your max range. At -55dBm signal strength, you already at the max rate, so no difference.
Was wondering if there was a simple way to boost the signal on a router with an internal antenna.
You should have checked multiple distances.