What types of antennas are used in building wireless installations?

Omni-directional antennas radiate signal equally in all horizontal directions, making them the standard choice for open-plan office floors, retail areas, and hotel lobbies where coverage needs to reach in every direction from a central mounting point. In the context of DAS installations, these are typically low-profile ceiling-mount units with a gain of 2 to 3 dBi, designed to blend into modern interior architecture. Panel or patch antennas are preferred in corridors, parking deck ramps, and stairwells where a defined directional beam can illuminate a narrow zone more efficiently than an omni-directional unit.

Directional panel antennas with higher gain values (6 to 9 dBi) are used at the outer edges of a building's coverage plan or in large atrium spaces where the antenna must project a focused beam across a significant distance. Yagi antennas are deployed on rooftops and building facades for point-to-point or point-to-multipoint microwave links, as well as for donor antennas that capture the outdoor mobile network signal and feed it into the DAS headend. In South Africa's enterprise market, the combination of indoor DAS antennas and an outdoor donor antenna with a line amplifier is a common and cost-effective deployment model for buildings within strong outdoor coverage areas.

Leaky feeder cable, also known as radiating cable, is a specialised antenna type that is effectively a coaxial cable with periodic slots cut along its outer conductor, allowing RF energy to radiate along the cable's entire length. This makes it ideal for tunnels, underground car parks, and long corridors where a linear coverage path is needed without the gaps that would occur between conventional point antennas. CT Communications selects antenna types based on the coverage geometry, aesthetic requirements, and performance targets defined in the RF site survey, ensuring the correct tool is used for each installation zone.