When looking for the right antenna, there are some categories to consider. We will touch on 5 different types specifically designed for Wi-Fi and look at their applications. 

Omni-Directional Antennas

This is the common “base” antenna used for Point-to-Multi-Point, or it can be an Omni-Directional antenna for your car. An Omni-Directional antenna would serve as your main antenna to distribute the signal to other computers or devices (such as wireless printers, PDAs, etc.) in your workgroup. You can use two Omni-Directional antennas for a point to point system, but this is usually not recommended because there is no real point to distributing your signal all over the place when you only want it to going from point A to point B. For this type of system, please refer to Directional antennas below.

Typical Omni-Directional Wi-Fi antennas consist of Vertical Omnis, Ceiling Domes, Rubber Ducks, Small Desktops, and Mobile Vertical antennas. 

Directional Antennas

Directional antennas are used for Point-to-Point or sometimes for Multi-Point systems, depending on the setup. If you are trying to go from one location (say, for instance, your router), to another location, this is the type of antenna we recommend. Directional antennas include Backfires, Yagi, and Dish type antennas.

Yagi Antennas

Yagi antennas were the design of two Japanese people, Hidetsugu Yagi and Shintaro Uda, and are sometimes referred to as Yagi-Uda antennas. They were originally designed for radio, but are now also used for 802.11 systems. These antennas are typically very directional and are used for point to point, or to extend the range of a point to multi-point system. They have excellent signal strength and in the right circumstances can communicate for miles!

Backfire Antennas

The backfire is a small directional antenna with excellent gain. They look similar to a parabolic dish, but the gain isn't as high. Backfire antennas are recommended for point to point or point to multipoint systems because of the excellent gain and the good noise figures. A backfire antenna with 15 dBi of Gain is an excellent parameter for decent range.

Parabolic or Dish Antennas

This is where the real power is! Parabolic dish antennas put out tremendous gain but are a little hard to point and make a connection with. As the gain of an antenna increases, the antenna’s radiation pattern decreases until you have a very small window to point or aim your dish correctly. Dish antennas are almost always used as point to point for long haul systems. Parabolic dish antennas work by focusing the power to a central point and beaming the radio’s signal to a specific area, kind of like the adjustable reflector on a flashlight. These antennas are highly focused and are the perfect tool if you want to send your signal a very long distance.