Router external antenna mod question

So I'm getting a Linksys E2500 soon and will be modding some external antennas using four of this IP/ u.fl to RP-SMA Female bulkhead

My question is what is "directional" antenna and I haven't found any 5.0 Ghz antenna yet, is it ok just to use 2.4 Ghz antenna on the 5 Ghz band

 

A directional antenna is pretty much as it sounds, it radiates in one direction where an omni radiates in all directions equally. This page might help:

Omni Antenna vs. Directional Antenna - Cisco Systems

 

So would be better off getting Omni ? and is the USB sharing + Gigabit worth paying the extra ? I can't justify it since I don't do files copying through network..

 

Antenna choice depends on the layout of your space and where you are going to locate the router. It's not a simple question to answer.

I personally wouldn't buy a router without gigabit these days, but if it's not a feature you care about then it doesn't matter.

 

Thanks. Anyway what is MIMO antenna, how is the performance against traditional "stick" antenna

 

Most routers use MIMO these days, more at: MIMO - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

Ok. So I picked up the E3200, running great and everything, about to do antenna mod. But something weird I discover


You can see all the grey wires are "soldered" and there are two sockets empty ahead of it. Now I have no clue what it is, the other 3 black wires I can replace and mod.

 

You can see on a better pic here ( source) that the black ones are labeled ANT5Gx and the grey ones ANT2Gx so there is your answer, black for 5GHz and grey for 2.4GHz.

As for whether you can plug in to the u.fl connectors and bypass teh internal antennas, you'll have to try it out!

 

It looks like E3200 was initially designed with different antennas in mind and those patch style antennas are sort of retrofitted.
It seems to be a good move though- MIMO which is a part of 802.11n specification works better if antennas are somewhat spread.

Adding two antennas to u.fl is not the best idea- it will most likely work but you'd have to get rid of two patch style (soldiered) ones. Otherwise you'd end up with 5 antennas on 3 antenna paths- that would most likely add to noise.

By the looks of it E3200 seems well though and engineered.

 

Thanks for the responses. Well I will then only mod the 5Ghz band , but should I add all three 5.8Ghz 7dBI antennas or two like this picture here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/48433815@N08/6895325235/in/photostream

I haven't bought the supplies yet So just need some advice. Would all three cause any "noise" ? And does"brand" name antennas matter ? I found this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Premiertek-...ultDomain_0&hash=item5890e253d9#ht_4165wt_922 and http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Dual-Ba...ltDomain_0&hash=item20babb971c#ht_4063wt_1026

 

So I finally got all the tools, drilled the holes and plugged it in. In the end it doesn't work so well with the 5Ghz band. The range was poorer than the stock PIFA antennas, same goes to speed couldnt even reach 300 Mpbs :/

 

How did you open this router? I can't find any screws on the unit??