10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Skiptocontent

Skiptofooter

Omni Antenna vs. Directional Antenna

Updated: Feb27,2007

Contents
Introduction
Prerequisites
Requirements
ComponentsUsed
Conventions
BasicDefinitionsandAntennaConcepts
IndoorEffects
OmniAntennaProsandCons
DirectionalAntennaProsandCons
Interference
Conclusion
RelatedInformation

Introduction
Thisdocumentgivesbasicantennadefinitionsanddiscussesantennaconceptswithafocusontheprosandconsof
omnianddirectionalantennas.

Prerequisites
Requirements
Therearenospecificrequirementsforthisdocument.

ComponentsUsed
Thisdocumentisnotrestrictedtospecificsoftwareandhardwareversions.

Conventions
RefertoCiscoTechnicalTipsConventionsformoreinformationondocumentconventions.

BasicDefinitionsandAntennaConcepts
Anantennagivesthewirelesssystemthreefundamentalproperties:gain,directionandpolarization.Gainisameasure
ofincreaseinpower.Gainistheamountofincreaseinenergythatanantennaaddstoaradiofrequency(RF)signal.
Directionistheshapeofthetransmissionpattern.Asthegainofadirectionalantennaincreases,theangleofradiation
usuallydecreases.Thisprovidesagreatercoveragedistance,butwithareducedcoverageangle.Thecoverageareaor
radiationpatternismeasuredindegrees.Theseanglesaremeasuredindegreesandarecalledbeamwidths.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

1/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Anantennaisapassivedevicewhichdoesnotofferanyaddedpowertothesignal.Instead,anantennasimply
redirectstheenergyitreceivesfromthetransmitter.Theredirectionofthisenergyhastheeffectofprovidingmore
energyinonedirection,andlessenergyinallotherdirections.
Beamwidthsaredefinedinbothhorizontalandverticalplains.Beamwidthistheangularseparationbetweenthehalf
powerpoints(3dBpoints)intheradiationpatternoftheantennainanyplane.Therefore,foranantennayouhave
horizontalbeamwidthandverticalbeamwidth.

Figure1:BeamwidthofAntenna

Antennasareratedincomparisontoisotropicordipoleantennas.Anisotropicantennaisatheoreticalantennawitha
uniformthreedimensionalradiationpattern(similartoalightbulbwithnoreflector).Inotherwords,atheoretical
isotropicantennahasaperfect360degreeverticalandhorizontalbeamwidthorasphericalradiationpattern.Itisan
idealantennawhichradiatesinalldirectionsandhasagainof1(0dB),i.e.zerogainandzeroloss.Itisusedto
comparethepowerlevelofagivenantennatothetheoreticalisotropicantenna.

Figure2:RadiationPatternofanIsotropicAntenna

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

2/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Antennascanbebroadlyclassifiedasomnidirectionalanddirectionalantennas,whichdependsonthedirectionality.
Unlikeisotropicantennas,dipoleantennasarerealantennas.Thedipoleradiationpatternis360degreesinthe
horizontalplaneandapproximately75degreesintheverticalplane(thisassumesthedipoleantennaisstanding
vertically)andresemblesadonutinshape.Becausethebeamisslightlyconcentrated,dipoleantennashaveagain
overisotropicantennasof2.14dBinthehorizontalplane.Dipoleantennasaresaidtohaveagainof2.14dBi,whichis
incomparisontoanisotropicantenna.Thehigherthegainoftheantennas,thesmallertheverticalbeamwidthis.
Imaginetheradiationpatternofanisotropicantennaasaballoon,whichextendsfromtheantennaequallyinall
directions.Nowimaginethatyoupressinonthetopandbottomoftheballoon.Thiscausestheballoontoexpandinan
outwarddirection,whichcoversmoreareainthehorizontalpattern,butreducesthecoverageareaaboveandbelowthe
antenna.Thisyieldsahighergain,astheantennaappearstoextendtoalargercoveragearea.

Figure3:RadiationPatternofanOmniAntenna

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

3/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Omnidirectionalantennashaveasimilarradiationpattern.Theseantennasprovidea360degreehorizontalradiation
pattern.Theseareusedwhencoverageisrequiredinalldirections(horizontally)fromtheantennawithvaryingdegrees
ofverticalcoverage.PolarizationisthephysicalorientationoftheelementontheantennathatactuallyemitstheRF
energy.Anomnidirectionalantenna,forexample,isusuallyaverticalpolarizedantenna.

