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FON Launches La Fontenna External Antenna, Aims Global Wi-Fi

An important accessory for the company's La Fonera router

Jun 22, 2007 14:34 GMT  ·  By
  

FON is one of the most peculiar Internet providers on the market, as the company declared the purpose is to provide wireless Internet for as much of the world as possible, if not for the entire globe. Even if that moment is quite far from now, the company is making things one step a time, and has launched today the La Fontenna, a very special antenna meant to boost and compliment the functionality of the company's WiFi router, dubbed La Fonera.

The LaFontenna is an omni-directional antenna, which means that it radiates power uniformly in one plane with a directive pattern in a perpendicular plane. This also means that the main amplification effect manifests itself in just one, primary direction. Thus, the user might first find the location of another FON hotspot and direct the antenna in that direction in order to enjoy full coverage.

The device is also quite easy to install. All the user has to do is remove the La Fonera?s antenna, connect the La Fontenna, and place it in the best location for making the signal more powerful. Moreover, the La Fontenna also comes with kits for mounting the antenna in the place that best suits the user's WiFi needs.

And now, for those of you who have a nose for electronics, here are some of the most important technical features and specs the La Fontenna has to offer:

- Frequency Range: 2400 MHz ? 2500 MHz - Antenna gain-without cable: 7 dBi - Antenna gain-with cable: 6.5 dBi - VSWR 2.0: 1 Max. - Polarization: Linear, vertical - Impedance: 50 Ω - Temperature: -10?C to +55?C - Connector: R/P SMA PLUG - Cable: ULA168,L = 3M

The LaFontenna sells for around $20 on its own, but the company is making users a special offer: they can buy both the router and the antenna for just $22, thus benefiting from wireless connectivity right out of the box.

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