Number of Antennas, for dummies

[snowatom]

OK, some routers have 2, 3, 4 and even more antennas. Those with more than 4, are often capable of more 5Ghz SSID networks and so on.

But how come the RT-AX82U have 3 and one Internal PCB antenna, and the RT-AX88U have 4 external antennas ?

Is range even a factor when talking number of antennas ?, I'm so confused, and hoping for some simple information.

/snowatom

 

[thiggins]

Antenna count can be misleading. Antennas can be single band or dual-band. Internal or external is a matter of design choice.

It's the # of MIMO streams that affects range, with more being better.
You have to check the router specs for that information.

 

[snowatom]

Well I have the AX86U, and read that it was a better router (range wise) than the AX88U. Which got me wondering, as the first one has 3 antennas and the second has 4. So that confused me.

 

[thiggins]

From the specs:
AX88U
2.4 GHz 4 x 4
5 GHz 4 x 4

AX86U
2.4 GHz 3x3
5 GHz 4 x 4