Figure4:AntennaPolarization

DirectionalantennasfocustheRFenergyinaparticulardirection.Asthegainofadirectionalantennaincreases,the
coveragedistanceincreases,buttheeffectivecoverageangledecreases.Fordirectionalantennas,thelobesare
pushedinacertaindirectionandlittleenergyisthereonthebacksideoftheantenna.

Figure5:RadiationPatternofaDirectionalAntenna

Anotherimportantaspectoftheantennaisthefronttobackratio.Itmeasuresthedirectivityoftheantenna.Itisaratio
ofenergywhichantennaisdirectinginaparticulardirection,whichdependsonitsradiationpatterntotheenergywhich
isleftbehindtheantennaorwasted.Thehigherthegainoftheantenna,thehigherthefronttobackratiois.Agood
antennafronttobackratioisnormally20dB.

Figure6:TypicalRadiationPatternofaDirectionalAntennawithCalibratedLobes

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

4/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Anantennacanhaveagainof21dBi,afronttobackratioof20dBorafronttosideratioof15dB.Thismeansthe
gaininthebackwarddirectionis1dBi,andgainoffthesideis6dBi.Inordertooptimizetheoverallperformanceofa
wirelessLAN,itisimportanttounderstandhowtomaximizeradiocoveragewiththeappropriateantennaselectionand
placement.

IndoorEffects
Wirelesspropagationcanbeeffectedbyreflection,refractionordiffractioninaparticularenvironment.Diffractionisthe
bendingofwavesaroundthecorners.RFwavescantakemultipathsbetweenthetransmitterandreceiver.Amultipath
isacombinationofaprimarysignalandreflected,refractedordiffractedsignal.Soonthereceiverside,thereflected
signalscombinedwiththedirectsignalcancorruptthesignalorincreasetheamplitudeofthesignal,whichdependson
thephasesofthesesignals.Becausethedistancetraveledbythedirectsignalisshorterthanthebouncedsignal,the
timedifferentialcausestwosignalstobereceived.
Thesesignalsareoverlappedandcombinedintoasingleone.Inreallife,thetimebetweenthefirstreceivedsignaland
thelastechoedsignaliscalledthedelayspread.Delayspreadistheparameterusedtosignifymultipath.Thedelayof
thereflectedsignalsismeasuredinnanoseconds.Theamountofdelayspreaddependsupontheamountofobstacles
orinfrastructurepresentbetweenthetransmitterandreceiver.Therefore,delayspreadhasmorevalueforthe
manufacturingfloorduetolotofmetallicstructurepresentascomparedtothehomeenvironment.Overall,multipath
limitsthedatarateorlowerstheperformance.

Figure7:MultipathEffectsinIndoorEnvironment

IndoorRFpropagationisnotthesameasitisoutdoors.Thisisduetothepresenceofsolidobstructions,ceilings,and
floorsthatcontributetoattenuationandmultipathsignallosses.Therefore,multipathordelayspreadismoreinthe
indoorenvironment.Ifthedelayspreadismore,theinterferenceismoreandwillcauselowerthroughputataparticular
datarate.
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

