{"answer":"Yes. An antenna with the wrong frequency range, poor efficiency, damaged cable or unsuitable pattern can produce more loss than the router\u2019s original antenna. A long, thin coaxial cable can consume the gain advertised on the antenna, especially at higher frequencies.\n\nA highly directional antenna aimed at the wrong tower can also make the connection less stable, and a high-gain antenna may have a narrow vertical pattern that misses a nearby elevated or lower site. Check band coverage, connector type, cable loss, MIMO arrangement and measured RSRP, RSRQ and SINR before and after the change. \u201cMore dBi\u201d is not automatically better.","approval_status":"draft_for_dave_review_pending_public_brain_audit","approved":false,"category":"Cellular Antennas and MIMO","category_slug":"cellular-antennas-and-mimo","created_at":"2026-06-14T09:10:00+00:00","daily_publish_cap":2,"date_published":"2026-06-14","display_date":"2026-06-14","drip_status":"review_seed","freshness_note":"Confirm current model specifications, carrier compatibility, stock, pricing, firmware, warranty and commercial terms directly with Comset where they affect a decision.","id":"comset-qa-044","image_ids":["comset-product-range-antennas","comset-product-ant-lte-006a","comset-category-hero-015-cellular-antennas-and-mimo"],"language":"en-AU","last_updated":"2026-06-14T09:10:00+00:00","matched_image_ids":["comset-product-range-antennas","comset-product-ant-lte-006a","comset-category-hero-015-cellular-antennas-and-mimo"],"public_brain_verified":false,"publish_status":"review_preview","published_at":"2026-06-14T09:10:00+00:00","question":"Can an unsuitable external antenna make a cellular connection worse rather than better?","question_intent":"public_guidance","question_type":"technical_context","real_image_mapping_status":"mapped_to_approved_comset_catalogue_v1_6","site_key":"comset","slug":"can-an-unsuitable-external-antenna-make-a-cellular-connection-worse-rather-than-better","source":"Comset public website scrape and stable industrial-networking explanation","source_record_ids":["comset-source-0067","comset-source-0249","comset-source-0348","comset-source-0350"],"source_type":"client_source_plus_stable_explanatory_context","source_urls":["https://comset.com.au/product/mimo-4x4-5g-outdoor-antenna-ant-mimo4x4-006a","https://comset.com.au/product/mimo-4x4-omni-antenna-3g4g5g-ant-mimo4x4-005","https://comset.com.au/product/5g-mimo-4x4-lpda-antenna-3g4g5g-10-m-ant-yagi-4x4-10sp"],"tenant_slug":"comset","updated_at":"2026-06-14T09:10:00+00:00"}