Installation guide

Tsunami MP.11 Recommended Antennas

ANTENNA TYPES

Wireless radios generate signals on a given frequency. Antennas distribute that signal through the air in a

particular pattern. Antennas take a given power output and make it reach further by reducing directions along

which the signal is radiated. Concentrating the signal on your workspace makes better use of your wireless

radio’s power output, Stations inside your workspace get stronger coverage and, therefore, higher speed.

Directing the signal where you want it also means less signal where you don’t want it; stations outside your

workspace get little or no coverage.

Directional antennas (omni, sector, parabolic, flat) provide maximum range, but due to their narrow beamwidth,

these antennas require precise antenna alignment to achieve optimal performance. The higher the antenna gain,

the more precise the alignment should be.

Directional antennas are typically used to connect:

• A Base Station Unit and a Subscriber Unit in a point-to-point link

• A Subscriber Unit in a point-to-multipoint network

Flat Panel Directional Antennas

Flat panel directional antennas are mounted flush on walls or ceilings. They produce hemispherical coverage,

spreading away from the mount point at a width of 30 to 180 degrees. Concentrating the signal on this smaller

area further increases range.

Flat Panel

Horizontal Vertical

Omni-Directional Antennas

Like dipole antennas, Omni antennas radiate the signal 360 degrees horizontally; however, they increase gain by

flattening the signal, producing a vertical beam between 80 degrees (modest gain) and 7 degrees (high gain).

Gain makes the signal travel further.

These antennas have an omni-directional azimuth pattern that makes them easy to install. There is also a gain-

to-beamwidth relation for omni-directional antennas: The higher the gain of the omni-antenna, the narrower the

vertical beamwidth. In a hilly terrain, an 8 dBi omni-directional antenna can be a better solution than the 10 dBi

omni-directional antenna to avoid missing part of the terrain with too narrow a beam.

Omni Antenna

Horizontal Vertical