Directional antennas outperform omnidirectional antennas for rural connectivity
Optimizing your network connection is critical to ensuring your business is getting all the connectivity it’s paying for. This isn’t always easy, especially in rural and remote areas where cell towers are few and far between and often far away.
Limited provider infrastructure in rural and remote areas often means both less choice in where to try to pull a signal from, but also that your access points are likely to be far away.
Cellular antennas are essential components for any business trying to deploy an effective wireless network, urban or rural. In general, there are two types: omnidirectional and directional antennas. While omnidirectional antennas are the technology most people are familiar with and are often considered the default option, directional antennas may be a better choice or even a necessary one for certain deployments in rural and remote areas.
It’s crucial to understand the different types of cellular antennas and the use cases they serve to choose the right option to suit your business needs.
Comparison of omni-directional vs directional
Directional antennas provide superior range and signal gain
Omnidirectional and directional antennas share many capabilities. The main area in which they differ is where they can acquire cellular signal from.
Omnidirectional antennas broadcast and receive signals in all directions simultaneously. Because these antennas distribute Radio Frequency (RF) energy in a broad pattern, they support deployments that require multipath propagation for comprehensive connectivity. This makes them very useful in contexts where signals may be coming from multiple directions, often because the signal is deflecting off obstacles, or because there are multiple cellular base stations nearby. Typically, this means omnidirectional antennas are a good choice for urban environments, where base station density is higher and signal direction is difficult to predict accurately.
However, their lower gain signal makes them less effective over long distances. In areas with limited or spread-out cell towers, their efficiency diminishes due to increased interference and signal noise. And they can struggle to maintain high-quality connectivity in environments where they don’t have line of sight to a cellular base station.
Directional antennas are engineered to provide high gain over long distances. These antennas focus radio frequencies into a narrow beam, amplifying and optimizing signal reception in a single direction. To acquire a signal, they must be precisely aligned with a cell tower or access point but are capable of acquiring a high gain signal even over very long distances. This means that they can provide high-quality connectivity even over great distances, as long as they’re properly calibrated and installed.
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Of course, not all directional antennas are made the same. While any will provide the basic capabilities required to overcome rural connectivity challenges, there are other important considerations to ensure the antenna you choose will work for your business.
The first and foremost consideration in many cases is range. While directional antennas provide greater range than omnidirectional antennas, not every directional antenna has equivalent range. Choosing one that provides the necessary range to reach your nearest cell tower or access point is crucial.
Also worth considering is the robustness of the antenna. Outdoor antennas, particularly in rural and remote areas, often have to cope with harsh environmental conditions. This can include anything from strong winds, rain, snow, to extremes of hot or cold. Constantly replacing your cellular antennas will not only add significant costs but create long, repetitive periods of downtime which can be very costly in their own right. As such, it’s very important to consider the environmental conditions your antennas might face and what the antennas you’re considering are rated for.
And, as a general rule, the easier the antenna is to install, the less costly installation will be. That may be because a technician is needed for less time or because you can bypass the technician entirely and install the antenna yourself. It’s also because the simpler antenna installation is, the more likely it is that the antenna will be installed and aligned correctly with your signal source.
Inseego’s FW2000 is an industry-leading outdoor directional antenna
The FW2000 is equipped with high-gain antennas offering up to 14dbi gain and a reliable range of up to 20km, ensuring high-quality 5G or 4G/LTE connectivity even at significant distances from an access point. The device also leverages beamforming, a traffic-signaling system that helps direct cellular signals to devices connected to your network, improving both overall performance and range.
No matter where you need to deploy a directional cellular antenna, the FW2000 is ready. The device is IP67-rated, ensuring it is waterproof, dustproof, and protected against small objects as well, ensuring neither strong wind, rain, nor snow affect your network performance. And with an operating temperature range from -22°F to 15°8F, it can be counted on to perform as-needed whether it’s in the desert or the tundra.
And deploying your device is a fast and easy process with the Inseego Mobile app. This app provides real-time insight into network coverage and signal strength information based on location, greatly simplifying the deployment process and ensuring your antenna can be installed in the optimal location. Access it directly from your smartphone for a cost-effective and efficient way to optimize antenna deployment.
Reach out to learn more about our outdoor cellular antenna solutions!
