4G LTE Outdoor antennas are a good solution for a weak signal to an internal router or indoor antenna. By purchasing and installing an external antenna you are connecting to the 4G LTE signal outdoors, and bringing it indoors to your equipment.

You may require an outdoor antenna if the signal in your location is weak, or if your home or office is constructed with materials that are blocking the signal to your internal equipment.

Building construction causing a weak 4G LTE signal

Many of the materials used in modern buildings have a detrimental effect on the quality of a 4G LTE signal received inside the building.

Modern glass has a coating that reduces heat loss. The coating also blocks the signal to your router or 4G LTE internal antenna. Foil backed insulation and plasterboard, used when building the walls, prevents cellular signals getting inside. This is often missed when people install a 4G LTE antenna in their loft and wonder why they do not get the expected increase in signal strength. If your building is made from these modern materials you will want to install a 4G LTE antenna outdoors.

Choosing an Outdoor 4GLTE antenna – Omni directional v directional

4G LTE outdoor antennas are available as omni directional, and directional, so how do you choose the best one to meet your requirements?

Directional antennas will provide a strong signal in one direction. But there are reasons why you might want to use an omni-directional antenna.

A directional antenna works well when it has direct sight of the cell tower, which is fine if you will only ever use that one cell tower in that one direction. If you are in a built-up area, or do not have a direct line of sight to the tower, you will want to consider an omni-directional 4G LTE antenna.

In circumstances where you need to use more than one cell tower, perhaps because you are in the outskirt areas of 2 cell towers, or you have 2 sims from 2 different service providers in your router, you will want an omni-directional outdoor antenna.

Installing an omni-directional antenna

When installing an omni-directional 4G LTE outdoor antenna choose a location that is against a wall or other solid surface. An omni-directional antenna sends and receives signals in a 360 degree direction and fixing to a wall will attenuate unwanted signals behind the antenna.

When selecting the location for the antenna, aim to keep the length of cable used as short as possible, preferably within 10 mtrs. This will give you the best signal strength and quality.

You should also check that antenna you are purchasing matches the specifications of your router. You will want to ensure that the connections are compatible.