Cellular antennas come in all shapes and sizes.  People often use gain as the basis for their antenna choice.  It might surprise you, but selecting a high gain antenna might be a bad choice for your environment.

800MHz Yagi antenna

Directional antennas usually have a higher gain than omni-directional antennas.  Yagi cellular antennas are a common high gain directional antenna used in remote locations to pull in a cell signal.  Yagis work well when there is line-of-site to the cell tower or when there is little or no obstructions.   Yagi anntennas have more of a problem in mountainous areas or in urban sky-scrapper jungles.  Cell signal has a lot of bounce and often comes in from varying directions in these situations.  It can be hard to keep a yagi tuned to the direction of the signal when it is changing.

There is a great deal of difference between low and high gain omni-directional antennas also.  Many times it is more desireable to use a low gain antenna in place of a high gain antenna because of the ability of the low gain antenna to collect the signal.

Don’t make the mistake of just asking for the highest gain antenna when designing your cellular system.  Think about it.  If the best choice was always the high gain antenna then why are there so many antennas with lower gain.  There is a reason and it is a good one.  Ask questions and understand what you are buying.  If the person selling you the equipment just says “Get this antenna because it is the highest gain.” then you are probably talking to the wrong person.

Call us here at Powerful Signal if you have any questions.  We have the products, knowlege and expertise to assist you with your cellular needs.