Replace router antennas with simpler style?

[josephclemente]

Would it be crazy to replace a router's antennas with something much more basic looking?

I'd like to replace the massive antennas on my Asus GT-AX6000 (and maybe the RT-AX86U node) with something like this model:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082SH6QH6/?tag=snbforums-20

Looks exactly like the dual band antennas my motherboard came with. Length is 9.5cm to 10.5cm depending on the orientation.

I suspect the stock antennas are just excessive plastic. Or do routers have uniquely optimized antennas, and are not interchangeable?

 

[degrub]

Go ahead. Report back on range and throughput changes, please.

 

[thiggins]

Antennas are a critical element of a router/AP's RF chain. Mess with them at your own risk of performance degradation.

 

[JWoo]

My experience is also that changing out the OEM antennas normally degrades performance.

 

[itpp20]

Doesn't the basic formula from Ham antenna's apply? 1/2 the length or 2x the length (of bandwidth).

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/wi-fi-antennas-part-1-fundamentals/

 

[JWoo]

Doesn't the basic formula from Ham antenna's apply? 1/2 the length or 2x the length (of bandwidth).

https://www.allaboutcircuits.com/technical-articles/wi-fi-antennas-part-1-fundamentals/

Good article. I think the issue with aftermarket antennas is what's inside. As in the photo in your article, a large antenna housing can be deceiving.

 

[degrub]

sure. physics is physics. but the layout of the antenna matters in this case.

 

[Tech Junky]

I used a couple of these:

Antennas, Antenna Cables, Antenna Mounts, Enclosures

Widest selection of antenna cables in stock. Hundreds of antennas with variant options: 5G, 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, 900MHz, BLE, ZigBee. Data Alliance is a manufacturer of antennas and antenna cables.

www.data-alliance.net

on a QNAP AC2600 card to host it as an AP as the smaller antennas wouldn't have been optimally placed for broadcast. The base connectors allowed for better placement with the weight of the magnetic base it was stable. For ~$25 it was worthwhile and the performance was just as good as the ones supplied in the box.

RF can be tricky outside of WIFI applications though. For instance I picked up a scanner and was antenna hunting for something better than the OEM for specific reception on a newer radio system. I went with a tri-band antenna to hit the lower / middle / high bands specifically and that ran about $40. Thankfully though WIFI up to AX has stuck with the basics of 2.4/5 but 6E adding 6ghz might require something a touch different.

 

[sfx2000]

Would it be crazy to replace a router's antennas with something much more basic looking?

Not recommended, as they are matched to the rest of the RF chain.

These are multiple band antennae, so while they look simple, there's actually a bit of RF engineering at work here.

 

[noah way]

I used a couple of these:
View attachment 40340

Antennas, Antenna Cables, Antenna Mounts, Enclosures

Widest selection of antenna cables in stock. Hundreds of antennas with variant options: 5G, 4G, LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, LoRaWAN, 900MHz, BLE, ZigBee. Data Alliance is a manufacturer of antennas and antenna cables.

www.data-alliance.net

Using 2 dual-band directional antennas (one on router, one on repeater) from Data Alliance ($12 ea.) I have a strong, rock-solid connection between two buildings 150' apart in a moderately congested environment.

 

[josephclemente]

I'm going to give it a try. I ordered the antennas in white. They will arrive tomorrow; I might get a chance to test them this weekend.

 

[josephclemente]

The antennas arrived at work. Since I have an RT-AX86U at work, I did an experiment with it. I tested two areas, one that was around -38 dBm, and another at -62 dBm. Then I changed the antennas to the smaller ones I ordered. I placed my phone in the same positions and gave it a few minutes. The dBm and link speed appeared to average the same. I was only paying attention to the 5GHz signal for this quick test.

Is dBm and link speed as reported by the Wifi Analyzer app (by Abdelrahmam M Sid) a "close enough" way to compare, or am I fooling myself and need to go further with iPerf testing? My fastest portable client device I have is my phone, a Note 10+.

Now to see what happens on the GT-AX6000....

 

[Tech Junky]

Dbm is the rf measurement. Lower is stronger signal to the device.

 

[thiggins]

Dbm is the rf measurement. Lower is stronger signal to the device.

I know you know lower RSSI = lower signal. So was the above a typo?

 

[itpp20]

Maybe put it down in plain english, -50 is better signal than -70 (you can easily remember this when thinking about the value used for roaming cutoff which is usually set to -70)

 

[josephclemente]

Great news! I replaced the ridiculous gigantic plastic antennas on my Asus GT-AX6000 with the basic small antennas mentioned above (but in white).

The most distant corner of my house was -65dBm (on average) for 5GHz. With my phone in the exact same position, I now see -62dBm. I wasn't expecting better results, but that is what I'm getting.

 

[josephclemente]

Here is my before picture:

Here is my after picture:

 

[LilyRoss]

Would it be crazy to replace a router's antennas with something much more basic looking?

I'd like to replace the massive antennas on my Asus GT-AX6000 (and maybe the RT-AX86U node) with something like this model:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082SH6QH6/?tag=snbforums-20

Looks exactly like the dual band antennas my motherboard came with. Length is 9.5cm to 10.5cm depending on the orientation.

I suspect the stock antennas are just excessive plastic. Or do routers have uniquely optimized antennas, and are not interchangeable?

the antennas play an important role in a router. i had my router in my living room and the range till my room was very less, as soon as i changed my antennas towards the room, the range got better