Combine vehicle roof antenna with internal antenna?

Technical Support for Routers 4G LTE, 5G NR, USB modems
1

I'm planning on using my Spitz AX in my campervan (in the recommended way), and am planning to connect it to a Poynting MIMO 4-17 antenna on the roof (the closest I could find in the UK to the recommended one), which includes 2x external wifi antenna.

If I want good wifi signal inside the van, whilst allowing for the campsite model (routing the internal wifi to the exterior campsite wifi) should I wire in both of the external wifi cables, or connect just use one of the cables and one of the Spitz's own antenna?

Are there likely to be any negative issues with mixing antenna types?

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

2

There may be some negative issues, since the WiFi also has MIMO, and only two similar antennas will form MIMO.

However, to be compatible with indoor and outdoor, you can also try one WiFi connected to an outdoor antenna and the other to connect Spitz's own antenna, thus to see if the WiFi speed meets your requirements.

Trying as much as possible to know which method is more suitable for you.

1 Like
5

Thanks for your swift and helpful reply, Bruce.

Ok, I'll experiment if I'm at a campsite with good enough WiFi, but will use both indoor antennas most of the time.

When I want to swap the antennas, is it better to power off the router, or is it ok to hot swap them?

Best wishes,
Steve

1 Like
6

Actually, it can be hot swap.

I assume it's better to turn off the router first.

7

I was convinced I'd read that it was safer to power off the router first, but then couldn't find it anywhere in the docs! :mag:

I'll power off, just in case :crossed_fingers:

Thanks again for your help :slight_smile:

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Radio Frequency antenna signals are the dark art of electronic engineering... Nothing in the RF world is as straightforward as it seems. When you start pairing antennas differently from design you are likely to get unpredictable results - so really this will be a trial by error experiment. Moving antennas won't damage anything, so try a few different setups and see if your signal improves. As mentioned, the MIMO design depends on how the radio signal from multiple antennas interact with each other - so when you change their positions the end result will also change.