Best position for router antenna - and why?

Replies

• 

  Abhishek Rawal

  Doesn't it totally depends on the type of Antenna used in Router ?
• 

  Olu_Ola

  the best position is the I I I position. This is because of the radiation pattern of the antenna (doughnut shape). This position will make the radiated fields parallel to the floor and would give the highest highest signal strength
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  Kaustubh Katdare

  Thank you, #-Link-Snipped-# . Will try if keeping the antenna in ||| position helps. Could you tell me what is the overall angle of the spread of the radiation in ||| position?
• 

  Sindhu Chowdary

  I think placing the three antennas perpendicular to each other will give the maximum coverage.
  According to former Apple engineer,placing one antenna straight up and the other two in two horizontal directions,the radio reception will be maximum no matter in which way your device's antenna is oriented.
  Also it depends on which type of router you are using.
  This is in the case of omnidirectional antennas.
• 

  Shreyas Sule

  As mentioned by #-Link-Snipped-# and #-Link-Snipped-#, most of the routers have omnidirectional antennas whose signal radiation spreads in the pattern of doughnut. The radiation is maximum in a plane perpendicular to the antenna and goes on decreasing as one goes to the ends of the antenna.
  
  Hence to get a maximum signal from the router to your laptop etc., one should keep all three antennas:
  1. Parallel to each other
  2. Perpendicular to imaginary line of sight connecting your laptop position to somewhere in the middle of the antenna.
  
  
  If all the three antennas are interconnected as single set, which is usually the case in maximum indoor routers, then all three should be positioned parallel to each other as a single set: ||| or \\\ or ///. If there are three antennas in total, two antennas connected as pair and remaining antenna connected as a separate transmitter, then the two sets can be pointed in different directions: ||/ or ||\ etc.
  
  But as we have multiple devices using the same router, the antennas can be kept in \|/ position. As the range of operation for all devices mobiles, laptops, etc is confined indoor and does not extend beyond few meters, I think difference in signal due to \\\ ||| /// or \|/ position would not be noticeable. Please comment if anyone notices difference in signal due to change in antenna positions.
  
  Source:
  Omnidirectional Antenna
  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dipole_antenna#Radiation_pattern_and_gain
  
  P.S. What would Mr. Spock do? \\/