What is Omnidirectional Antenna?

What is Omnidirectional Antenna?

An omnidirectional antenna is a kind of wireless antenna that radiates or intercepts radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields equally in all horizontal directions in flat and 2D geometric planes. These antennas are normally used in many consumers' RF wireless devices such as wireless routers and telephone sets.

In the case of radio, the omnidirectional antenna radiates equal radio power in every direction perpendicular to the axis with power varying with the axis angle declining to zero on the axis. This radiation pattern has a doughnut shape. This blog highlights everything about an omnidirectional antenna, its working pattern, design, construction, and the various types of omnidirectional antenna.

Where is an Omnidirectional Antenna Used?

Omnidirectional antennas are used in multiple applications such as radio broadcasting antennas, FM radios, wireless computer networks, cell phones, walkie-talkies, GPS, and cordless phones. They can be also used in various base stations that help in establishing communication with mobile radios like aircraft communications and taxi dispatchers.

It is very simple to installan omnidirectional antenna because of its 360-degree radiation pattern. You can place these antennas anywhere you want as they can work with numerous cellular base stations and have lower gain with good redundancy.

Benefits of Using an Omnidirectional Antenna

Omnidirectional Antennas are wireless antennas used in routers and mobile devices. Some of the major benefits of using an omnidirectional antenna are:

• This antenna can receive signals from every direction.
• You can deploy an omnidirectional antenna on wireless access points, cellular sites, and base stations.
• These antennas are beneficial for places that need strong signals from all directions. They are widely used in conference rooms, outdoor areas, hallways, and spacious hotels.

Types of Omni Directional Antenna

Now, we will discuss the various kinds of omnidirectional antennas in this section with their working pattern:

• Monopole Antenna

  A monopole antenna is half of a dipole antenna and contains a straight rod-shaped conductor that is mounted perpendicularly on a conductive surface known as a ground surface. This antenna is normally used as a resonant antenna and includes a rod functioning like an open resonator for radio waves.

• Dipole Antenna

  A dipole antenna contains 2 similar conductive elements like rods or metal wires. It contains a center-fed driven element to receive and transmit radio frequency energy. In the center of a dipole antenna, the conductive materials are divided with the help of an insulator known as an antenna section.

• Ground Plane Antenna

  A ground plane antenna is very easy to use and convenient to carry anywhere. It is normally mounted above the ground and gives a longer-range propagation benefit.

• Coaxial Antenna

  The last type of omnidirectional antenna is a coaxial dipole antenna. It is a kind of half-wave dipole antenna used as a vertically polarized omnidirectional antenna. Normally, a coaxial antenna carries data in the center conductor and the surrounding layers of shielding stop the loss of signals. It also helps to decrease EMI and can be used in cable TV companies and satellite communications.