What is antenna gain and how is it measured?

An antenna is a device that acts as the interface between two transceivers, electronic devices that both transmit and receive electromagnetic waves, such as the signals used by cellular phones. The antenna receives electrical current from a device (like a cell phone signal booster) through a coaxial cable and and transmits that current through the air as an electromagnetic wave; it also receives electromagnetic waves over the air and sends them as electrical current back through the cable to the device.

An antenna is typically electrically passive, meaning it doesn’t have its own electrical power source or contain transistors.

Antenna gain measures how well an antenna concentrates or focuses the signal it sends and receives in a particular direction. Passive antennas don’t increase the signal strength they send and receive; rather, they are more efficient (positive gain) or less efficient (negative gain).

Continue reading in Powerful Signal’s Knowledge Base article, “What is antenna gain? How is antenna gain measured?”