5/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Indoorenvironmentcanalsobeclassifiedasnearlineofsight(LOS)andnonLOS.InnearLOSenvironments,where
youcanseeaccesspoints(APs)suchasinthehallways,multipathisusuallyminorandcanbeovercomeeasily.The
amplitudesoftheechoedsignalsaremuchsmallerthantheprimaryone.However,innonLOSconditions,theechoed
signalscanhavehigherpowerlevels,becausetheprimarysignalmightbepartiallyortotallyobstructed,andgenerally
moremultipathispresent.
Multipathhasbeenasemifixedevent.However,otherfactorssuchasmovingobjectscanenterintoplay.The
particularmultipathconditionchangesfromonesampleperiodtothenext.Thisiscalledtimevariation.
MultipathinterferencecancausetheRFenergyofanantennatobeveryhigh,butthedataisunrecoverable.You
shouldnotlimittheanalysisonlytothepowerlevel.AslowRFsignaldoesnotmeanpoorcommunication,butlow
signalqualitydoesmeanpoorcommunication.YoumustanalyzesignalqualityandRxlevelsidebyside.HighRxlevel
andlowsignalqualitymeansthereisalotofinterference.Youmustanalyzethechannelfrequencyplanagaininsucha
scenario.LowRxlevelandlowsignalqualitymeansthatthereisalotofblockage.
Indoorwavepropagationisalsoaffectedbythebuildingmaterial.Thedensityofthematerialsusedintheconstruction
ofabuildingdeterminesthenumberofwallstheRFsignalcanpassthroughandstillmaintainadequatecoverage.
Paperandvinylwallshavelittleeffectonsignalpenetration.Solidwalls,solidfloorsandprecastconcretewallscan
limitsignalpenetrationtooneortwowallswithoutdegradingcoverage.Thiscanvarywidelybasedanysteelreinforcing
withintheconcrete.Concreteandconcreteblockwallscanlimitsignalpenetrationtothreeorfourwalls.Woodor
drywalltypicallyallowsforadequatepenetrationoffiveorsixwalls.Athickmetalwallcausessignalstoreflectoff,
whichresultsinpoorpenetration.Steelreinforcedconcreteflooringrestrictscoveragebetweenfloorstoperhapsoneor
twofloors.
Thehigherthefrequency,theshorterthewavelengthis.Shorterwavelengthshavemoreprobabilitytogetabsorbedand
distortedbyabuildingmaterial.Therefore,802.11a,whichoperatesinahigherfrequencyband,ismorepronetothe
buildingmaterialeffect.
TheactualeffectontheRFmustbetestedatthesite.Therefore,asitesurveyisnecessary.Youshoulddoasite
surveytoseethesignallevelyoureceiveontheothersideofthewalls.Achangeinthetypeofantennaandlocationof
theantennacaneliminatemultipathinterference.

OmniAntennaProsandCons
Omniantennasareveryeasytoinstall.Duetothe360degreeshorizontalpattern,itcanevenbemountedupsidedown
fromaceilingintheindoorenvironment.Also,becauseofitsshapeitisveryconvenienttoattachtheseantennasto
theproduct.Forexample,youmightseeRubberDuckantennasattachedtothewirelessAPs.Inordertoobtainan
omnidirectionalgainfromanisotropicantenna,energylobesarepushedinfromthetopandthebottom,andforcedout
inadoughnuttypepattern.Ifyoucontinuetopushinontheendsoftheballoon(isotropicantennapattern),apancake
effectwithverynarrowverticalbeamwidthresults,butwithalargehorizontalcoverage.Thistypeofantennadesigncan
deliververylongcommunicationsdistances,buthasonedrawbackwhichispoorcoveragebelowtheantenna.

Figure8:OmniAntennawithNoCoverageBelowtheAntenna

Ifyoutrytocoveranareafromahighpoint,youseeabigholebelowtheantennawithnocoverage.
Thisproblemcanbepartiallysolvedwiththedesignofsomethingcalleddowntilt.Withdowntilt,thebeamwidthsare
manipulatedtoprovidemorecoveragebelowtheantennathanabovetheantenna.Thissolutionofdowntiltisnot
possibleinanomniantennabecauseofthenatureofitsradiationpattern.
Theomniantennaisusuallyaverticallypolarizedantenna,soyoucannothaveadvantagesofusingcrosspolarization
heretofightinterference.
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

6/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Alowgainomniantennaprovidesaperfectcoverageforanindoorenvironment.ItcoversmoreareaneartheAPora
wirelessdeviceinordertoincreasetheprobabilityofreceivingthesignalinamultipathenvironment.
Note:InadditiontotheCiscoAironetAntennasthatworkforlargerdeployments,HGA9NandHGA7SareHighGain
OmnidirectionalantennassupportedbyCiscoforSmallOfficeEnvironments.

DirectionalAntennaProsandCons
Withthedirectionalantennas,youcandiverttheRFenergyinaparticulardirectiontofartherdistances.Therefore,you
cancoverlongranges,buttheeffectivebeamwidthdecreases.ThistypeofantennaishelpfulinnearLOScoverage,
suchascoveringhallways,longcorridors,islestructureswithspacesinbetween,etc.However,astheangular
coverageisless,youcannotcoverlargeareas.Thisisadisadvantageforgeneralindoorcoveragebecauseyouwould
liketocoverawiderangularareaaroundtheAP.
Antennaarraysshouldfaceinthedirectionwherethecoverageisdesired,whichcansometimesmakemountinga
challenge.

