Hawking HiGain Directional Antenna, mini indoor, 7dBi - HAI7MD Review

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(More customer reviews)This mini indoor antenna does provide a boost over the standard 2dbi antenna that you receive from any typical router however this device is smaller than I had expected (seems to be only about 5-6 inches high). Further, upon installing the antenna on the back of my D-Link router, the connector on this Hawking antenna snapped off apparently due to a poor soldering job by Hawking. Luckily, the damage doesn't seem to be permanent and the antenna seems to be working despite the poor soldering.
Signal-wise, I was able to obtain about a 10% signal increase with a router on the second floor and a computer on the first floor with numerous walls in between. Not too shabby but for my purposes, I had to utilize a Hawking signal booster Hawking HiGain Signal Booster version 2 - HSB2 and a carefully-placed Trendnet antenna TRENDnet 14 dBi Outdoor High Gain Directional Antenna to achieve 100% signal (for comparison: without any enhancements, my D-Link DIR655 N Router can typically provide about 60% signal).

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MODEL- H-AI7MDVENDOR- HAWKING TECHNOLOGIESFEATURES- Hi-Gain 7dBi Omni-Directional Compact Antenna Hawking Technologies'HAI7MD 2.4GHz Hi-Gain WiFi directional antenna boosts your wireless signal strength from 2dBi (standard power) to 7dBi.A large problem with many wireless networks is the poor coverage area of standard Access Points and Wireless Routers.The Hawking HAI7MD is an easy to install solution that plugs directly into the antenna port of your existing wireless device.By upgrading your external wireless antenna to a high grade 7dBi Hawking directional antenna your wireless signal strength wireless operating distance and overall performance is significantly improved.Simply point the antenna in the direction of your wireless access point network adapter or device and easily extend your signal range and quality. The advanced 7dBi Direction Antenna is built with high grade material ensuring maximum quality and performance.New advancements in antenna design allow the antenna to be smaller and perform more efficiently than other WiFi antennas on the market with the same gain level. Gold plated connectors and connector adapters create maximum conductivity for a solid link to the wireless device. * Increase your Wireless Network Signal Strength * Compact Design for Easy Placement and Travel * Works with Most Wireless Devices with Removable Antennas * Compatible with 2.4GHz 802.11b/g Wireless Standards * Hi-Grade Award Winning Design and Technology * Gold Series Connectors for increased throughput * Easy Installation * Note: Hawking Hi-Gain Antennas are designed to work with all wireless devices with removable antennas.SMA and TNC connectors are included others may be ordered directly from Hawking. e-mail: Techsupport@hawkingtech.com

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Buffalo Technology Airstation 14dBi High Gain Outdoor Directional Antenna WLE-HG-DYG Review

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(More customer reviews)Antenna eventually worked well but only after returning the antenna and all other recommended buffalo components (at Buffalo's request) since didn't know source of problem. 2nd antenna eventually worked but only after MANY MANY hours both attempting to contact technical support and talking to someone who sometimes was familiar with this product. Found it to be very sensitive directionally at relatively short ranges (ie. 100 yards) so used a laser leveller to point the antenna. Found also that the buffalo router which was connected to this antenna lost significant omnidirectional signal strength and we had to acquire another router/access point to recover wireless strength around the original router. I'll give this product a rating of "3" ONLY because it eventually worked and because I did not find any other integrated systems from the other household/small business router makers whch include such a high powered antenna in their product portfolio. Had we not used 100% buffalo components though I'm not sure we would have gotten the support or had the leverage needed to resolve the problems.

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Buffalo Technology Airstation 14dBi High Gain Outdoor Directional Antenna WLE-HG-DYG

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Hawking HiGain Directional Corner Antenna, indoor, 15dBi - HAI15SC Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a "deconstructive" review of Hawking's corner reflector. Basically I took it apart so you don't have to! BTW - I am an RF engineer, so I apologize if it gets too technical.
First let me provide a explanation of what a "corner reflector antenna" is. A corner reflector antenna is a very simple, but high gain type of antenna. It consists of a dipole antenna (a dipole is just a straight piece of wire cut in a precise way) and behind the dipole is an angled metal screen or plate which is called the reflector. The angle of the reflector is typically 90 degrees, which forms a corner and thus the name. The reflector focuses the signal so it is more concentrated, which results in higher gain versus a simple dipole.
Taking apart the corner reflector is straightforward, but it does take some time and muscle. I carefully but forcefully pulled on the gray plastic end caps. After some time, the end caps finally came off. This revealed an unlabeled, rather ordinary black "stick" antenna inside the white plastic pipe. It's probably a 5dBi collinear dipole. The antenna is connected to the coax cable via a panel mount SMA connector. I was able to remove this antenna, but it does take some torque because Hawking applied thread locking glue.
Based on it's construction, I have no reason to doubt the 15dbi gain claim. However, I seriously doubt the 90 degree vertical and horizontal beamwidths that the manual seems to claim. I guesstimate that 3dB beamwidths are in the order of 40 degrees horizontal and 30 degrees vertical, based on my experience with similar corner reflectors. This makes orientation MUCH more critical. If you are 15-20 degrees off, you could be losing half (3dB) of your signal! On the other hand, such a narrow beamwidth is a good thing if other people's AP's/client's are interfering. Any other transmitters outside of the main beam will be weakened, reducing your noise and improving signal quality.
Now to analyze the coax cable. The outer jacket is unlabeled white plastic, so you can't tell who made it or what type of cable it is. It's thin, about 1/8" thick . I cut off one end to see what's inside. The shielding is quite good. It's a dual shield, foil plus braid. The foil provides complete coverage. The braid is tin plated copper and has excellent coverage, probably 95%. The center conductor looks and cuts like pure solid copper, not copper clad steel. The center insulator (the dielectric) is a clear translucent, solid (not foam) plastic. When I soldered on an SMA pin, the dielectric easily melted! It's probably NOT teflon, but cheaper, higher loss polyethylene. Based on this, it's probably a RG-174 type cable, not the lower loss RG-316. Cables of this type generally have a loss of 0.6dB per foot at 2.4Ghz. The cable is 6 feet long , so you lose more than half (3.6dB) of your signal in the coax! Making a shorter cable and/or using better cable would help.
Considering how it's made, a lot of the negative reviews make sense. It's a 15dBi antenna, but you lose 3.6dBi in the cable so effectively it's only 11.4dBi. Plus if you don't point it within 15 to 20 degrees of your target (both horizontally AND vertically), you will lose even more signal. Used indoors, there is so much RF scatter that the actual direction of maximum signal can very often NOT be in the direction of the target due to signals being bounced around. You'll have to rotate the antenna in different directions vertically and horizontally to find the maximum signal. Used outdoors or in unobstructed area, just point it at the target and you're done. However, keep in mind that this IS NOT a weatherproof antenna, so don't leave out outside where the rain and sun will beat down on it.
Used properly, this antenna really shines. It provides a tremendous value for under $50. Antennas with similar gain will cost MUCH more.

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Increase Your Wireless Network Strength, Works with 2.4GHz 802.11b /g Wireless Standards, Extend your Network Range, Great for Large Conference Rooms or Open Spaces, East Installation (No Software Required).Main FeaturesManufacturer: Hawking Technologies, IncManufacturer Part Number: HAI15SCManufacturer Website Address: www.hawkingtech Product Type: High-Gain AntennaFrequency: 2.4 GHzGain: 15 dBiImpedance: 50 ohm NominalConnectors: 1 x Reverse SMAStandard Warranty: 1 Year(s)

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