How Do Microwave Wireless Antennas Work?
How Wireless Antennas Work
In the middle of the radio transmission/reception process sit
two antennas, one at the building from which the signal is transmitted and one
at the building receiving the signal. Of course, it is possible to have one
central location and several remote locations connected to the network. For
discussion's sake, though, let's think of the communication process as a
straight line, from one antenna to the other.
In order to transmit the modulated radio signal, an electrical
current passes through the antenna, inducing a magnetic field, which oscillates
at the given frequency. The variations in the current create slight variations
in the radio frequency. These radio waves radiate outward from the antenna in a
"beam" according to the antenna's design.
On the other end, when the radio is in receive mode, the antenna
is passive. The electromagnetic radiation from the originating antenna passes
across the receiving antenna. This creates a magnetic field, which, in turn,
induces an electrical current through the antenna. The current passes through
the radio receiver and is demodulated back into an electrical signal with the
same form as the original electrical signal from the first network
bridge/router. This electrical signal passes to the bridge/router portion of the
receiving unit as a normal data signal.
As if by magic, a data signal is transferred from one network
bridge/router to another without the necessity or expense of an interconnecting
wire. More information about the various antennas used in wireless networking is
presented in the next section.
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