Why Use an Antenna with Wi-Fi?
In Chapter 9, “Wi-Fi on Your Desktop,” I showed you an example of a Wi-Fi network interface card (NIC) that comes with an external antenna (the D-Link DWL-520). And, in Chapter 14, “Setting Up Your Access Point,” I showed you an example of an external antenna attached to an access point (the Apple Extreme Base Station).
Antennas are used with Wi-Fi cards to give them a better connection to the access point broadcasting a signal.
Antennas are used with access points to add power (and range) to the access point's radio broadcast. They are also an integral part of a Wi-Fi network that covers a substantial area. The use of antennas with your access points can greatly reduce costs in deploying a wireless local area network ...
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