With the internet ruling the whole world, it has become essential to select a suitable LTE antenna. These antennas help improve the 4G/LTE signal. This is especially useful for IoT devices. These 4G antennas work with the technology known as MIMO. MIMO stands for Multiple Input Multiple Output and ensures that its modem works with two separate antennas. This feature helps with super-fast internet, even in rural areas. This blog will help one understand what an LTE antenna is and how it works. You will also get an idea about how to improve your signal strength.
Types of LTE Antennas
To get a clear idea about the types of LTE antennas, one needs to consider two frequencies – 700 MHz and 2600 MHz.
Although 700 MHz is indeed a wide-coverage network, it provides low internet speed due to many anticipated users. In such scenarios, you need to make use of the multiband antennas.
What are multiband antennas? Multiband antennas work so that they can operate within different frequency bands. In this case, every network set-up has a band preference that may be 2600 MHz at the top and 700 MHz at the bottom, but one needs to select a 4G antenna that has a larger gain in the higher bands.
However, there are specific cons of using these multi-band antennas. One such downside is that when increasing the operating bandwidth, one needs to reduce the antenna gain. As per some findings, antennas should ideally have a gain of 10-11 DBi (highest gains).
What are high gain antennas? One may get access to the long-range connections using high gain antennas. These 4G LTE antennas can also be used for ranges above 20 km, but you will be limited to a single frequency. However, all the base stations may not broadcast all the 4G frequencies, and therefore, one may need to do some research before selecting a 4G LTE antenna.
LTE antennas can also be also classified into the following types:
- Wire antennas (used for small, custom apps, vehicles, ships, and buildings)
- Aperture antennas (used mainly for space vehicles and air transport)
- Reflector antennas (used in satellites, microwave communications, and astronomy using radio waves)
- Lens antennas (mainly used for high frequency apps)
- Microstrip antennas (also used in vehicles, space and air transport, military weapons)
- Array antennas (used in high gain scenarios)
You need to choose the antenna that best fits your requirements.
How to Improve LTE Signal?
One needs to be very careful while selecting the 4G LTE outdoor antenna. We need to select the most suitable antenna so that the RF subsystem does not have much impact. Failing to select the proper 4G LTE outdoor antenna may affect system performance and hence, there may be issues with communication, battery life, and power consumption.
Therefore, while making the selection, one needs to consider the frequency range. One of the other important factors one needs to consider is the size of the antenna and the mounting option. Plus, one also has to focus on the coverage requirement and the antenna gain. Directional operation is also an essential factor.
One needs to learn terms like SNR, RSRP, RSCP, etc., to understand the signal strength values. There are factors like poor weather, distance from the cellular tower, network congestion, etc, that may cause poor signal strength. So, while trying to improve the LTE signal, one must make a note of these factors.
One must try an LTE antenna booster to improve the signal strengths. These LTE antenna boosters will make sure to get the best signal from outside your home or use the signal from any nearby network to ensure good connectivity.
You can get details of how you can boost your signal strength here.
How to Install LTE Antenna?
One may find it challenging to install LTE external antenna, however, following the steps as mentioned below will make things easier and clear:
- The first thing one needs to focus on is communicating with the cell masts in your area.
- As you come to know where the cell masts are, make preparations for mounting the antenna. You must try to mount it outdoors so that there are no obstructions in its communications. Also, try to mount it high up, as a higher elevation is best for your LTE external antenna.
- Once the antenna starts receiving the signal, one must ensure that it is readable to the local network. While selecting the cable, it is best to choose a coaxial cable of high standards.
- Also, one must note the radiation patterns so that it doesn’t result in any connection issues.
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