We recently did some comparative testing between the original e3k 70deg? 4x4 OEM antenna w/BSA and the new RFE 90deg 4x4 horn array and found…
So first the good stuff…
- Provides a noticeable increase in gain (around 3dB on average) vs. the OEM antenna
- Can help push an SM up 1 modulation level if it was on the edge
- Provides a wider more consistent/predictable coverage area when compared to the OEM antenna
The not so good stuff…
- Is significantly heavier and more bulky then the panel antenna, more difficult to deploy. This is not an antenna that you want at the top of a small/skinny tower.
- Significantly more expensive than the panel antenna
- Requires a stand off to mount to tower, adds to time/expense/difficulty in deployment
These two items are a bit more fuzzy and results could possibly be tainted by the OEM antenna being mounted about 10’ higher on the tower above the 4x4 horn array…
- Seems to have trouble triggering MU-MIMO… tests needed to be run over and over to trigger MU-MIMO. SM’s that were triggerable on the OEM antenna are sometimes not triggerable on the 4x4 horn array
- While RSSI might be slightly better with the horn antenna, it might not result in meaningful throughput gains. When averaged both the OEM antenna and the 4x4 horn array produced similar speed test results
In conclusion…
I think it makes most sense for operators that are deploying this out of the box with a new radio. I don’t think it makes sense to swap out an existing OEM antenna for this. I think that operators that are used to horn antenna’s predictable coverage area and the ability to plan their deployments around this will most likely enjoy this antenna the most.