What Is an Omnidirectional Wi-Fi™ Antenna?
An omnidirectional Wi-Fi™ antenna is a vertical antenna that typically radiates its signal equally well in most directions. The signal strength decreases with distance and is often weaker directly above and below the antenna; a longer vertical frequently gives better performance. An omnidirectional antenna can also receive signals from all directions. Many wireless routers and Wi-Fi™ access points use an omnidirectional Wi-Fi™ antenna to reach all of the rooms in a home or office. Several different designs exist for omnidirectional antennas. Some designs have more gain—signal amplification and reception sensitivity—than others. One of those with the least gain is commonly used on most consumer wireless access points and routers. Often known as the “rubber duck,” it is named for the flexible rubber sheath that makes the Wi-Fi™ antenna more durable. It is basically a piece of coax cable with a simple metal decoupler separating the shielded and unshielded portions of the cable. Compared t
