Netgear offers routers with three antennas and even models with with six. Is more better? I am hoping to cover a large apartment with many interior walls. Is one of these multi-antenna models apt to increase range over the modem/router furnished by Time Warner that has no visible antennas.
Three antennas? Six antennas?
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You just need to wear a thicker tin foil hat, if you get the one with 6 antennas.....
Originally Posted By: Joe_Power
You just need to wear a thicker tin foil hat, if you get the one with 6 antennas.....
I have the R8000 with 6 antennae, it is fast. I have the Arris/Motorola Docsis 3.0 modem and am very pleased with my connection speed.
You just need to wear a thicker tin foil hat, if you get the one with 6 antennas.....
I have the R8000 with 6 antennae, it is fast. I have the Arris/Motorola Docsis 3.0 modem and am very pleased with my connection speed.
I am not sure that the extra antennae are in place to increase speed: They might be there to mitigate against location-specific interference, where the signals are either summed or selected based on which one is clearest. (I can only imagine what kind of electro-magnetic chaos takes place while walking your iDevice throughout your house while streaming music or video, for example.)
Extra antennas are for MIMO as well as for beam forming. I'd say it is always a good thing.
Regarding to thicker tinfoil hat: if you download 20MB with 1 antenna at 1 second vs 20MB with 2 antennas at 0.5 second, which one would give you more radiation?
Regarding to thicker tinfoil hat: if you download 20MB with 1 antenna at 1 second vs 20MB with 2 antennas at 0.5 second, which one would give you more radiation?
The extra antennas only help with coverage for fringe signaled device if beamforming is used. Beamforming is currently only useful if you use wireless AC since with AC it is standardized. Prior to AC, beamforming in N was only realistically possible with matching router and wireless adapters.
Extra antennas in non-beamforming routers are mainly used for separate frequencies (one antenna for 2.4Ghz, one antenna for 5.4G) or for faster speed. Three antennas @ 2.4G to get 450Mbps with N and 3 antennas @ 5.4G to get 450Mbs or any combination of both.
If you are interested in better coverage, I'd maximize the location of your router by elevating it and psychically beam form your wireless signal using parabolic shaped aluminum foil... seriously!
Extra antennas in non-beamforming routers are mainly used for separate frequencies (one antenna for 2.4Ghz, one antenna for 5.4G) or for faster speed. Three antennas @ 2.4G to get 450Mbps with N and 3 antennas @ 5.4G to get 450Mbs or any combination of both.
If you are interested in better coverage, I'd maximize the location of your router by elevating it and psychically beam form your wireless signal using parabolic shaped aluminum foil... seriously!
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Directive arrays were used for good old AM radio prior to WWII, and still are. Two, three and four tower arrays are common. On AM, the entire tower is the antenna. The Brits used a simple driven element/reflector for their first HF radars. To see how far this can be taken, google AN FLR - 9, which is a 96 element HF direction finding array used during the cold war. It's called the "Elephant Cage".
The array has to be designed properly, some multi antenna systems are simply for "diversity" systems which combine the output of two antennas in slightly different locations for a more stable signal. It has been used for car FM antenna systems where the movement of a few feet can drastically change the strength on a single antenna. A directive antenna can't "make" power, it can only concentrate it on one direction at the expense of everywhere else.
The array has to be designed properly, some multi antenna systems are simply for "diversity" systems which combine the output of two antennas in slightly different locations for a more stable signal. It has been used for car FM antenna systems where the movement of a few feet can drastically change the strength on a single antenna. A directive antenna can't "make" power, it can only concentrate it on one direction at the expense of everywhere else.
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