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In this lesson,

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we're going to explore some different types

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of wireless antennas.

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Antennas are a critical component in our wireless

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communication systems

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because they dictate the directionality

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and range of the signal that's being transmitted

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by your wireless access points

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and other wireless networking equipment.

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Wireless antennas are simply devices that are designed

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to send and receive radio frequency signals,

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and the type of antenna chosen

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for a wireless system is going to greatly impact the quality

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and efficiency of the wireless

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communications that it can support.

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Therefore, it's really important

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to understand the different types of wireless antennas

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that are out there,

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including omnidirectional antennas,

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unidirectional antennas,

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and Yagi antennas,

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as well as their different characteristics

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and use cases to better be able

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to optimize your wireless network's performance.

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Now first, we have omnidirectional antennas.

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Omnidirectional antennas are antennas that are designed

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to transmit and receive wireless signals

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in all directions equally.

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This makes omnidirectional antennas great

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for covering a broad area

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with a relatively uniform signal strength

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being transmitted out in all directions.

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Commonly, you're going to find

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that omnidirectional antennas are the default type

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of antenna that's used by wireless access points

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and wireless cards in your devices,

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as well as in mobile hotspots

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and wireless public networks

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like those found in coffee shops, hotels,

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or convention centers.

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Now, when it comes to providing wireless access

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to every client from a centralized location,

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your best bet is usually going

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to be an omnidirectional antenna.

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Now second, we have unidirectional antennas.

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Now, a unidirectional antenna is an antenna

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that can focus all of its energy out in a single direction

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to ride a more concentrated signal beam.

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These unidirectional antennas are best used

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when the majority of your signal needs

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to be directed towards a specific area,

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or when trying to reach a more remote location

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from a centralized location.

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You're often going to find unidirectional antennas are used

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when you're creating a wireless point to point connection,

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such as when you want to link two buildings on a campus

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together or if you want to extend your internet service from

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your main house to a smaller building

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on the other side of your property.

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For example, one of my friends owns a decent sized piece

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of land up in Maryland that contains his home as well

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as a barn about a half a mile

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behind the house that he uses

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to put his horses in.

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Now the barn has electric run to it,

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but no one had ever thought to run copper

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or fiber cabling out to the barn to provide some level

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of internet connectivity.

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Now, my friend wanted to have a setup

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where a wireless security system could be placed in the barn

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so he could check on his horses in the middle

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of the night if he needed to.

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But to do that, he needed to add an access point to

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that barn and create a connection back to the main home

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where his network and internet service was coming from.

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Now, since he didn't want to dig a half mile long trench

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and bury a fiber optic cable to carry

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that network from his house to the barn,

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he instead bought two unidirectional antennas,

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installed one of them on the backside of his house

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and pointed it towards the barn,

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and then installed another one on the front of the barn

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and pointed it towards the house.

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And this created a wireless point-to-point network

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between the house and the barn.

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And then he was able

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to connect a unidirectional wireless access point

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to the cable connected

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to the receiving unidirectional antenna,

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and the wireless access point was able

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to receive full wireless coverage in

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and around the barn once

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it from that unidirectional antenna.

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So when it comes to unidirectional antennas,

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remember that they're suitable

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for long and narrow coverage areas,

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or when the signal needs to be strong in one particular

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direction such as in a long corridor,

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a point-to-point network,

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or when you're targeting a specific area

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over a larger distance.

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Third, we have Yagi antennas.

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Now, a Yagi antenna is a specific type

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of directional antenna that can provide high signal gains

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and uses a narrow beam width.

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Yagi antennas are excellent

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for long distance communication in a specific direction

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and are often used in remote areas to connect

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to a far off cell tower or for a television transmitter.

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The design of a Yagi antenna consists

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of multiple parallel elements in a line

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that make them highly efficient

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for picking up signals coming from the direction

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in which they're pointed at.

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Now, when you think of a Yagi antenna,

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they're very similar to a unidirectional antenna.

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In fact, there's a specific type of unidirectional antenna.

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Basically, a Yagi antenna should be your go-to choice when

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you need to capture and segment signals over long distances

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or to form a specific fixed location,

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such as establishing a link between a remote building

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and the main network infrastructure,

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or connecting to a distant ISP tower

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for your internet service.

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So remember, when you're choosing the right antenna,

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this is going to be dependent on your specific needs

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of your wireless system that you're going to be

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designing and installing.

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Your decision to use an omnidirectional, unidirectional,

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or a more specific type of unidirectional antenna known

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as a Yagi antenna really does hinge on your particular

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requirements for your wireless network,

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as well as the desired coverage area,

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desired signal range,

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and the physical environment

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that you're going to be operating within.

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By selecting the appropriate type of antenna,

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you're going to be able to ensure that your network delivers

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strong and reliable connectivity.

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It's going to be tailored to the needs of your users

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and the spatial constraints of your installation.

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By using the right antenna,

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you can not only enhance the performance

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of your wireless network,

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but you can also significantly

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improve the user experience by providing a stable

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and efficient wireless communication system.