Making sure the device is positioned in the right place and aimed in the best antenna direction for the area where you live will make a massive difference in the number of channels you pick up and the strength of their broadcast signals.
Pay attention to your wireless router's antennas.
As we know, our antenna signals are radiated vertically and outward. If you only need to use it on the first floor of your home, we recommend you place antennas vertically, so that the antenna coverage can achieve the best on the same level.
Yes, it does, in general. Considering a simple half-wave dipole, which is what you're probably thinking of as an omnidirectional antenna, its radiation (or reception) pattern is strongest perpendicular to the elements, and has nulls off both ends. Additionally, the polarisation of the signal is along the elements.
Long-range directional antennas can have a beamwidth of 7 to 10 degrees. Under perfect conditions, and depending on the type of directional antenna, they can reach over 10 miles.
Conclusion. Both the omnidirectional antennas and directional antennas can be useful depending on your situation. Bottom line, the directional antennas are more powerful, however can be less convenient than the omni directional antennas in certain situations because they only point in one direction.
Ideally, the antenna length should be equivalent to the wavelength of a signal. However, this is often not practical given the very long wavelength of LPWAN signals. As a rule of thumb, antenna size of ½ or ¼ wavelength will produce good results.
Most of the TV signal in US are broadcast in horizontal polarization (check your terrestrial TV operator's website to get the latest information). Because most of the TV transmitter are horizontal polarized it would be best to start putting the antenna in a horizontal position.
Directional antennas are good for applications that require the available RF energy to be focused in a particular direction. Since their signal is concentrated in a more narrow field than Omni-Directional antennas, they are able to reach out farther to pull in a more powerful signal.
DX chasers should consider the vertical. They don't take up much space, many are less than 30 feet high, and most don't require supports other than a few guy lines. Vertical antennas naturally have a low angle of radiation, meaning you'll have a good chance of making worldwide contacts.
Over-the-Air TV antennas will perform best when they face the source of the signals - your local broadcast towers. Choose a window or outdoor location with a view towards the towers, free from obstructions.
You're usually best off placing the antenna on a wall that runs at or close to a 90-degree angle to the direction of the signal.
Structures such as floors, cabinets, and walls can impact signal, so placing your antenna high in a window is ideal, as long as it's free from exterior obstructions (trees, buildings, billboards, etc.).
How strong your antenna is can be what affects WiFi speed. And unfortunately, most built-in antennas are weaker than external ones. External antennas with a high dBi level and high-gain yield the best results. A dBi level tells you the range your WiFi signal can travel, and high-gain works to focus your signal.
Omnidirectional antennas receive signals equally from all directions. Directional antennas pull in signals better from one direction. In this direction, they can detect a weaker or more distant signal than an equivalent omnidirectional antenna.
Directional antennas are used for point-to-point or point-to-multipoint links. In principle, the higher the power gain of an antenna (expressed in dBi), the higher the range of the antenna. The smaller the signal opening angle, the more concentrated it is.
Here are some things to consider as you decide where to place your antenna: Make sure you have a direct line of sight to your closest transmission towers. Resources like AntennaWeb.org, RabbitEars.info and the RCA Signal Finder app can help you locate your towers. Higher is better: 10-20 feet off the ground is ideal.
Directional HD antennas are able to pull in signals from greater distances, and because they "see" in only one direction they are resistant to noise and "multipath distortion" (a problem created when an antenna receives reflections of the desired signal).
Antenna Positioning: Distance Between Antenna
For effective diversity performance, AB antennas should not be positioned less than ¼ wavelength apart, and ideally, they would be placed ½ to one full wavelength apart.
Factors That Influence Range
Antenna Length & Type: Everything else equal, longer antennas will always have a longer range than shorter antennas. Also, certain types of antennas have a longer range than others.
In addition, certain radios work better transmitting more power and using smaller antenna while others like to transmit less power but use larger antenna. Having a bigger antenna does not always increase usability of the signal. It may increase the total signal strength but it also can increase the noise in the signal.