Hi there,

Just need a hand explaining how RouterOS uses the Antenna mode, in the past Ihave always just used one antenna and selected antenna 'a' under antenna mode.

i am wondering if there are any advantages to using 2 omni's and then selecting to use antenna A for Rx and Antenna B for Tx.

Can someone please clarify this simple question.

Cheers!

I'm afraid you have to test it.
So far I have never seen anybody using it this way although I know the option is there.
Try it and let us know!

If you are dealing with 802.11n, then there are some major advantages toward using MIMO (Multiple In, Multiple out), including potentially increased throughput, better signal strength, noise resistance, etc.

If you are dealing with a standard card (a/b/g like the R52), then there is no real practical advantage to using 2 omnis (at least not enough to warrant the cost of the antenna). The only time I have seen dual antennas used on a single non-802.11n card was with asymmetric dishes in order to skirt FCC regulations.

In the US, FCC only regulates transmission power, so you can legally use a 24dbi dish with a 24dbm radio to transmit, but use a 36dbi dish to receive. This way you can get a some better rates at extreme distances.

I've got a setup like this. R52 card with 2 omni antennas (tx-a/ rx-b).
Allthough it looks very cool, it doesn't really make much difference.

Going to try it with N card in a few weeks. Maybe that's more useful.