Hello all,Just ordered 2 Wilson 10dbi yagi's and cables and patch cords, etc.My question is how do you have yours mounted?Stacked, side by side, or + 45 -45In in a rural area in east T.N. and only get 1 sometimes 2 bars @ 2-4 gb if I stand in the right spot.Trying to limit my trips up on the roof if I can get the rig setup before and and just put some lag bolts in my pocket and a wrench and 1 and done this joker the first time! Thanks*Sorry for the cross post in the Wi-Fi forum

I finally got my own nighthawk last week. Currently have two antennas setup in an ">" formation. I plan to test different orientations and one vs two antennas in the coming week or two(i hope). For now it's acceptable until i can find time to play around with it.

jpr78 "I'm be curious to know what would happen if you got a wide band antenna. It may be possible that would get much better signal on the B4 then the switching between the two might not matter" 1) towers are in two different directions. i would likely need two yagis....omni directional antennas do not have enough gain in my rural location. 2) in my rural location, we are lucky to receive 700MHz. in general, higher frequencies are going to be sketchy out here. i might not be able to improve band 4 signal with an antenna. 3) the limitation with wide band antennas is gain. low gain solutions might work in the city/burbs.....but rural is a whole different thing. that all said, if AT&T is going to ping pong me between towers and bands, i have no option but to try wide band if i need faster speeds and see what happens. right now family has no complaints about 20-50Mbit speeds with one external yagi antenna.

"Stacked, side by side, or + 45 -45" I've been looking for the answer since last year. I am rural as well and have a single yagi. The answer will ultimately depend on how the Nighthawk works internally and how your local AT&T cell tower is configured. MIMO vs CA. MIMO helps in city environments where radio is bouncing off of everything (buildings, buses, etc.) In a rural setting we do not have these city multipath problems. That said *if* the Nighthawk supports MIMO with a second external antenna, that second antenna may do nothing for you. I would recommend you start with one external antenna to see what you get before adding a second antenna. CA is another thing all together. The ability for multiple radios to work independent of one another. *If* the Nighthawk supports CA with two external antennas the second antenna may do alot for your performance. Netgear does not disclose any information about how the Nighthawk MIMO or CA works. From previous forum posts this MIMO and CA information is not exposed in Nighthawk web console so even if something is happening under the covers we will not know about it. The only thing we'll know for certain is speedtest results! My yagi is mounted with the elements vertical. I have never tried it in any other orientation. I get 50Mbit download peak speeds. My best advice for you:1) Get one antenna working the best you can to baseline performance.2) After adding a second antenna, try both vertical and +/- 45 setups to see what works. I've read about +/- 45 but have NEVER seen actual speedtest results in the United States on AT&T using the +/- 45 setup.3) Keep the antennas at least an antenna width apart. If your yagi is six inches wide, mount the two yagis at least six inches apart. Stacked or side by side should not matter at all.

Hi Sixtsixmike,Thanks for the question! Please try nhantenna's steps for antenna setup.Please let us know if those steps work for you. :] Also thank you nhantenna for the help. :] - Jason N

Most def, will post an update as soon as I get the gear.Good thing with the nighthawk is I can take everything up with me and dial it in on the roof. (It's just steep as heck) may be sketchy until I get to the peek....lol

M1 antenna setup | NETGEAR Communities

40 Replies

nhantenna
Apprentice
Mar 28, 2018
"Stacked, side by side, or + 45 -45"

I've been looking for the answer since last year. I am rural as well and have a single yagi. The answer will ultimately depend on how the Nighthawk works internally and how your local AT&T cell tower is configured.

MIMO vs CA. MIMO helps in city environments where radio is bouncing off of everything (buildings, buses, etc.) In a rural setting we do not have these city multipath problems. That said *if* the Nighthawk supports MIMO with a second external antenna, that second antenna may do nothing for you. I would recommend you start with one external antenna to see what you get before adding a second antenna.

CA is another thing all together. The ability for multiple radios to work independent of one another. *If* the Nighthawk supports CA with two external antennas the second antenna may do alot for your performance.

Netgear does not disclose any information about how the Nighthawk MIMO or CA works. From previous forum posts this MIMO and CA information is not exposed in Nighthawk web console so even if something is happening under the covers we will not know about it. The only thing we'll know for certain is speedtest results! My yagi is mounted with the elements vertical. I have never tried it in any other orientation. I get 50Mbit download peak speeds.

My best advice for you:
1) Get one antenna working the best you can to baseline performance.
2) After adding a second antenna, try both vertical and +/- 45 setups to see what works. I've read about +/- 45 but have NEVER seen actual speedtest results in the United States on AT&T using the +/- 45 setup.
3) Keep the antennas at least an antenna width apart. If your yagi is six inches wide, mount the two yagis at least six inches apart. Stacked or side by side should not matter at all.
JasonN
NETGEAR Employee Retired
Mar 28, 2018
Hi Sixtsixmike,
Thanks for the question! Please try nhantenna's steps for antenna setup.
Please let us know if those steps work for you. :]

Also thank you nhantenna for the help. :]

- Jason N
- Sixtsixmike
  Aspirant
  Mar 28, 2018
  Most def, will post an update as soon as I get the gear.
  Good thing with the nighthawk is I can take everything up with me and dial it in on the roof. (It's just steep as heck) may be sketchy until I get to the peek....lol
  - JasonN
    NETGEAR Employee Retired
    Mar 28, 2018
    Great! but always make sure you are safe please. :]
    Please let us know. Thanks again!
    
    - Jason N

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