Antenna interface: one is called SMA, the other is called TNC
External wireless antennas seem to look similar in appearance, but if you look closely, you will find that they have completely different antenna interfaces. If the newly purchased external antenna does not match the interface of the wireless router, you will also not be able to upgrade normally your wireless router. Below we will introduce the two most common antenna interfaces, one is called SMA, and the other is called TNC.
SMA antenna interface
The full name of the SMA antenna interface is the SMA reverse polarity male (SMA RP M). According to the difference in polarity, it can be divided into two types: SMA and RP-SMA. The difference between the two is that SMA means the design method of “outer thread + hole” and “inner thread + contact pin”; while RP-SMA means ” The design methods of “outer thread + contact pin” and “inner thread + hole”.
SMA antenna interface is the most popular interface on wireless devices. More than 70% of APs, wireless routers and more than 90% of PCI-E interface wireless network cards in the market currently use this interface. For example, the well-known TP-Link, D-Link, NETGEAR, ASUS and other brand products basically use SMA interface as long as the antenna is detachable.
TNC antenna interface
The full name of the TNC antenna interface is TNC reverse polarity male (RP-TNC Male). It is thicker than the SMA male, and there is a metal shield between the outer and inner contact points of the antenna connector. In the current market, this interface often appears on the products of the network giant Cisco and its sub-brand Linksys.
What should I do if I forgot to check the interface type of the antenna before and bought the wrong one?
Don’t worry, you can buy another interface conversion plug, which can realize the conversion between SMA to TNC or TNC to SMA.
Although there are remedies, we still strongly recommend that you check the interface type of the antenna in advance, because the use of an adapter plug may have a certain impact on wireless performance.
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