Archives: FAQs

Polarisation refers to the angle in which the radio waves are transmitted from the antenna, vertical polarisation refers to waves that are propagating up and down, horizontal polarisation refers to waves that are propagating left and right, and cross polarisation refers to waves propagating at a 45 degree angle. Most cellular masts in the UK, use cross polarised antennas and due to signal correlation within LTE technology, antennas can normally receive all types of signal.​Antennas will be manufactured for single, dual or cross polarisation. For dual polarised antennas, there may be a H and V label on the antenna ports. Typically the V would connect to the main cellular input… Read More

High gain antennas are great for reaching large distances as long as the antenna is mounted at the correct angle to direct the signal towards the tower. Lower gain antennas are great for when the height of the antenna or tower is a factor, as a larger vertical area is covered. A high gain antenna is not always the answer.

The higher the gain of the antenna, the flatter and wider the donut shape is and the further the signal will travel. However, due to the flattened radiation pattern, there is less vertical tolerance and more precision is needed when mounting the antenna. When testing the antenna before permanent installation, do not test with the antenna laying on its side, as this will give poor result that are not a true reflection of the antennas performance. For the reasons mentioned above, the antenna needs to be mounted accurately.

Omni-directional antennas radiate evenly in every horizontal direction, whereas a directional antennas radiate mostly in a single horizontal direction. Typically, directional antennas will reach a greater distance as all of the antenna power is focused in one direction, however the antenna must be pointed directly at the cellular mast being used. To find your closest mast go to www.cellmapper.net or www.mastdata.com.

A 0dBi antenna radiates in a perfect sphere, when gain is applied to the signal, the radiation pattern is compressed vertically and stretch horizontally, creating a donut / disc shape. The router transmits a fixed amount of power, the antenna does not increase or decrease the power of the signal, it focuses the signal to help transmit over larger distances. The higher the gain of the antenna, the flatter and wider the donut shape is and the further the signal will travel.