Once all that's done (at least for an omnidirectional antenna), it's
pretty darn convenient to use.
If I were going to purchase an outdoor antenna, it would be omnidi-
rectional. And, yes, an outdoor antenna can be a pain to mount in a
tidy fashion, but once that job's done, it'll usually outperform
indoor antennas with a similar rated gain. Just put it up as high as
you can get it and it does its job.
· Several companies manufacture and sell mobile antennas with the
familiar magnetic mount. That's not much help if you've got an alu-
minum or fiberglass cab, or if your RV has FRP body panels, but if
you're still living in the Iron Age, they can be handy.
· There are, really, no outdoor directional antennas designed to be
permanently mounted on a moving vehicle. To employ an outdoor
directional antenna, a mount must be fashioned that allows
removal of the antenna before vehicle travels.
Checking out example antennas
Most of the major wireless manufacturers carry a line of external high-gain
antennas. If you're in the market for an indoor antenna, you might begin
your search at Hawking Technology (www·hawkingtech·com), Buffalo
Technology (www·buffalotech·com/products/wireless·php), or SMC
(www·smc·com). Here are a few good examples of available antennas:
Hawking HAI6SDP: This is an outstanding 6 dBi directional antenna
designed for indoor use. The HAI6SDP uses a Reverse Polarity-SMA con-
nector so if you want to connect it to the SMC2532W-B PC card you'll
need to obtain an RP-MMCX to RP-SMA pigtail as an adapter. (More
about cables and connectors in the next section.)
Hawking HAI7SIP: Its slightly higher 7 dBi-rated gain would put it at
the top of my list if I were going to purchase an indoor omnidirectional
antenna. It comes with an RP-SMA connector so an RP-MMCX to RP-SMA
pigtail will be needed to adapt it for use with the SMC2532W-B card.
(Again, I cover the connectors next.)
Buffalo WLE-DA2: Buffalo Technology manufactures some very high-
quality and well-reviewed wireless products; the WLE-DA2 9 dBi direc-
tional (indoor) antenna is a good example. The vertical and horizontal
beam width is 75 degrees, so it's not terribly difficult to aim. The only
problem you might run into is in adapting the connectors for use with an
SMC2532W-B PC card.
SMCHMANT-6: Manufactured by SMC this 6 dBi directional (indoor)
antenna is similar to the Hawking HAI6SDP. Its beam width is 80 degrees
on both the horizontal and vertical planes, so it's a bit more forgiving
Part I: The Wonderful World of Wireless Fidelity
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