Increasingly now people are opting for Wi-Fi antennas thanks to proliferating wireless networks. The thing is Wi-Fi users are rarely completely satisfied with the signal strength, speed and security offered by off the shelf Wi-Fi cards, routers access points and USB adapters. The coverage pattern of most Wi-Fi gear is Omni directional, that is 360 degrees and assumes a home, office or coverage area with a symmetrical footprint.
However, no two locations are exactly the same, varying both in dimension and size. As a result, the radiated Wi-Fi signal covers only part of the area intended, spilling out into the street or a neighboring structure. Further, many people locate their routers, access points or desktop Wi-Fi cards in a closet, against the wall or under a desk thus diminishing signal strength and limiting bandwidth.
The secondary consequences of a device located on the boundaries of a home or office are unintended interference with neighboring networks as well as an increased security risk. By design, Wi-Fi devices must share radio spectrum, allowing co-existence of other devices in the same physical space. With limited bandwidth available, abutting Wi-Fi devices will decrease the performance of one another.
Moreover, as ones Wi-Fi network radiating beyond the physical space of their own home or office, it increases the risk of piggybacking or intrusion by unauthorized users. These networks provide a number of services to communities they service, including, free or pay internet access for citizens, authorized public worker access to key content, surveillance and traffic cameras and public access to community content.
