Wireless LAN Aerials

For 802.11b/g/n

Vigor routers equipped with Wireless LAN facilities are supplied with the standard 2 or 3dB gain aerials. A higher gain aerial provides a signal gain which can in many circumstances improve your wireless coverage/range as well as your connection speed at longer ranges, particularly where your required coverage area is currently borderline and needs a 'little extra help'.

Uni(single)directional aerials are intended for application where you want the signal in one direction only, either for increased range or for security reasons. By concentrating an aerial in one direction, both transmission strength and receive sensitivity are improved as well as benefits in avoiding interference or traffic from adjacent networks in other directions.

Wireless antenna gain is a complex area and we'd recommend seeking out a specialist site for further details but put simply, aerials are designed in such a way that they can increase the signal output from the transmitter's original output. The output of the Vigor routers wireless module is approximately 17dB (or dBmW), after allowing for any loss from cables and before antennae gain. The standard aerial supplied with the router is 3dB gain.

The ANT-2510 model is rated for outdoor use and can be used for WDS links between buildings. When used outside, the antennae connection must be wrapped in self-amalgamating tape in order to waterproof it. That tape is widely available, as used for satellite dish connections.

Extended Cable

Also available is a optional extended cable, ideal if you need to position these optional aerials further away from the router. This 2 metre cable replaces the standard cable on the ANT-2510 aerial. For full details, click here.

2M Aerial Cable

One, Two or Three ?

Vigor routers have one, two or three aerial connectors. Having more than one gives the advantage of 'diversity' which means (put simply) that a signal subject to some local interference in one particular plane, may be better on the other aerial. On a Vigor router with two aerials, the second aerial is for receive only. The main aerial both receives and transmits. Therefore, if you are fitting a replacement aerial, it it not necessary to replace both or have two fitted. If you do have two fitted, however, they should be the same. On 802.11n 'MIMO' Vigor routers, there are three aerials. The outer two are Transmit/Receive and the centre one is Receive only. You can experiment for best performance, particularly with regard to aerial position and angle.

Model Name ANT-1005 ANT-1107 ANT-2510

DrayTek ANT-1005 High-Gain Aerial DrayTek ANT-2510 High-Gain Aerial

Gain 5dB 7dB 10dB

Freq. Band 2.4Ghz 2.4Ghz 2.4Ghz

Beam Omni-Directional Omni-Directional Unidirectional

HPBW 360° Horizontal
40° Vertical 360° Horizontal
22.3° Vertical 56.9° Horizontal
56.9° Vertical

Dimensions 196mm High 265mm High 212mm High
212mm Wide
27mm Deep

Cable None 1M Fixed 1M Removable

Optional
2M Cable N/A N/A ANT-CAB2

Mount Router Mag/Desk Wall

Supplied As Set of 3 Singly Singly

Location Indoor Indoor In/Outdoor
(IP65 Rated)

Aerial Angles
An Omnidirectional angle transmits its beam in all horizontal or vertical directionals equally (360°). A directional (or 'unidirectional') aerial concentrates its beam in one direction, with a specific beam angle. By concentrating all of the signal in one direction, the signal and receive sensitivity is stronger. This is also ideal for short-range intra-building links using WDS. Note that the unidirectional aerials actually have a considerably narrower vertical beam, hence you actually don't want your PC/client to be too close and high or low to the aerial as otherwise you can actually 'miss' the signal area.

Important Note : Wireless performance always depends on your specific environment. Although the aerials provide higher gain, no guarantee can be made that in any specific circumstances they will improve your wireless performance. There are maxmimum permitted signal levels permitted in most countries, so you should also check any local legislation. In all cases, you should use identical aerials on your router (e.g. if it has two, they should both be the same type), and if three aerials, they should also all be the same. DrayTek do not recommended or support the use of 3rd party aerials/boosters. IP65 Outdoor Usage : The ANT-2510 model is IP65 rated (against showers and indirect jets). In order to meet this rating, when sited outdoor the SMA connector and plug must be adequately sealed with self-amalgamating tape, available in most DIY stores. Site the aerial under cover where possible. A lightning strike can cause irreparable damage to your aerials, router and any other connected equipment.

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