
Appendix 79
Avaya WLAN 2332 Series Outdoor Solution Guide
Radiation Patterns and 3-dB Beamwidth
The radiation patterns of an antenna describe how the antenna directs the energy it radiates. As stated earlier,
an antenna cannot radiate more total energy than is delivered to its input. All antennas, if 100% efficient, will
radiate the same total energy for equal input power, regardless of the shape of the radiating pattern.
In many cases, the convention of an E-plane and H-plane pattern is used in the presentation of antenna pattern
data. The E-plane is the plane that contains the antenna's radiated electric field potential while the H-plane is
the plane that contains the antenna's radiated magnetic field potential. These planes are always orthogonal. For
dipole and Yagi antennas, the E-plane is always in the plane parallel to the linear antenna elements.
The information obtained from these plots includes the 3-dB beamwidth. The 3-dB beamwidth of an antenna
is a measure of the angular width or spread of the signal at the points on the radiating signal where the power
has been reduced to 1/2 of its original power level.
Additional factors that affect the antenna's efficiency are the antenna side lobe level and front to back ratio.
These parameters are measures of how much energy the antenna radiates outside of its main beam. The side
lobe level describes the relative level of minor pattern lobes outside the main beam while the front to back ratio
describes the level of radiation directly opposite (180 degrees away) from the main beam. Ideally, these levels
should be as low as possible since they reduce the directivity and efficiency of the main beam. When
transmitting, the presence of side and back lobes may cause interference to other nearby access points, and
when receiving, they may allow interference into the access point from surrounding WLANs or rogue devices.
Directivity and Gain
The directivity of an antenna is a relative measure of how an antenna focuses or directs the energy it radiates in
the main beam of the antenna pattern. It is defined as the ratio of the antenna radiation intensity in a specific
direction to the radiation intensity of an isotropic radiator for the same radiated power. The higher the
directivity, the more focused the antenna pattern.
The gain of an antenna is closely related to its directivity, but takes into consideration the losses in the antenna,
such as conduction and dielectric losses, as well as, the directional capabilities of the antenna. By definition, it
is equal to 4 times the ratio of the maximum radiation intensity to the net power accepted by the antenna at its
input.
Gain is measured on a far-field outdoor test range by comparing the gain of the antenna under test to that of a
pre-calibrated Standard Gain antenna:
Table 14: VSWR, % Reflected Power and Transmission Loss
VSWR % Reflected Power Transmission Loss [dB]
1.0 : 1 0.00 0.00
1.1 : 1 0.23 0.01
1.2 : 1 0.83 0.04
1.5 : 1 4.00 0.18
2.0 : 1 11.11 0.51
2.5 : 1 18.37 0.88
3.0 : 1 25.00 1.25
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