ProSoft Technology ILX34-AENWG - Manual (Page 71)

Antenna Selection Considerations PSW-PWD ♦ ProSoft Software
User Manual ProSoft Wireless Designer
ProSoft Technology, Inc.
Page 71 of 91
July 8, 2009
8.1.4 Antenna Gain
Antenna gain is a measure of how strongly an antenna radiates in its direction of
maximum radiation intensity, compared to how strong the radiation would be if
the same power were distributed equally in all directions. An antenna's gain
describes the distance to the furthest point on the pattern from the origin. For an
omnidirectional pattern, the gain is 1 or equivalently 0 dB. The higher the
antenna gain, the narrower the beam width, and vice versa. The amount of
power that is received by the receiving antenna is proportioned to:
(transmitter power) x (transmit antenna gain)
x (receive antenna gain)
The antenna gain and transmit power can therefore be traded off. For example,
doubling ones antenna gain has the same effect as doubling the transmitter's
power. Doubling both antenna gains has the same effect as quadrupling the
transmitter's power.
8.2 Antenna Types
There are various types of antennas available for RadioLinx radios but all
basically fall into one of two categories; omnidirectional and directional (see
Antenna Patterns).
In a nutshell, omnidirectional antennas are used when signals need to link to
multiple sites, whereas, a directional antenna are used to link to a single site. In
addition, gain and distance determine what antenna type should be used.
8.2.1 Collinear Array Antenna
This antenna is typically composed of several linear antennas (like the 1/2 wave
whip) stacked on top of each other. The more stacked elements within the
collinear array, the longer the antenna and the more gain it has.
The following types of antennas are available from ProSoft Technology:
ƒ 2dBi Multi-band Swivel Antenna 2.4/5 GHz
ƒ 2.4 GHz Base Station Antenna (4 dBi, 6 dBi, and 8 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Heavy Duty Antenna (6 dBi and 9 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Panel/Patch Antenna (8 dBi, 13 dBi, and 19 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Parabolic Antenna (19 dBi and 24 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Straight Antenna (2 dBi and 5dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Whipless Antenna (3 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Yagi Antenna (10 dBi and 15 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Magnetic Mount Antenna (5 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Omni Base Station Antenna (15 dBi)
ƒ 2.4 GHz Halfwave Antenna (2 dBi)
ƒ 5 GHz Base Station Antenna (12 dBi)
ƒ 5 GHz Heavy Duty Antenna (6 dBi and 9 dBi)
ƒ 5 GHz Panel/Patch Antenna (19 dBi and 24 dBi)
ƒ 5 GHz Parabolic Antenna (26 dBi and 29 dBi)