GoKawiil
Tech News
A technology explainer examines why mesh Wi-Fi systems typically use internal rather than external antennas, unlike traditional routers. It explains that mesh networks rely on nodes placed throughout a home to repeat signals, reducing the need for the extended range external antennas provide, while internal omnidirectional antennas better support seamless handover between nodes.
Modern Wi-Fi routers often ship with multiple antennas—sometimes up to eight—because of a technology called MIMO (multiple-input, multiple-output), which allows several data streams to be handled simultaneously rather than one at a time. This shift away from single-antenna designs was driven by the explosion of internet-connected devices in homes and the growing demand for faster, more reliable connections.
Digital TV antennas sold online, some marketed with claimed ranges up to 6,000 miles, cannot actually deliver anything close to that distance because of basic physics. Signal reception depends on a relatively clear line of sight to a broadcast transmitter, and Earth's curvature, along with buildings, hills and trees, limits how far a signal can realistically travel before dropping below the horizon.