Interference
As802.11devicesoperateintheunlicensedbands,thismakesitavailableforanyonetouse.WLANinterference
comesfromothersimilardevicesandothersourcessuchasmicrowaveovens,cordlessphones,radarsignalsfroma
nearbyairport,etc.InterferenceisalsofoundfromothertechnologiesthatusethesamebandasBluetoothorsecurity
devices.Inthe2.4GHzunlicensedtherearelimitedchannelstoutilizetoavoidinterference,withonlythreenon
overlappingchannelsavailable.
Interferenceandmultipathcausethereceivesignaltofluctuateataparticularfrequency.Thisvariationofsignalis
calledfading.Fadingisalsofrequencyselective,asattenuationvarieswithfrequency.Achannelcanbeclassifiedas
eitherafastfadingchannelorslowfadingchannel.Thisdependsonhowrapidlythetransmittedbasebandsignal
changes.Amobilereceiverthattravelsthroughanindoorenvironmentcanreceiverapidsignalfluctuationscausedby
additionsandcancellationsofthedirectsignalsathalfwavelengthintervals.
Interferenceincreasestherequirementofsignaltonoiseratio(SNR)foraparticulardatarate.Thepacketretrycount
goesupinanareawhereinterferenceormultipathisveryhigh.Achangeinthetypeofantennaandlocationofthe
antennacaneliminatemultipathinterference.Antennagainaddstothesystemgainandimprovessignaland
interferencetonoiseration(SINR)requirementsasshownhere:

Figure9:NoiseFloorandSignalandInterferencetoNoiseRatio

Althoughdirectionalantennashelptofocustheenergyinaparticulardirectionwhichcanhelptoovercomefadingand
multipath,multipathitselfreducesthefocusingpowerofadirectionalantenna.Theamountofmultipathseenbyauser
atalongdistancefromtheAPcanbemuchmore.
Directionalantennasusedfortheindoorstypicallyhavealowergain,andasaresult,havealowerfronttobackand
fronttosideloberatios.Thisresultsinlessabilitytorejectorreducetheinterferencesignalsreceivedfromdirections
outsidetheprimarylobearea.

Conclusion
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

7/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

Whiledirectionalantennascanbeofgreatvalueforcertainindoorapplications,thevastmajorityofindoorinstallations
utilizeomnidirectionalantennasforthereasonscitedinthisdocument.Theselectionsofanantenna,directionalor
omnidirectional,shouldbestrictlydeterminedbyacorrectandpropersitesurvey.

RelatedInformation
CiscoAironetAntennasandAccessoriesReferenceGuide
AntennaCabling
WLANRadioCoverageAreaExtensionMethods
WirelessSiteSurveyFAQ
TroubleshootingConnectivityinaWirelessLANNetwork
MultipathandDiversity
OutdoorBridgeRangeCalculationUtility
TroubleshootingProblemsAffectingRadioFrequencyCommunication
TechnicalSupport&DocumentationCiscoSystems

ContributedbyCiscoEngineers
WasthisDocumentHelpful?
ThankYou

Feedback

ViewersofThisDocumentAlsoViewed
WLANRadioCoverageAreaExtensionMethods
AntennaCabling
CiscoAironetSeries1700/2700/3700AccessPointsDeploymentGuide
+Show3More

LetUsHelp
OpenaSupportCase
(RequiresaCiscoServiceContract)

CampusWiredLANDesignGuide
Optimizeyour
networkwitha
validateddesign.

GetDesignGuide
http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

8/9

10/16/2016

OmniAntennavs.DirectionalAntennaCisco

RelatedSupportCommunityDiscussions
WirelessLANControllerWLAN/SSID
LastReply5yearsago
inGettingStartedwithWireless

ImplementingWirelessLANControllerMultipleWLANs
LastReply1yearago
inWirelessIPVoiceandVideo

Voiceoverwireless
LastReply12yearsago
inGettingStartedwithWireless
CiscoSupportCommunity

ThisDocumentAppliestoTheseProducts
AironetAntennasandAccessories
WirelessLocalAreaNetwork(WLAN)

2016Ciscoand/oritsaffiliates.Allrightsreserved.

http://www.cisco.com/c/en/us/support/docs/wirelessmobility/wirelesslanwlan/82068omnivsdirect.html

9/9